|PIC1|The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are expected to meet Pope Benedict XVI as part of a trip to Italy.

The couple will be visiting Italy and then Germany as part of a tour to promote green and environmental issues in the two countries.

Both the Prince and the Duchess are divorcees, but despite this the Pope is said to be “delighted” and the prospect of meeting the heir to the British throne and his spouse.

The Duchess married her first husband in a Catholic ceremony, and her two children were raised as Catholics.

Last week, the Government announced that it had been in talks with the Palace to end the Act of Settlement, which prevents the monarch being or marrying a Catholic. It is thought that the subject will not be raised during the Prince’s visit.

The Prince will be visiting Rome, Vienna and Germany on behalf of the Government to talk about the issue of climate change.

Matthew Roycroft, EU director a the Foreign Office said, “This trip is taking part not in spite of the current economic crisis but because of it. We need to lay the foundations for a sustainable recovery now. The Prince of Wales is someone with enormous personal credibility in this area in the government’s eyes.”