Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have met with Pope Francis.
The 68-year-old royal and his wife Camilla met with the head of the Roman Catholic Church on Tuesday (04.04.17) during a six-day tour of Italy.
Charles and Camilla were given a tour of The Vatican, and were handed a bronze olive branch and a copy of the Pope’s Encyclicals, including one on climate change and sustainable development.
During their tour, the royal couple were also shown the Vatican’s secret archive and looked at original documents relating to the Catholic Church and Britain, where they were shown a number of original rare letters including the last letter ever written by condemned Mary Queen of Scots on 8 February 1587 before her execution for treason.
Upon meeting Pope Francis, the pontiff urged Prince Charles to bring peace to the world during their chat which the Daily Express newspaper reports lasted for around 30 minutes.
Pope Francis said: "Wherever you go, may you be a man of peace."
To which Charles responded: "I’ll do my best."
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla, 69, made the trip to the Vatican City as part of their tour of Europe, which has seen them spend six days in Italy visiting cities such as Naples and Vicenza.
After first visiting Florence on Friday (31.03.17), the royal couple returned to the city on Monday (03.04.17) to attend a reception marking the 100th anniversary of the British Institute of Florence, where Charles was named the Renaissance Man of the Year.
Meanwhile, on Sunday (02.03.17), Prince Charles visited the small village of Amatrice, which was devastated by an earthquake in August last year which claimed the lives of 297 people.
Whilst visiting the abandoned ‘red zone’ of the village – where much of the devastation took place – the royal was seen walking in silence as he took in the sight of the buildings which had been reduced to rubble.
He said as he walked past a destroyed church: "It’s a scene of terrifying devastation."
Prince Charles also met with survivors of the natural disaster in emotional scenes which saw one woman break down in tears whilst another man clasped hands with the prince.
Charles told Amatrice’s mayor, Sergio Pirozzi: "The people in Britain mind very much what’s happened to you all here."
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla meet Pope Francis
