King Charles and Queen Camilla's historic Vatican visit details emerge
The King and Queen will spend just over 24 hours in the Vatican next week, undertaking a historic state visit that will see the Pope and the Monarch pray together for the first time publicly.
The King and Queen are set to embark on a historic state visit to the Vatican next week, where they will publicly pray with the Pope for the first time. This monumental moment for ecumenical relations will see the King and Pope Leo attending a service in the iconic Sistine Chapel.
Their two-day journey, scheduled for October 22-23, is a follow-up to their initial state visit to the Holy See in April. However, due to Pope Francis' health issues, the trip was delayed.
Despite this, the Royal couple managed to have a private meeting with the pontiff, who sadly passed away later that month. Their separate state visit to Italy proceeded as planned, featuring stops in Rome and Ravenna.
During their short stay, the King and Queen will be welcomed by Pope Leo at his official residence, the Apostolic Palace. Following this, while Camilla explores the Pauline Chapel, home to Michelangelo's stunning frescoes of St Peter and St Paul, Charles will engage in a meeting with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's Secretary of State.
Charles, Camilla, and the Pope will then participate in a special ecumenical service, centered around the theme of Care for Creation. This reflects both the pontiff and the King's dedication to preserving nature and their shared concern for environmental issues, reports the Express.
The event will feature performances from the Children of the Choir of His Majesty's Chapel Royal, the Choir of St George's Chapel Windsor, and the Sistine Chapel Choir. Charles and Camila are also set to attend a second service at St Paul's Outside the Walls, an occasion Buckingham Palace has dubbed a "historic step".
During his visit to the Basilica, the King will be bestowed with the title of 'Royal Confrater' of the Abbey. This significant moment acknowledges his efforts to bridge gaps between faiths.
A Church of England spokesperson explained: "So the Royal Confrater title, whilst it confers no duties or obligations on The King and makes no changes whatsoever to the formal constitutional and ecclesiastical position of His Majesty as Supreme Governor of Church of England, is a tribute to His Majesty and to his own work over many decades to find common ground between Faiths and to bring people together.
"It is intended as an ecumenical gesture of hospitality that bears witness to the historic ties between what is now the United Kingdom and the Basilica, and celebrates the deep and warm friendship between the two churches."
In further celebration of the newfound bond between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church, the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls has crafted a special seat for the King.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the chair, which is decorated with the King's Coat of Arms, "will remain in the Basilica as a perpetual mark of mutual respect between Pope Leo and The King as Heads of State".
Additional highlights of the state visit, scheduled for October 22-23, feature a gathering at the Pontifical Beda College, a seminary that prepares priests from throughout the Commonwealth, plus a sustainability discussion in the Sala Regia, a ceremonial hall within the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.
The Queen will have an audience with six Catholic Sisters from The International Union of Superiors General, who are actively engaged worldwide at community level to advance women's empowerment.
The King and Queen are traveling to the Vatican to honor the 2025 Jubilee year, a momentous event that happens every 25 years and holds deep importance for the Catholic Church.
The trip will also represent Their Majesties' inaugural encounter with Pope Leo following his election in May.
A Palace spokesperson said: "The visit will also mark a significant moment in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England, of which His Majesty is Supreme Governor, recognising the ecumenical work they have undertaken and reflecting the Jubilee year's theme of walking together as 'Pilgrims of Hope'.
"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."
A representative from the Foreign Office stated: "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."