Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla prayed with Pope Leo XIV on Thursday during an historic visit to the Vatican aimed at forging closer relations between the Church of England and the Catholic Church.

Charles, who is the titular head of the Church of England, and Camilla sat in golden thrones on the raised altar of the Sistine Chapel, in front of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment,” while Leo and the Anglican archbishop of York presided over an ecumenical service.

The event marked the first time since the Reformation that the heads of the two Christian churches, divided for centuries over issues that now include the ordination of female priests, have prayed together.

Charles and Camilla’s visit and exchange of titles had been planned for earlier this year but was rescheduled after Pope Francis got sick and then died.

Charles had strongly wanted to visit the Vatican during the 2025 Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century celebration of Christianity.

This week's visit came as the British royal family was once again under intense scrutiny over Prince Andrew’s ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The scandal that has long dogged the king’s brother was reignited this week after a memoir by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre was published.