King Charles and Queen Camilla join Pope in historic Vatican prayer

The historic meeting marked the first time since the Reformation that the heads of the two churches have prayed together, symbolising a renewed commitment to reconciliation and dialogue after centuries of division.

Seated before Michelangelo’s Last Judgment, the royal couple took part in an ecumenical service alongside the Anglican archbishop of York and Pope Leo XIV. The ceremony featured music by both the Sistine Chapel choir and visiting royal choirs from Windsor Castle and St James’s Palace, blending Anglican and Catholic traditions in a shared expression of faith and harmony.

The visit, originally planned for earlier in the year, had been delayed following Pope Francis’s illness and subsequent death. It comes at a difficult moment for the British royal family, amid renewed public scrutiny over Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein after the release of a memoir by one of Epstein’s accusers. For Charles, the occasion offered a rare moment of reflection and unity during a turbulent time.