THE VATICAN, April 9. /TASS/. Pope Francis has held a private meeting with Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla during their state visit to Italy, the press office of the Holy See said.

"Pope Francis met privately with Their Majesties, King Charles and Queen Camilla, this afternoon. In the course of the meeting, the Pope expressed his best wishes to Their Majesties on the occasion of their wedding anniversary and reciprocated His Majesty’s wishes for a speedy recovery of his health," the press service said in a statement.

Initially, an official meeting with the Pope was announced by Buckingham Palace but later, it was postponed due to needs related to the Pope’s convalescence following his lengthy hospital stay.