The King and Queen will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary on a royal tour in Italy, it can be revealed. The couple’s first major foreign trip of the year will include an audience with the Pope and a visit to the wondrous Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Although taking place on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to strengthen relations between the two countries post-Brexit, the four day tour will have an added significance for the royal couple given their “China” anniversary.

Their special day on April 9 is, however, a bittersweet moment for the King. After tying the knot with Camilla in 2005, his father, the late Duke of Edinburgh, died on the same day in 2021. Charles and Camilla wed in a civil service before having a church blessing at Windsor Castle. The late Queen Elizabeth II and Charles’ late father, Prince Philip, did not attend the ceremony but were a blessing and the following reception.

The Mirror understands the King and Queen both found the timing of the tour “a welcome addition” and although they will spend the day working during the visit, they will have a private celebration in Italy. The trip for the couple also marks a major sign of intent for the King as he commits this year to a full work schedule, while still undergoing weekly treatment for cancer. Italy is also celebrating a Jubilee year, with the Pope labelling the theme "Pilgrims of Hope". It began on Christmas Eve and will run until January 6 next year, with millions of pilgrims visiting Rome and Vatican City to seek spiritual renewal over the period.

A royal source said: “The King and Queen are absolutely delighted to be heading to Italy, to celebrate the ties between our two countries, especially in such an important period for their hosts. The fact their milestone anniversary will fall during the visit is a welcome addition. “Although it will be a working day, they are sure to find some time to have a small, private celebration.”. Buckingham Palace is also likely to mark the occasion on social media.

In Rome, the King and Queen will meet Pope Francis for an historic audience with the head of the Catholic church. The couple will also visit the spectacular Sistine Chapel on their visit. The resplendent church is famous for its frescoes, particularly those painted by Michelangelo, and for being the site where the next pope is chosen. The royal couple will be shown the famous ceiling of the chapel, covered in nine panels that depict stories from the Old Testament.

Charles' first meeting with a Pope since his divorce from the late Princess Diana in 1996 came in 2009, when he, along with Camilla, met Pope Benedict at the Vatican. In a bizarre twist, their wedding in 2005 was postponed by a day so the prince and some of the other guests could go to the funeral of John Paul II. At the time, Rome remarked how it demonstrated the closeness of the papacy and British royal family.

It will be the first time in more than a decade since a British monarch, as head of the Church of England has met with the head of the Catholic Church. Often heralded for his unique ability to unite peoples of different faiths, Charles is understood to be keen to meet Francis, who at 88 has been in ill health and suffering from mobility problems in recent years. In 2014 the late Queen Elizabeth II had a personal audience with Pope Francis in a trip to the Italian capital.

Pope Francis, who has experienced mobility problems in recent years, did not attend the Queen’s funeral in 2022, choosing instead to send a Liverpool-born priest to represent him. Senior Vatican official Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican's secretary for relations with states and international organisations, travelled from Rome for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. The late Queen met five popes during her 70 year reign - John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI - greeting the latter two on their visits to the UK. As a princess she also met Pope Pius XII.