In February, it really seemed like Pope Francis was not long for this world. Francis was hospitalized on February 14th for bronchitis and pneumonia, and the Vatican kept briefing stuff about how Franny was barely surviving each and every day. After Conclave lost the Best Picture Oscar, suddenly Franny’s health rebounded, although we’re now learning just how bad it was – apparently, Vatican doctors considered stopping treatment so he could go peacefully. But, as I said, his health rebounded and he was finally released from the hospital over the weekend. As it turns out, after that very serious medical ordeal, Pope Francis has absolutely zero interest in spending any time with King Charles and Queen Camilla next month. LMAO.
King Charles and Queen Camilla won’t meet with Pope Francis as planned during their upcoming trip to Italy. On March 25, Buckingham Palace announced that the King and Queen’s visit to the Holy See has been postponed by mutual agreement in light of medical advice for the leader of the Catholic church. Pope Francis, 88, has been advised to rest after being discharged from the hospital on March 23 following a 38-day stay.
King Charles, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, are understood to have sent the Pope their wishes for his recuperation and hope to visit him at the Vatican once he has recovered.
The King and Queen were due to meet with the Pope during their upcoming trip to the Holy See and Italy from Monday, April 7 to Thursday, April 10, in a visit that will overlap with their 20th wedding anniversary on April 9.
It’s understood that the royal couple will continue with the visit to Italy, though the itinerary might shift amid the latest change.
It emerged last week that the King wrote a letter to Pope Francis for his recovery. A palace source said then it was their “hopes and prayers that Pope Francis’ health will enable the visit to go ahead,” in sentiments echoed by the King and Queen, sources say.
As sovereign, King Charles is the head of the Church of England, and his meeting with the Pope was highly anticipated in the year of a Papal Jubilee, which occur every 25 years.
While I think Pope Francis was genuinely near death and he absolutely needs to take it easy, I also think he was probably looking for an excuse to cancel this royal drive-by. Charles and Camilla have met Franny before, the last time they were all in the same room was 2017. That’s enough. “Postponed by mutual agreement” is palace-speak for “the Vatican canceled.” Not surprised that they’re still going to Italy though and it will be interesting to see the new itinerary. I bet an Italian wine tasting is on the agenda! Remember, this trip was originally supposed to happen last year, and Prince William and Kate were the ones who were supposed to go to Rome. The trip was postponed, and then Charles and Camilla jacked it from the Keens.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, in London. Picture date: Monday March 10, 2025.,Image: 974325839, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, in London. Picture date: Monday March 10, 2025.,Image: 974325984, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, in London. Picture date: Monday March 10, 2025.,Image: 974326044, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- King Charles III attends the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, in London. Picture date: Monday March 10, 2025.,Image: 974326050, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Queen Camilla attends the annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, in London. Picture date: Monday March 10, 2025.,Image: 974326056, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Aaron Chown/Avalon
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- Pope Francis appears at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Italy on 23 March 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, February 14.,Image: 978416446, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Stefano Costantino TTL/Avalon
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- Pope Francis appears at a window of the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, Italy on 23 March 2025, where Pope Francis is hospitalized since Friday, February 14.,Image: 978416629, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Stefano Costantino TTL/Avalon
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 25: Queen Camilla and King Charles III arrive for a reception to mark the launch of the Queen’s reading room medal at Clarence House on March 25, 2025 in London, England. Queen Camilla, accompanied by King Charles III, The Duchess of Gloucester, and distinguished authors along with members of the literary community, came together to celebrate the continued efforts of The Queen’s Reading Room and its mission to inspire greater reading among people.,Image: 979399175, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 25: King Charles III applauds Queen Camilla during a reception to mark the launch of the Queen’s reading room medal at Clarence House on March 25, 2025 in London, England. Queen Camilla, accompanied by King Charles III, The Duchess of Gloucester, and distinguished authors along with members of the literary community, came together to celebrate the continued efforts of The Queen’s Reading Room and its mission to inspire greater reading among people.,Image: 979402100, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson/Avalon
Man the pope looks pumped up with steroids. Yes I bet he wants to use the time he has for better things.
I agree. His pupils are so wide. It was very telling when he blessed the crowd just before he was wheeled away from the balcony—just one sign of the cross, and a very visible difficulty in the right shoulder.
Pope Francis has always maintained that he would step down if his health were to decline, but that does not seem to be likely now.
I hope he doesn’t step down, he’s the best Pope in my lifetime and who knows what the next one will be like. I hope he recovers, I have actually gone to Rome to see him at the Vatican it was a beautiful experience. (I fully understand the issue with the CC, I’m not defending them)
Well, the trip still goes on. I’m sure we will still get plenty of photo-ops of their trip. While William and Kate maybe do something somewhere. It’ll be interesting to see if they schedule anything in the uk during that time or get conveniently papped anywhere.
Unless The keens go on another vacation
I feel like this cancellation was to be expected and I don’t think its anything personal re: Charles and Camilla. Francis is most likely not up to a visit like this at this point in time, from anyone.
As for the Waleses….wonder if they will conveniently work while C&C are away, or take advantage of the opportunity to go on another vacation.
The pope looked quite frail and sickly on his balcony appearance. Recovery time is needed now
Not surprised. The Vatican had already said that the Pope needed 2 months rest.
And it’s the Lenten season, the holiest time of year. There are a lot of related activities that Francis won’t want to miss and something’s are going to have to give. Better to forgo a brief meeting with the king, a diplomatic formality, over something more vital.
I know it’s a small thing, but I really didn’t like the palace statement then and I don’t like it now. The man was near death and the statement centered Charles and Camilla. Some “get well, soon.”
When someone is that gravely ill (and it was no secret many, many worried he would not make it), you don’t announce you’ve sent a get-well card with your fervent “hopes and prayers” NOT that he will make a full recovery and get back to the work he loves, but that you hope and pray his health “will enable the visit to go ahead” as planned. When such sentiment is actually part of your statement about someone going into the hospital with a likely terminal illness (“we are hoping and praying our exclusive global statesman photo-op isn’t canceled”) you need to check your empathy chip.
I know to them it sounds perfectly benign, and it honestly isn’t in the Top 10 examples of their/their team’s self-orientation, but in the real world when aasked about someone *you have an upcoming courtesy work meeting with* falling deathly ill and being hospitalized, you make a point of saying the work stuff isn’t important and what matters now is their health. You express hope and prayers *for recovery,* send support to all those who love them and say you’ll worry about things like meetings and photo ops when the time comes, and now is not the time.
C&C: “hopes and prayers that Pope Francis’ health will enable [our] visit to go ahead” That’s the definition of saying the quiet part out loud, and you’d think they’d know better…but that would require caring.
So that was what they were *hoping and praying* for. Why are they so bad at this?
May the Pope continue in his recovery and do so comfortably. And may he e able to do so in peace, surrounded by love and support.
I thought I read that they were considering moving towards comfort measures rather than continuing active treatment for The Pope — may he remain peaceful and pain free regardless of the course.
I think if that is the case, he would step down as Pope.
He actually recovered to the point where those “comfort measures” were no longer needed.
Just what every woman wants for her anniversary – to spend it with another man!
If I were married to Charles (shudder), I’d definitely want to spend my anniversary with another man.
Glad Frank is better.