This is an important and long-awaited week for King Charles in his mission to promote interfaith harmony.
For the first time in 500 years, a British King will pray publicly with a Pope.
The Supreme Governor of the Church of England reconciling with the Head of the Catholic Church will be a symbolic moment.
King Henry VIII dramatically cut ties with the Vatican to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in 1533.
As King Charles and Queen Camilla prepare to jet off to Rome on this historic State Visit to the Holy See, however, there is a giant elephant in the throne room.
Prince Andrew, the King’s brother, continues to dominate newspaper front pages five days after he announced he would no longer use his Duke of York title.
Now, 80 per cent of the British public want the disgraced Prince to be formally stripped of his Dukedom via an Act of Parliament – several MPs from different political parties are now calling for the same.
The continued fallout from the late Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, where she accused Prince Andrew of having underage sex with her on three separate occasions, has sparked probes into other aspects of his private life.
Prince Andrew remains the elephant in the throne room as King Charles embarks on historic visit
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Andrew continues to deny all the allegations against him.
Ministers are urging the Prime Minister to be firmer with Prince Andrew and his questionable living arrangements.
He has been paying “peppercorn rent” on Royal Lodge – the 30-room mansion in Windsor owned by the Crown Estate.
Profits from the Crown Estate go to the treasury, benefitting the public purse, meaning British citizens are potentially losing out on potential rental income.
The problem for the King and the UK Government is that Prince Andrew’s 75-year lease appears to be watertight.
If it were to end early, taxpayers would be liable to pay the disgraced Andrew more than half a million pounds, via lost profits from the Crown Estate – something that would clearly be unpopular.
The Prime Minister has not ruled out a select committee inquiry into Prince Andrew’s living arrangements.
Prince Andrew has been engulfed in controversy
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The King had once hoped his brother could be persuaded to downsize and live an entirely private life of his own accord, but it appears Andrew either doesn’t understand or chooses to ignore the public mood.
Several uncomfortable questions remain unanswered – each one chips away at the chances of King Charles’s State Visit not being overshadowed by a scandal which began more than a decade ago, and still hasn’t been nipped in the bud.
