Historic Meeting: King Charles III Becomes First British Monarch in 500 Years to Pray With Pope

A custom-designed throne for King Charles III will be placed in the basilica for this historic occasion.

United Kingdom:

King Charles III embarks on a significant state visit to the Vatican on Wednesday, where he will meet Pope Leo XIV and create history as the first Church of England head to participate in public prayer with the pontiff since the churches' separation approximately 500 years ago.

This diplomatic journey comes at a challenging period for the British monarch following fresh disclosures about his brother, Prince Andrew, who remains entangled in the scandal connected to deceased US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Charles and Queen Camilla will have their inaugural meeting with Leo since he succeeded Pope Francis in May.

On Thursday, Charles and Leo will engage in prayer together, marking the first such public religious interaction since Henry VIII separated from the Catholic Church after papal refusal to invalidate his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, the Spanish princess.

In 1961, the king's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, became the pioneering British monarch to visit the Holy See following the 16th-century religious division.

The two-day diplomatic engagement will "mark a significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor," according to Buckingham Palace's statement.

Thursday's ecumenical service will take place in the Sistine Chapel under Michelangelo's magnificent painted ceiling.

The ceremony will focus primarily on conservation and environmental protection, causes that have been central to Charles's lifelong advocacy.

The service will incorporate both Catholic and Anglican traditions, featuring performances by both the Sistine Chapel choir and Saint George's Chapel choir from Windsor Castle, one of the royal residences.

'Spiritual Communion'

"This constitutes a historic event primarily because the king serves as the supreme governor of the Church of England and is legally required to be Protestant," explained William Gibson, theology professor at Oxford Brookes University.

"From 1536 to 1914, formal diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See were nonexistent, with the mission only achieving embassy status in 1982," he informed AFP.

Charles and Queen Camilla will also participate in an ecumenical religious service at Rome's Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, part of a symbolic visit emphasizing connections between the Anglican and Catholic Churches.

During the Vatican visit, the king will be officially designated a "Royal Confrater" of the abbey adjacent to the basilica—a gesture described by Buckingham Palace as acknowledging a "spiritual communion" between the two denominations.

A specially crafted seat for Charles III will be installed in the basilica and preserved for future British monarchs' use.

The visit coincides with preparations for the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year, a once-every-25-years event that attracts millions of pilgrims to the Vatican.

It also follows just one day after the publication of Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir, which alleges she was trafficked by Epstein and forced into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew, the king's younger brother, on three occasions, including twice when she was only 17.

Andrew announced last Friday that he would surrender his Duke of York title, reportedly under pressure from Charles. He had previously withdrawn from royal duties in 2019.

The 76-year-old king continues receiving treatment for cancer, which was publicly revealed in early 2024.

The monarch has previously visited the Vatican multiple times throughout his life.

He and Camilla met privately with Pope Francis on April 9, shortly before the pontiff's death, during a state visit to Italy.