VATICAN CITY, Holy See (AFP)—King Charles III on Thursday became the first head of the Church of England to pray publicly with a pope since the schism with Rome 500 years ago, in a service led by Leo XIV.

The 76-year-old monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, joined the US-born pope in the Sistine Chapel for a 30-minute service mixing Catholic and Anglican traditions.

The highlight of the royals’ state visit to the Holy See, the ceremony under Michelangelo’s spectacular ceiling frescoes marked a significant rapprochement between the two churches.

It was the first time a reigning English or British monarch has prayed publicly with a pope since king Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1534.

Triggered by the then pope’s refusal to annul Henry’s marriage so he could marry another woman, the schism made the monarch head of the separate Church of England.

Charles, who is officially supreme governor of the Anglican mother church, earlier had his first meeting with Pope Leo, who took over as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics in May following the death of Pope Francis.

He and Camilla were greeted at the Apostolic Palace by a ceremonial guard of honour by the Swiss Guard, the pope’s colourful security detail, before a private meeting with Leo in the papal library.

The pope led the Sistine Chapel service with the archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, currently the senior cleric of the Church of England, while Charles and Camilla sat next to them.

Attended by Catholic and Anglican clerics, politicians and diplomats, the service centred on conservation and protecting the environment, a cause long championed by Charles.

The Sistine Chapel choir was joined by that from Saint George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, one of the king’s residences.

The visit comes at a delicate time for Charles following new revelations about his brother Prince Andrew, who is mired in a scandal surrounding late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew announced on Friday he would relinquish his title as Duke of York, reportedly under pressure from Charles. He had already stepped back from royal duties in 2019.