The King and Queen will meet the pope for the first time since his election in May
King Charles and Queen Camilla are set for a historic meeting with Pope Leo at the Holy See next week.
Buckingham Palace has revealed the full details of the King and Queen’s upcoming state visit to the Vatican to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year — a special time for the Catholic Church — where they will meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time since his election in May.
“The King and Queen will undertake a State visit to the Holy See from 22nd to 23rd October 2025,” read a statement by the palace released on Friday, October 17.
Their Majesties will arrive at Apostolic Palace on October 22, where they will meet the Pope and officially begin the Jubilee celebrations, symbolising a renewed bond between the Church of England and the Catholic Church. Taking place every 25 years, this year’s Jubilee theme is “Pilgrims of Hope.”
The next day, Charles and Camilla will join the Pope for a special ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel. There, King Charles III — Supreme Governor of the Church of England — will join Pope Leo in saying a prayer, in the first joint prayer involving a British monarch and a Catholic pope since 1543.
The service will focus on “Care for Creation,” highlighting both leaders’ shared commitment to protecting the planet and addressing climate change.
Their Majesties will then attend another service at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where the Pope will name King Charles a “Royal Confrater” of the Abbey. A special chair engraved with the King’s Coat of Arms will remain there permanently, marking this new chapter in royal-Vatican relations.