Britain’s King Charles III is meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican where he has become the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with a pontiff for five centuries.
King Charles and Queen Camilla held private talks with the pontiff in the Apostolic Palace earlier this morning – his official residence – before joining an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel.
The 76-year-old monarch, who is supreme governor of the Church of England, arrived in Rome yesterday evening with his wife for what Buckingham Palace described as a “historic” state visit to the Holy See.
It is the first meeting between the two men since Pope Leo became head of the Catholic Church in May, following the death of Pope Francis.
The ecumenical service will be led by Pope Leo and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the senior cleric of the Church of England.
King Charles and Queen Camilla pose for a photograph with the pontiff
Broadcast live by Vatican media, it is the first time that a reigning English or British monarch has prayed publicly with a pope since King Henry VIII broke with Rome in 1534 over its refusal to annul his marriage so that he could marry another woman.
Today’s service, held beneath Michelangelo’s spectacular ceiling frescoes, is centred on conservation and protecting the environment, a cause championed by King Charles.
It will bring together Catholic and Anglican traditions, with the choir of the Sistine Chapel joining with the choir of St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, one of the monarch’s residences.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are also set to take part in a service at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, one of four major papal basilicas, which has historic links with the English crown.
He will be made a “royal confrater” of the basilica and presented with a specially-designed seat for use by him and future British monarchs.
In centuries past, British monarchs provided for the upkeep of the tomb of St Paul at the basilica.
The visit will end with King Charles attending a reception at the Pontifical Beda College, where priests are trained, and Queen Camilla will meet six nuns from the International Union of Superiors General.
King Charles and Queen Camilla met Pope Francis, days before he died
King Charles has visited the Vatican several times and met privately with Pope Francis on 9 April, days before he died.
The monarch also met two of his predecessors – Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II.
His son and heir, Prince William, attended the funeral and his brother, Prince Edward was at Pope Leo’s inauguration mass.
The visit comes as the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee, a year-long event held every 25 years which has drawn millions of pilgrims to the Vatican.
It also comes at a delicate time for King Charles following new revelations about his brother Prince Andrew, who is mired in a scandal surrounding late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Additional reporting PA