National Catholic Register, Sep 8, 2025 / 13:06 pm

King Charles III was “very engaged, very interested” and “exceedingly kind” when on Sept. 3 he toured the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham, England, becoming the first English monarch to visit the priestly community St. John Henry Newman established there in 1848.

The provost of the Birmingham Oratory, Oratorian Father Ignatius Harrison, said it was a very brief but joyful visit that was on “His Majesty’s own initiative.” His first engagement after the summer holidays, King Charles was also on a visit to England’s second-largest city to open a new hospital.

After welcoming the king and introducing him to the religious community, Harrison and Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham accompanied him on a tour through the sacred bu

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