On April 3, the Queen of England, 87, and her husband, Duke of Edinburgh, 92, will make a one day trip to the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, who was elected in March of last year.
Queen Elizabeth will begin her day with a lunch with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, and then spend the afternoon with Pope Francis.
According to the BBC , the Queen will not wear black, as she had done previous times with other Popes because Pope Francis is receiving her at his residence.
The Queen and Duke have scaled down on long trips and responsibilities so that Prince Charles can prepare for when he takes over the thrown. Despite the scaling back, the Queen and Duke will also be going to France to mark the 70th anniversary of World War 2 Normandy landings on June 5-7, according to Reuters.
In preparation for Prince Charles taking the throne, the Prince and the Queen have merged their media teams into one, and are stationed at Buckingham Palace. Prince Charles will be taking on more responsibilities that the Queen will be letting go of.
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