Vatican City, (EFE).
The British monarchs, King Charles and Queen Camila, arrived Thursday at the Vatican to meet with Pope Leo XIV and attend the subsequent ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel.
The event will mark the first time that a British monarch and a pontiff will pray together after almost 500 years.
The British monarchs were scheduled to hold a private meeting with the pope for around 45 minutes, followed by a visit by the queen to the Pauline Chapel, which has what is believed to be the last frescoes by Michelangelo.
This will be followed by the historic prayer service at the Sistine Chapel at midday, marking the first time that a British monarch and the pope have prayed together since the Anglican Reform.
In 1534, the then British King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic faith after his failed attempt to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn, which Pope Clement VII did not agree. This led him to proclaim himself head of the Church of England.
