Charles and Camilla to visit Italy next year in major royal tour

by · Mail Online

King Charles and Queen Camilla are hoping to visit Italy next year, with the monarch said to be keen to 'make up for lost time'.

Charles, 75, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, is said to have felt 'lifted' by his recent trip to Australia and Samoa, where he carried out up to ten engagements a day.

The king is now set to return to a 'full programme' of overseas tours next year following a new vote of confidence in his health from his doctors. 

And sources close to Charles, who paused treatment to undertake the 30,000-mile, 11-day round-trip, have explained it was all part of his 'mind, body and soul' approach to his cancer battle.

Travelling in particular is seen as a tonic for the King, who will likely visit the capital city of Rome and schedule an audience with the Pope at the Vatican. 

Pictured: King Charles and Queen Camilla are hoping to visit Italy next year, with the monarch said to be keen to 'make up for lost time'. The royal couple in Florence in 2017
Charles on his last visit to Italy met with Pope Francis II at the Vatican, where the then Prince of Wales presented him with a large hamper of produce from his Highgrove estate
Camilla pictured during 2017's 'post-Brexit charm offensive' from the Royal Family

Charles was so buoyed by his Australia tour - as were his doctors - that he is looking at a return to normality next year. 

'We're now working on a pretty normal-looking full overseas tour programme for next year,' a senior royal official said, suggesting that the traditional spring and autumn tours will be back on the cards. 

Speaking about a potential visit to Italy, one royal source told The Mirror: 'The King is raring to go and incredibly positive about making plans for the future. 

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'Although in the early stages, a visit to Italy would provide a fantastic opportunity for the King and Queen to represent the UK and take in some of the incredible sites of one of our closest neighbours.' 

Another insider said the King was 'keen to make up for lost time', having taken a step back to undergo treatment for cancer.

Charles is said to be optimistic and see the future as 'bright', which could not always be said to have been the case after the King was diagnosed earlier this year. 

After the initial shock of such a 'striking' diagnosis, he realised 'in a heartbeat' how much he had in common with so many millions of people in the UK and across the Commonwealth.

It's been a huge source of strength, they say, for him to talk to others about their shared experiences. 

Charles, 75, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, is said to have felt 'lifted' by his recent trip to Australia and Samoa, where he carried out up to ten engagements a day
King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a farewell ceremony at Siumu Village on the final day of the royal visit to Australia and Samoa 

And he hopes others have taken comfort from the fact that even 'a king can get cancer'.

Charles and Camilla last made an official visit to Italy in 2017, as the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.

The four-day trip formed part of the Royal Family's 'post-Brexit charm offensive'  and including Charles receiving a Renaissance Man of the Year award before meeting Pope Francis II in the Vatican.

As their discussion concluded Pope Francis urged Charles to work to bring peace in the world, saying: 'Wherever you go, may you be a man of peace.' 

'I'll do my best,' Charles replied. 

He presented the Pope with a large hamper of produce from his Highgrove estate - to be given to the homeless - and framed photos of himself and Camilla. 

In return Charles was given a bronze olive branch - signifying peace - and copies of the Pope's writings on climate change bound in red leather, an ideal gift for the environmentally-minded monarch.