King Charles and Queen Camilla will make a State Visit to the Holy See in April. It is an historic moment as the Supreme Governor of the Church of England meets the Pontiff.
For centuries, following Henry VIII’s break with Rome, the idea of a British monarch and a Pope meeting was impossible. But that all changed in the 20th century, as meetings – at first private, began to take place.
History behind closed doors
King Edward VII met with Pope Leo XIII in 1903 when he visited Italy. However, he did not meet with him as King and Head of the Church of England, but rather as a private individual, as it was not deemed appropriate for the British king to visit in an official capacity.
In May 1923, Pope Pius VI hosted King George V and Queen Mary for a 25 minute audience at the Vatican. Queen Mary wore the traditional black attire for the meeting, and the King and Pope exchanged portraits.
A truly historic moment
While King George VI did not meet with the pope during his reign, his successor did. Queen Elizabeth II met with several different popes throughout her life and made history with the first State Visit of a British Monarch to the Vatican.
Her first meeting with a Pontiff came in 1951 when the then-Princess Elizabeth met Pope Pius XII.
In 1961, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Pope John XXIII at the Apostolic Palace.
However, a real moment of history came in 1980 when Queen Elizabeth II became the first British Monarch to make a State Visit to the Vatican. Elizabeth II was hosted by Pope John Paul II.
After centuries of division, this was a moment of unity that Elizabeth II referenced in a speech, saying ””we support the growing movement of unity between the Christian Churches throughout the world and we pray that your Holiness’s visit to Britain may enable us all to see more clearly those truths which both unite and divide us in a new and constructive light.”
In 1982, Queen Elizabeth welcomed Pope John Paul to England – the first time a Pontiff had visited since the break with Rome.
In 2010, The Queen met Pope Benedict XVI when he visited the United Kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth’s final papal meeting was in 2014 when she visited the Vatican and met Pope Francis.
