Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla are set to make a historic state visit to the Vatican in late October 2025, Buckingham Palace has confirmed. The trip, which was originally scheduled for April but postponed due to the failing health of the late Pope Francis, will now see the royal couple join Pope Leo XIV for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations. The visit marks a significant moment for ecumenical relations between the Church of England and the Catholic Church, as well as a new chapter in the royal family’s engagement with the Holy See.
According to a statement released by Buckingham Palace on September 27, King Charles and Queen Camilla “will join His Holiness Pope Leo XIV in celebrating the 2025 Jubilee Year,” a special event for Catholics that is traditionally marked every 25 years. The palace emphasized that the visit would “celebrate the ecumenical work by the Church of England and the Catholic Church, reflecting the jubilee year’s theme of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’” This theme underscores the ongoing efforts to foster unity and understanding between the two Christian traditions, which have a long and sometimes turbulent shared history.
The upcoming state visit is particularly noteworthy as it will be the first time King Charles and Queen Camilla meet Pope Leo XIV, who was elected in May 2025 following the death of Pope Francis. Pope Leo XIV, aged 70, is the first pope from the United States and is known for his missionary work in Peru. The royal couple’s engagement with the Vatican comes at a time of renewed focus on reconciliation and dialogue, both within Christianity and across faiths more broadly.
The original state visit was postponed in April 2025 due to Pope Francis’s declining health. Instead, Charles and Camilla were able to meet the pope privately at his Casa Santa Marta residence on April 9, just twelve days before his death at the age of 88. According to reports, the audience lasted 20 minutes and coincided with the royal couple’s 20th wedding anniversary. During this intimate meeting, Pope Francis blessed their marriage—a gesture of goodwill that resonated deeply given Camilla’s status as a divorcee and the complexities surrounding remarriage within the Catholic tradition. The British royals were among the last dignitaries to see Pope Francis before his passing on April 21, 2025, making their visit a poignant farewell to a pontiff with whom Charles shared a passion for environmental protection.
The rescheduled visit in October will not only mark the Jubilee Year—described by the Catholic Church as a period of reconciliation and pilgrimage—but will also serve as a symbol of the evolving relationship between the Anglican and Catholic Churches. As the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, King Charles occupies a unique position. The Church of England’s split from Rome in 1534 under Henry VIII marked the beginning of centuries of religious conflict and political upheaval. Yet, as noted by Reuters and other outlets, relations between the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion have become markedly more amicable in recent decades.
Charles himself has long been an advocate for interfaith dialogue and has prioritized building bridges between people of all faiths since ascending the throne two and a half years ago. The king’s commitment to ecumenical and diplomatic engagement reflects both personal conviction and the evolving role of the British monarchy in a pluralistic society. As the AP reported, Charles “has made building bridges between people of all faiths a priority since he ascended the throne.”
This October’s state visit will be conducted with the full formality befitting such an occasion. State visits to the Vatican by British monarchs are rare and underscore the dual significance of the pope as both a head of state and a religious leader. In contrast to private audiences, which focus on spiritual and personal relationships, state visits emphasize formal diplomatic and ecumenical relations. The itinerary is expected to include a visit to the Vatican’s iconic Sistine Chapel, according to British media reports, though Buckingham Palace has stated that further details will be announced in due course.
There is also speculation that the royal visit may coincide with the formal proclamation of St. John Henry Newman as the 38th doctor of the Church, a significant milestone for both Catholic and Anglican communities. The Vatican announced in July that Newman would receive this honor, but has yet to confirm the date. When asked about the timing, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni commented that he “did not have much to share at this time.” King Charles has shown a keen interest in Newman’s life and works, having recently become the first monarch to visit the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham, which Newman established in 1848. During that visit, Charles remarked that he hoped it would “not be too long” before he met Pope Leo XIV.
The upcoming visit also comes after a challenging period for the royal couple. In late March 2025, King Charles was briefly hospitalized due to temporary side effects from cancer treatment—a health scare that cast uncertainty over the couple’s planned travels. Nevertheless, the king recovered in time for the April trip to Italy, during which the Vatican audience took place.
King Charles’s relationship with the Vatican is longstanding. As Prince of Wales, he made five visits to the Holy See, beginning in April 1985 when he met Pope John Paul II. He attended John Paul II’s funeral in 2005, visited Benedict XVI in 2009 and 2017 (both times with Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall), and returned in 2019 for the canonization of St. John Henry Newman. Charles also accompanied Pope John Paul II during the pontiff’s historic visit to Canterbury in 1982, the first ever papal trip to the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’s mother, also made several state and non-state visits to the Vatican, including meetings with Popes John Paul II, John XXIII, and Francis.
The 2025 state visit is expected to reinforce the warm and respectful ties that have developed between the British monarchy and the Holy See over the past century. It will also highlight the ongoing journey toward unity and mutual respect between the Anglican and Catholic traditions. As the world watches, the meeting of King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Pope Leo XIV will serve as a powerful reminder of the enduring importance of dialogue, reconciliation, and hope in an often divided world.
With anticipation building and details yet to be finalized, all eyes will be on Rome this October as two historic institutions come together to celebrate faith, unity, and the promise of a new era in Christian relations.