King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s State Visit to Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this week is the latest in over a century of British Royal Visits to the Vatican. Despite the centuries old schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England, over the past century, the British Monarchs, Heads of the Church of England, have made several impactful visits to the Vatican!
King George V and Queen Mary met Pope Pius XI at the Vatican while on a State Visit to Italy in 1923.
Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh met Pope Pius XII on a visit to the Vatican in 1951.
The Queen Mother (in the Greville Tiara) and Princess Margaret (wearing the Lotus Flower Tiara) met Pope John XXIII on their visit to the Vatican in 1959.
The Queen (wearing the Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara) and Duke of Edinburgh had an Audience with Pope John XXIII at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on their State Visit to the Vatican in 1961, during their State Visit to Italy.
The Queen (wearing the Vladimir Tiara) and Duke of Edinburgh met Pope John Paul II at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City during their State Visit to the Vatican in 1980.
The Prince and Princess of Wales met Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, in the midst of their visit to Italy in 1985.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh met Pope John Paul II again in 2000, during a State Visit to Italy.
The Prince of Wales delayed his wedding by a day to attend the Funeral of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in 2005.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh met Pope Francis on a visit to the Vatican in April 2014, which was one of her last foreign visits.
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall met Pope Francis at the Vatican on their six-day visit to Italy in 2017.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla had an Audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican in lieu of their cancelled State Visit to the Vatican on April 9th, in the midst of their State Visit to the Republic of Italy.
The Prince of Wales represented Britain at the Funeral of Pope Francis, while the Duke of Edinburgh attended the Inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV.
Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara
Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik Tiara
Burmese Ruby Tiara
The Belgian Sapphire Tiara
Greville Tiara
Delhi Durbar Tiara
Cubitt-Shand Tiara
Queen’s Five Aquamarine Tiara
George IV State Diadem
Queen Mary’s Crown
Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara
King George VI Festoon Necklace
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