King Charles III of Britain and his wife, Queen Camilla, have decided to postpone their upcoming state visit to the Vatican in early April based on medical advice from the pope’s doctors.
Buckingham Palace announced this in a statement on Tuesday.
Earlier this year, King Charles had written to Pope Francis when he fell seriously ill with pneumonia in both lungs, causing concerns about his survival.
“Medical advice has now suggested that Pope Francis would benefit from an extended period of rest and recuperation.
“Their Majesties send the pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in The Holy See, once he has recovered,” the statement said.
After nearly 40 days in Rome’s Gemelli hospital, Pope Francis was discharged on Sunday and has been recuperating at the Santa Marta guesthouse, where he has been participating in mass and receiving therapy to aid his recovery.
The Vatican noted that the 88-year-old pontiff has been limiting visitors to only his closest associates and has not confirmed a date for his next public appearance.
The scheduled meeting between King Charles and Pope Francis, which was set for April 8, has been delayed.
However, by mutual agreement with the Holy See, the visit which would have been Charles’s first to the Vatican as monarch has now been postponed.
Charles last visited the Holy See as heir to the British throne in 2019.
