LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's King Charles is still hoping to see Pope Francis during a state visit to the Vatican and Italy next month, a Buckingham Palace source said on Tuesday, more than a month after the pontiff went into hospital.

King Charles III is scheduled to have an audience with Pope Francis during a state visit next month to the Vatican, suggesting the Holy See is optimistic the pontiff will be back at work by then, barring any setbacks in his recovery from double pneumonia.

Buckingham Palace is pressing ahead with plans for the King and Queen to visit the Holy See next month, as Pope Francis continues to battle pneumonia. A Palace source has told GB News: “Our hopes and prayers are that Pope Francis’s health will enable the visit to go ahead.