Royal couple to mark the Jubilee Year with landmark prayers and environmental focus
King Charles and Queen Camilla will travel to the Vatican next week for a state visit marking the 2025 Jubilee Year, a major celebration in the Catholic Church. Buckingham Palace confirmed that Their Majesties will meet Pope Leo XIV for the first time since his election in May, in what is being described as a moment of historic significance for royal and Vatican relations.
The visit will take place from October 22 to 23, beginning with a formal meeting at the Apostolic Palace. The King and Queen will join the Pope to officially open the Jubilee celebrations, which carry the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.” The occasion represents a gesture of goodwill and unity between the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
A highlight of the visit will be a special ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel, where King Charles III — as Supreme Governor of the Church of England — and Pope Leo will offer a joint prayer. It will be the first time a British monarch and a Catholic pope have prayed together since 1543. The service will focus on “Care for Creation,” reflecting both leaders’ shared commitment to environmental protection and climate action.
On the second day, the royal couple will attend a service at St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, where Pope Leo will name King Charles a “Royal Confrater” of the Abbey. A chair engraved with the King’s Coat of Arms will be placed there permanently, symbolising a new chapter of friendship and cooperation between the British monarchy and the Vatican.
