King Charles III and Queen Camilla will undertake a historic state visit to the Vatican in late October 2025
Newsroom (27/09/2025, Gaudium Press ) Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will undertake a historic state visit to the Vatican in late October, marking their first official visit to the Holy See as reigning monarch and consort. The announcement, made on September 27, highlights the visit’s alignment with the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year, a significant event occurring every 25 years, themed around “Pilgrims of Hope.” The visit will celebrate the ecumenical collaboration between the Church of England and the Catholic Church, emphasizing shared spiritual goals.
The royal couple’s itinerary includes joining Pope Leo XIV to commemorate the Jubilee, reinforcing diplomatic and religious ties. Unlike their private audience with Pope Francis on April 9, 2025, at Casa Santa Marta—held just 12 days before his passing—this state visit will carry formal diplomatic weight, acknowledging the pope’s dual role as head of state and spiritual leader. The earlier meeting, which coincided with the couple’s 20th wedding anniversary, saw Pope Francis reportedly bless their marriage, despite Camilla’s prior divorce from Andrew Parker-Bowles, a Catholic.
State visits to the Vatican by British monarchs are rare and steeped in tradition. Historical precedents include King Edward VII’s 1903 meeting with Pope Leo XIII and Queen Elizabeth II’s state visits to Pope John Paul II in 1980 and 2000. Elizabeth also made non-state visits to Pope John XXIII in 1961 and Pope Francis in 2014. King Charles, as Prince of Wales, was a frequent visitor to the Vatican, meeting Pope John Paul II in 1985 and 2005 (at his funeral), Benedict XVI in 2009 and 2017, and attending St. John Henry Newman’s canonization in 2019.
The king’s deep admiration for St. John Henry Newman was evident during his historic visit earlier this month to the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham, founded by Newman in 1848. As the first monarch to visit the oratory, Charles expressed hope for a future meeting with Pope Leo, a sentiment now realized with the upcoming Vatican visit. Speculation surrounds whether the trip might coincide with the proclamation of St. John Henry Newman as the 38th Doctor of the Church, announced by the Vatican in July, though Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni offered no confirmation, stating, “I do not have much to share at this time.”
The state visit follows a period of mourning after the death of the Duchess of Kent. King Charles attended the catholic funeral service, paying tribute to the duchess, a convert to Catholicism known for her devotion to charity and music. Her funeral underscored the monarchy’s ongoing connection to Catholic communities in the UK, a theme echoed in Charles’ ecumenical engagements.
Buckingham Palace noted that further details of the Vatican visit will be released in due course, with anticipation building for a trip that promises to strengthen ties between the British monarchy and the Holy See.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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