When it was announced last Friday that Prince Andrew would lose his titles, and would no longer be called the Duke of York, an important reason was the Palace’s desire to prevent questions about Andrew drowning out other royal events.
The Vatican trip in particular had been of concern to the Palace, which wanted to end the constant drip-drip of negative headlines about Prince Andrew that threatened to overshadow the work of the King and other working royals.
But instead there has been a barrage of further revelations about Andrew and his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Pressure further intensified on Andrew with the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, in which she alleges she was forced to have sex with the royal at Ghislaine Maxwell’s house when she was 17. Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
The Palace will want to shift the focus to this visit which it hails as a “landmark” moment, and the King’s spokesman’s statement makes no reference to any family difficulties, but instead addresses these “times of such global challenge”.
“It has seldom been more important for Christian communities around the world to unite in faith and in fellowship with our partners.
“This provides a bulwark against those promoting conflict, division and tyranny, and supports our work together in harmony to protect nature, God’s creation,” said the King’s spokesman.
As supreme governor of the Church of England, and a longstanding campaigner for building bridges between faiths, this is a visit that’s of great personal importance to the King.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, who will be at the Vatican for the state visit, said the King and the Pope had different approaches but would “find common ground”.
He said Pope Leo was “very attentive, he absorbs exactly what people are saying and he can be very direct in expressing his own mind. King Charles is probably a little more subtle in the way he talks”, the Cardinal told the BBC.
And he offered a spiritual thought when asked about current problems facing the Royal Family.
“I have no doubts at all that family difficulties will be in the heart of both the Pope and the King as they place themselves before God and ask for grace and strength to live through all the difficulties that we all have in life,” said Cardinal Nichols.
