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In a landmark moment, King Charles will become the first British monarch in half a millennium to engage in public prayer with a pope during his historic state visit to The Holy See today.
Accompanied by Queen Camilla, the King was welcomed by Pope Leo XIV in the library of the Apostolic Palace, a customary venue for such significant meetings.
Earlier in the day, the royal couple made their entrance through St Peter’s Square, arriving at the ceremonial gateway of the palace in the San Damaso Courtyard.
Upon their arrival, they were warmly received by Reverend Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, the Regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household.
Queen Camilla donned an elegant black silk dress by Fiona Clare, complemented by a mantilla from Philip Treacy and a distinctive ‘raspberry pip’ brooch, a treasured heirloom from the late Queen Elizabeth II, shaped as a cross.
As per tradition Pope Leo was waiting inside the palace to greet his visitors.
In footage released by Vatican Media, the King and Queen could be seen getting out of their State Bentley with Camilla saying: ‘Lovely to be here.’
After walking through the Apostolic Palace they were greeted by the Pope who said: ‘Good morning, welcome.’
The King replied: ‘Your Holiness, it’s such a pleasure to meet you if I may say so. ‘You are so kind to see us.’
Posing for official photographs he also quipped: ‘Constant hazard, the cameras.’
The Pope added: ‘You get used to it.’
Pope Leo XIV meets King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Vatican this morning
Pope Leo XIV sits with King Charles III and Queen Camilla during a private audience today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel today
Pope Leo XIV exchanging gifts with King Charles III and Queen Camilla during today’s visit
Pope Leo XIV greets King Charles III during a private audience at the Vatican this morning
King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel today
Pope Leo XIV exchanging gifts with King Charles III and Queen Camilla during today’s visit
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell (second left), Pope Leo XIV (third left) and King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Pope Leo XIV meets with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles and Queen Camilla arrive at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
The Band of the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City prepare for the King and Queen’s visit
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem attend the meeting today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Invited guests arrive at San Damaso Courtyard in Vatican City for the state visit this morning
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
A woman kisses the hand of Pope Leo XIV during a meeting at the Vatican this morning
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
They then sat down to chat with the King telling his host: ‘I am so thrilled.’
At the official exchange of gifts, the King indicated to his and said: ‘A small token of my esteem and appreciation.’
The day’s ceremonial events began with a Guard of Honour provided by the iconic Swiss Guard and the playing of both the British and Vatican City national anthems.
Their Majesties were also met by a group of ‘Papal Gentlemen’ and the ‘Gentlemen of the Pope’, Prince of Windisch-Gaetz, Mariano Hugo, before being guided inside.
The Swiss Guards are one of the oldest and most prestigious European military forces, drawn exclusively from Roman Catholic Swiss citizens who have completed military training. They fulfill ceremonial functions and form the Pope’s bodyguard.
After the King and Queen were introduced to the pope, there was an exchange of gifts – with His Majesty presenting the Catholic leader with a large silver photograph, and Icon of St Edward the Confessor.
The Pope presented His Majesty with a scale version of the mosaic of ‘Christ Pantocrator’, in the Norman Cathedral of Cefalu , in Sicily. The mosaic was made in the Vatican.
The King also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Cardinal Secretary of State, who attended his coronation in May 2023.
The Cardinal was the first papal representative to attend the Coronation of a British monarch for almost 500 years.
The visit comes 40 years after Queen Elizabeth II banned the King from taking part in a papal Mass when he visited Vatican City with former wife Diana, Princess of Wales in 1985.
Charles, 76, who has been a life-long advocate for better inter-Faith dialogue and relations, had been keen to join Pope John Paul II in prayer.
The then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, wrote to the Vatican to say that the Prince and Princess of Wales would like to attend a service.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
A pilgrim holds a cross at Vatican City today as he awaits the arrival of the King and Queen
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza waits for the arrival of King Charles and Queen Camilla today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Pope Leo XIV meets with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Workers set up a red carpet at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
While the Pope’s office initially agreed to make the arrangements, Buckingham Palace later contacted them overruling the decision, saying a Papal audience would be sufficient during their 17-day tour of Italy.
Britain and the Vatican had only established full diplomatic relations three years earlier after a rift of more than four and a half centuries following Henry VIII’s decision to break with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s when it refused to allow him to divorce Katharine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn.
The 1534 Act of Supremacy saw Henry proclaim himself and his successors head of the Church of England.
However King Charles, now Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Pope Leo XIV will today take part in an ecumenical service – one that involves a number of Christian faiths – in the historic Sistine Chapel as they mark the Catholic Church’s 2025 ‘Jubilee year’, which takes place every quarter of a century.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed it will be the first time since the Reformation of the 1530s that a British sovereign has taken part in a public act of worship with the leader of the Catholic Church – and described it as a ‘significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and the Church of England’.
They added that it recognised the ecumenical work both men had taken in their lives and reflected the Jubilee’s theme of walking together as Pilgrims of Hope’.
Members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem attend the meeting today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
The Band of the Gendarmerie Corps of Vatican City prepare for the King and Queen’s visit
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
The Royal Standard flying at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards stand ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
A man kisses the hand of Pope Leo XIV during a meeting at the Vatican this morning
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards stand ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Pope Leo XIV meets with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Pope Leo XIV meets with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards stand ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Workers set up a red carpet at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
In another recognition of his lifetime of campaigning on issues of inter-faith harmony, Pope Leo will also afford the King the huge honour of making him a ‘Royal Confrater’ of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls.
The gift of ‘confraternity’ is a recognition of spiritual fellowship – ‘frater’ meaning brother in Latin.
In further celebration of this new bond, a special seat has been created for His Majesty, which will remain in the Basilica as a perpetual mark of mutual respect between Pope Leo and The King as Heads of State.
The chair is decorated with His Majesty’s Coat of Arms and will be used by the King during the service, after which it will remain in the apse of the Basilica for future use by the monarch and his heirs and successors.
Today marks Their Majesties first meeting with Pope Leo since his election in May.
The couple met briefly in private with the previous incumbent, Pope Francis, when they visited in April but had to cancel several planned engagements with him due to his ill health.
While the King sits down for talks with Pope Leo, Her Majesty will view the Pauline Chapel, which houses Michaelangelo’s last two frescoes of St Peter and St Paul.
Both the King and Queen will then join the Pope for the special ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, focused on the theme of ‘Care for Creation’.
This reflects Pope Leo’s and His Majesty’s commitment to the protection of Nature and concern for the environment.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards stand ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
The Royal Standard flying at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Pope Leo XIV meets with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Invited guests arrive at San Damaso Courtyard in Vatican City for the state visit this morning
King Charles III is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
A clergy member adjusts his zucchetto next to a Swiss Guard at Vatican City this morning
King Charles III is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
A member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem waits to meet Pope Leo
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles and Queen Camilla listen national anthems at San Damaso Courtyard today
Workers set up a red carpet at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
The Royal Standard flying at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
Swiss Guards stand ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
The Children of the Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal and the Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor, will sing during the service, accompanied by the Sistine Chapel Choir.
The Queen will remain in the Sistine Chapel following the service, to meet the choirs, whilst The King and the Pope will join a meeting on sustainability, before Their Majesties officially depart.
In another significant and historic step, the couple will then visit the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls.
One of the four major Papal Basilicas, it is the one most closely associated with the Catholic Church’s ecumenical commitment and has historic links with the English Crown.
For centuries, the heraldic shield of the Abbey has been surrounded by the insignia of the Order of the Garter, the UK’s highest order of chivalry.
Before he departs, Charles will attend a reception at The Pontifical Beda College, a seminary which trains priests from across the Commonwealth, meeting students and members of the British and Vatican community.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem wait to meet Pope Leo
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards stand ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Workers set up a red carpet at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Pope Leo XIV meets with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards stand ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Workers set up a red carpet at Vatican City today ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
Swiss Guards march ahead of the King and Queen’s arrival at San Damaso Courtyard today
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard today
A member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem waits to meet Pope Leo
Queen Camilla is welcomed by officials at San Damaso Courtyard at Vatican City today
Meanwhile, Her Majesty will meet six Catholic Sisters from The International Union of Superiors General, who are working around the world at grassroots level to support female empowerment, through girls’ education programmes, improved access to healthcare, climate action, peace building and tackling sexual violence and human trafficking.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: ‘At a time of global instability and conflict, the UK’s relationship with the Holy See is more important than ever – and this historic State Visit will be a key moment to strengthen this relationship.
‘The Holy See has been a key actor on the international stage, promoting peace, effective measures to combat climate change and promote human dignity.
‘The Catholic Church is the largest denomination of the world’s largest religion; it is the world’s largest non-state education provider, educating 68 million students worldwide, and delivers a quarter of the world’s healthcare.
‘His Majesty’s visit will therefore strengthen the UK’s relationship with this crucial and influential partner, helping to deliver on the Government’s priorities – from promoting peace and security around the world to working with our international partners to tackle climate change.’
