King Charles III made history on October 23, 2025, by becoming the first British monarch to publicly pray with a pope in nearly five centuries. The event took place with Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, marking a significant moment in the history of religious relations.
King Charles, aged 76, and Queen Camilla arrived in Rome, Italy, on Wednesday evening, where they were welcomed by British Ambassador to the Holy See, Christopher Trott, at Ciampino Airport. They stayed at Villa Wolkonsky, the official residence of the British ambassador, which is a 19th-century estate.
The following day, a state welcome was held at the Apostolic Palace, featuring a guard of honor by the Swiss Guard and performances of the national anthems of both countries. Queen Camilla adhered to tradition by wearing a black lace mantilla during the papal audience.
The king and queen met with Pope Leo XIV, their first meeting since his election in May 2025. King Charles presented the pope with a large silver photograph and an icon of St. Edward the Confessor. In return, Pope Leo gifted a replica of the Christ Pantocrator mosaic from Sicily’s Norman Cathedral. Their discussions touched on environmental protection and poverty alleviation. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, also attended; he had previously made history as the first papal envoy in 500 years to attend a British coronation in 2023.
In the Sistine Chapel, under Michelangelo’s frescoes, Charles and Pope Leo prayed for 30 minutes, focusing on environmental protection. The service was led by Pope Leo and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. As Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Charles sat to the Pope’s left, near the altar. The act symbolized reconciliation and spiritual renewal.
Music was a key element of the ceremony, featuring choirs from St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, the Chapel Royal, and the Sistine Chapel. The British choir performed “If ye love me” by Thomas Tallis, a nod to the composer who lived during the era of King Henry VIII’s split from Rome.
After the chapel service, Charles and Camilla visited the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. There, King Charles received 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 highlighted the historical ties between the basilica and England, referencing the 1966 meeting between Pope Paul VI and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, which marked the first official dialogue since the Reformation.
The title of Royal Confrater, approved by Pope Leo XIV, symbolizes hope and reconciliation, according to Cardinal Harvey. Charles was seated on a throne inscribed with the Latin “Ut unum sint,” meaning “That they may be one,” which will remain in the basilica. Historically, English kings were considered protectors of the Basilica of St. Paul until the Reformation.
In return, Charles honored Pope Leo with two titles: Papal Confrater of St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. Additionally, Pope Leo appointed Charles and Camilla as knight and dame of the Order of Pius IX. The visit occurred during the 2025 Papal Jubilee, a Holy Year tradition held every 25 years, which Charles was particularly eager to attend.
The division between Britain’s monarchy and the Catholic Church dates back to King Henry VIII in the early 1500s, when England separated from the Catholic Church in 1534 after the Vatican refused to annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. To facilitate his divorce and subsequent marriage to Anne Boleyn, Henry established the Church of England with himself as its supreme governor.
Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, was the first British monarch since the Reformation to visit the Holy See officially, meeting Pope John XXIII in 1961. Although she met four popes, she never prayed publicly with any of them. Charles and Camilla planned to visit in April, but the trip was postponed due to Pope Francis’s illness. They visited Italy and privately met the ailing pontiff two weeks before his death.
The visit demonstrated moral authority and spiritual leadership but coincided with scrutiny over Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein. The controversy intensified following the release of excerpts from a book by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexual misconduct. Days before the Vatican visit, Andrew renounced his title as the Duke of York, acknowledging that the allegations were overshadowing the royal family’s work. This decision followed reports about an email Andrew allegedly sent to Epstein in 2011.
Despite past challenges, relations between the Vatican and the British monarchy remain amicable and respectful. Church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch from the University of Oxford commented on the genuine significance of the Papacy’s formal favor toward Charles.
