On Thursday, October 23, 2025, King Charles III engaged in a historic moment as he became the first British monarch in nearly five centuries to pray with a pope. This significant event unfolded in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican, where Charles joined Pope Leo XIV in a service aimed at healing long-standing religious divides.
Accompanied by Queen Camilla, the 76-year-old monarch arrived in Rome, Italy, on Wednesday evening. Their arrival at Ciampino Airport was followed by a welcome from British Ambassador to the Holy See, Christopher Trott. The royal couple stayed at Villa Wolkonsky, the official residence of the British ambassador.
Thursday morning saw a state welcome at the Apostolic Palace, featuring a guard of honor by the Swiss Guard and national anthems of both nations played by a band. During their audience with the pope, Queen Camilla wore a black lace mantilla as a mark of respect.
The meeting with Pope Leo XIV was their first since his election in May 2025. King Charles presented Pope Leo with a large silver photograph and an icon of St. Edward the Confessor, an English monarch from the 11th century. In return, Pope Leo gifted a scale replica of the Christ Pantocrator mosaic from Sicily’s Norman Cathedral. Their discussions, described as cordial, addressed issues like environmental protection and poverty alleviation. They also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, who was noted for being the first papal envoy in 500 years to attend a British coronation.
Under Michelangelo’s renowned frescoes, Charles and Pope Leo participated in a 30-minute prayer service in the Sistine Chapel focused on environmental stewardship, a cause long championed by the king. The service was co-led by Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell and Pope Leo, with Charles seated to the pope’s left near the altar on a golden throne. Their shared prayer was a gesture of reconciliation and spiritual renewal.
Music played a key role in the service, with choirs from St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and the Chapel Royal performing alongside the Sistine Chapel choir. The British choirs performed “If ye love me” by Thomas Tallis, a 16th-century composer who remained Catholic despite the religious changes under King Henry VIII.
After the chapel service, Charles and Camilla visited the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, where the king was given the title of Royal Confrater of the Abbey of Saint Paul. They entered through the Holy Door, opened every 25 years during a Jubilee Year. Cardinal James Michael Harvey spoke about the historical connections between the basilica and England, referencing a notable 1966 meeting between Pope Paul VI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, marking the first official dialogue between the two churches since the Reformation.
The Royal Confrater title, endorsed by Pope Leo XIV, symbolizes hope and welcome, according to Cardinal Harvey. Charles was seated on a specially crafted throne inscribed with “Ut unum sint” — “That they may be one” — which will remain in the basilica for future use. The basilica’s ties to England’s monarchy date back to the Saxon kings, who supported the maintenance of the apostles’ tombs in Rome, a tradition that ended with the Reformation.
In a reciprocal gesture, Charles conferred two honors on Pope Leo: Papal Confrater of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. The pope also conferred the titles of Knight and Dame of the Order of Pius IX on Charles and Camilla. The visit coincided with the 2025 Papal Jubilee, a tradition every 25 years for forgiveness and renewal. Charles was eager to visit the Vatican during this Holy Year.
The division between Britain’s monarchy and the Catholic Church dates back to King Henry VIII in the 16th century. England separated from the Catholic Church in 1534 after the Vatican rejected Henry’s request to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. Henry subsequently founded the Church of England, appointing himself its supreme governor.
Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother, was the first British monarch since the Reformation to officially visit the Holy See, meeting Pope John XXIII in 1961. Elizabeth met four popes during her reign, but did not pray publicly with any of them. Charles and Camilla’s visit to Rome, originally planned for April, was postponed due to Pope Francis’ illness. They continued with their Italy trip, privately visiting the ailing pontiff two weeks before his death.
The visit was intended to showcase moral and spiritual leadership, although it occurred amid intense scrutiny concerning Prince Andrew’s associations with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender. The controversy intensified following the release of excerpts from a book by Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Days before his visit to the Vatican, Prince Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title, stating that ongoing accusations detract from the work of the king and the royal family.
The relationship between the Vatican and the British monarchy, notwithstanding historical tensions, remains warm and respectful today. Church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch of the University of Oxford commented on the genuine significance of the Papacy’s formal favor toward Charles.