Charles and Camilla Visit the Pope

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Monday. The Prince and the Duchess had a 15-minute audience with the Pope, followed by a meeting with the secretary of state for the Prince and a tour of the Vatican buildings for Camilla. Unusually, the Duchess was present throughout the entire meeting with the Pope; wives of visiting dignitaries are generally admitted only at the end of the audience. It is reported that the conversation included environmental concerns and global warming, an issue where the Prince and the Vatican are in agreement.

As is usual during official visits, gifts were exchanged; the Prince presented the Pope with a set of ceramic plates decorated with watercolour paintings of flowers from the Highgrove gardens and a signed photograph of himself and his wife, while the Pope gave the Prince a 500-year-old drawing of St Peter’s Basilica. It had been rumoured that the Pope’s gift would be a copy of the letter requesting an annulment of the marriage between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon; however, wiser heads prevailed.

The Prince and Duchess are also visiting Italy and Germany before returning to England on Thursday. For more information about their trip, see this thread.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Environment, Global Warming, Official Visit, Pope Benedict XVI, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales, Vatican City.

One Response to Charles and Camilla Visit the Pope