King Charles will become the first reigning English monarch in five centuries to pray publicly with a pope, in a moment both symbolic and historic for relations between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church. The king and Queen Camilla will visit the Vatican on October 22 and 23 for a two-day state visit, where they will join Pope Leo XIV in an ecumenical service at the Sistine Chapel.
The service, to be held under Michelangelo's famed ceiling, will mark the first time since Henry VIII's break from Rome in 1534 that an English monarch and pontiff have prayed together in public. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, "This will be the first state visit, since the Reformation, where the pope and the monarch will pray together in an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, and the first time the monarch will have attended a service in St Paul's Outside the Walls, a church with an historic connection to the English crown."
The ceremony will include clergy and choirs from both traditions - the Sistine Chapel Choir, the Choir of St George's Chapel, and the Choir of His Majesty's Chapel Royal - reflecting the monarch's long-standing commitment to interfaith harmony. The service will center on the theme of protecting nature, an issue King Charles has championed for decades.
Royal sources described the occasion as a "significant moment" in the long and often turbulent history between the English crown and the papacy. The Church of England spokesperson noted that the act of shared prayer, along with the king's acceptance of the title "royal confrater," comes "against the backdrop of centuries marked by mutual distrust," adding that it honors "his work over many decades to find common ground between faiths and to bring people together."
During the visit, King Charles will also be installed as "royal confrater" of the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls - a title suggested by the abbey's abbot and approved by the pope, representing a gesture of spiritual fellowship. A specially crafted seat adorned with the king's coat of arms will be placed permanently in the basilica, to be used by him and future monarchs.
The basilica has centuries-old ties to the English crown, dating back to the reigns of Saxon kings such as Offa and Æthelwulf, who helped fund the upkeep of the church that houses the tomb of the apostle Paul. The insignia of the Order of the Garter has long been displayed at the site, reflecting the enduring connection between the abbey and the monarchy.
The visit also marks King Charles's first formal meeting with Pope Leo XIV, who ascended to the papacy earlier this year following the death of Pope Francis. The king and queen had previously met Pope Francis privately in April on their 20th wedding anniversary - one of the late pontiff's last official engagements.
Queen Elizabeth II was the last British monarch to visit the Vatican, in 1961, but she did not participate in a joint act of worship.
