King Charles and Queen Camilla ‘deeply saddened’ as they break silence on Pope Francis’ death 

The King and Queen have paid their respects to Pope Francis following his death aged 88.

The head of the Catholic Church died on Easter Monday at 7.35 am, just 11 days after Their Majesties’ state visit to Italy, during which they held a private audience with Pope Francis.

His Majesty The King issued the following message on Easter Monday: “My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis. Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.

“His Holiness will be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others. 

“His belief that care for Creation is an existential expression of faith in God resounded with so many across the world. Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many.

“The Queen and I remember with particular affection our meetings with His Holiness over the years and we were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month. 

“We end our most heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy to the Church he served with such resolve and to the countless people around the world who, inspired by his life, will be mourning the devastating loss of this faithful follower of Jesus Christ.’

The pontiff’s final meeting with the king

The visit had originally been postponed due to the pontiff’s recent bout of ill health, which saw him taken to hospital for double pneumonia and chronic bronchitis. 

An official photo of the royal couple with His Holiness was shared of the “special moment” at the time.

“A special moment for Their Majesties as they privately met His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday. The King and Queen were deeply touched by The Pope’s kind remarks about their 20th wedding anniversary and honoured to be able to share their best wishes to him in person,” the caption read. 

 The visit is said to have lasted for 20 minutes, during which he exchanged wedding anniversary presents with King Charles and Queen Camilla.

A senior Palace official said afterwards: “I think outside of the official programme, the most significant and indeed moving thing was that visit to the Pope.

“We didn’t know until the last minute that it would be possible. But when the Pope asked if he could see the King and Queen, Their Majesties were clearly very pleased; after all, they have known him over many years and with the rest of the world, have been praying for his recovery.

“The Pope wanted personally to wish them a happy anniversary, not least because it hadn’t been possible to do the state visit on this occasion. Their Majesties both came away feeling that it had been a very significant and special moment.”

Tributes to Pope Francis 

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, paid tribute to Pope Francis, saying: “A voice proclaiming the innate dignity of every human being, especially those who are poor or marginalised, is now silent.”

The Archbishop of York remembered him as a “holy man of God” who was “also very human”. “Francis’s whole life and ministry was centred on Jesus who comes among us not to be served, but to serve,” Stephen Cottrell said in a statement posted to X.

“We saw that compellingly in Francis’s service of the poor his love of neighbour, especially the displaced, migrant; the asylum seeker, his deep compassion for the well-being of the earth and his desire to lead and build the church in new ways.”

Former archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also paid tribute to Pope Francis, saying of the late leader of the Catholic Church: “It is with a deep sense of personal sadness that I mourn the death of my friend, His Holiness Pope Francis.

“With our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters – along with the global Church and many more around the world – I’m filled with a great sense of loss. He was a Pope who spoke not just to the Catholic church, but far beyond it. His leadership was felt powerfully among us in the Anglican Communion.

Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Pope Francis, saying his death is a reminder of “his call to care for one another across different faiths, backgrounds, nations and beliefs.”

Tributes also came flooding in from Hollywood, with Whoopi Goldberg saying the Pope, who she met in 2023 and 2024, was a beacon of “humanity and laughter.” 

She wrote on Instagram: “He was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and non-believer. He felt more like Pope John the 23rd who made belief real. Sail on Pope Francis with your love of humanity (and) laughter.”

Pope Francis’ death

A senior Vatican official, Camerlengo Cardinal Kevin Farrell, confirmed the sad news in a statement on Monday. “At 7.35 this morning, the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father,” it read. 

“His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of his Church. He taught us to live the values of the Gospel with faithfulness, courage, and universal love, especially for the poorest and most marginalised.

“With immense gratitude for his example as a true disciple of the Lord Jesus, we commend the soul of Pope Francis to the infinite, merciful love of God, One and Tribune.”

Francis, 88, emerged from his convalescence on Easter Sunday to bless the thousands of people in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

While plans are still being finalised by Vatican City, the funeral must take place between four and six days after his death, according to a 1996 rule – except in the case of unspecified “special reasons”.

Dignitaries, world leaders and royals are expected to attend the service. There is an official nine-day period of mourning in place from the day of his death. 

Pope Francis was previously hospitalised with pneumonia in March 2023, and later that year underwent an operation to repair an abdominal hernia. 

He had also had part of one lung removed owing to an infection when he was just 21. 

Pope Francis was elected as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013. 

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires in 1936, he was the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

He was renowned for his liberal views and made it one of his missions to make the Catholic Change more welcoming to the LGBT community, condemned the divide between the rich and the poor, and advocated for action on climate change. 

He also appointed a woman, Sister Nathalie Becquart, to a key role in the Dicastery for Bishops.