King Charles and Camilla have been handed an international boost as Pope Francis is to be discharged from hospital on Sunday after more than a month battling double pneumonia.
The Vatican has announced that the 88-year-old pontiff will return to his residency, with doctors recommending “at least two months” of recovery time.
His release means he is likely to be able to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla during their scheduled visit to the Vatican on April 8.
Before leaving hospital, the Pope will make his first public appearance since his admission, blessing the faithful from the window of his 10th floor hospital suite.
King Charles and Camilla have been handed an international boost as Pope Francis is to be discharged from hospital on Sunday after more than a month battling double pneumonia
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The hospital stay has been the longest of his 12-year papacy, with many Catholics having feared for his life.
The King and Queen’s visit to the Vatican forms part of a wider state visit to Italy beginning on April 7.
The royal couple will attend an audience with Pope Francis, subject to the the pontiff’s health, and a special service in the Sistine Chapel.
King Charles will make history as the first British monarch since the Reformation to visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled visit to the Vatican on April 8
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During their Italian tour, the couple will also visit Rome and Ravenna, known for its Byzantine mosaics.
They will visit the tomb of medieval poet Dante and commemorate the 80th anniversary of Ravenna’s liberation from the Nazis.
In Rome, the King will meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella.
The Pope’s health is “improving”, according to Dr Luca Carbone, one of his medical team.
The pontiff, who was admitted on February 14 with bronchitis, which developed into double pneumonia, also suffered from anaemia and early stages of kidney failure during his illness
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Sergio Alfieri, who heads the medical team, stressed that “the recommendation for a period of convalescence of at least two months is very important.”
Dr Alfieri added that recovery would continue at the Pope’s home, as “a hospital even if this seems strange is the worst place to recover because it’s where one can contract more infections.”
The pontiff, who was admitted on February 14 with bronchitis, which developed into double pneumonia, also suffered from anaemia and early stages of kidney failure during his illness.
Outlining details of the planned meeting between the faith leader and the King, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “On Tuesday 8 April, and clearly subject to Pope Francis’s health, their majesties will visit the Holy See to join Pope Francis in celebrating the 2025 jubilee.”
