King Charles and Pope Leo pray together in a 500-year first


Pope Leo XIV meets with Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla during a private audience at the Vatican October 23, 2025. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Britain's King Charles and Pope Leo prayed together in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on Thursday, in the first joint worship including an English monarch and a Catholic pontiff since King Henry VIII broke away from Rome in 1534.

Latin chants and English prayers echoed through the chapel, where Leo was elected the first U.S. pope by the world's Catholic cardinals six months ago in front of frescoes by Michelangelo depicting Christ delivering the Last Judgment.

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