King Charles III is undertaking a historic state visit to the Vatican, marking a significant moment of religious unity by becoming the first British monarch in 500 years to pray publicly with the Pope, despite ongoing domestic scrutiny surrounding Prince Andrew.
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Now, King Charles has begun an historic
state visit to the Vatican. He and the
Queen are due to meet Pope Leo for the
first time since he was elected. The
king will become the first British
monarch to pray publicly with the
Pontiff since the breakaway from the
Catholic Church and creation of the
Church of England in the 16th century.
While the visit comes as questions
remain over the king's brother, Prince
Andrew, and his links to the convicted
sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The
prince has always denied any wrongdoing.
Our royal correspondent Daniela Lar is
>> Landing in Italy, escaping the pressures
at home for a state visit to the Vatican
Buckingham Palace has described as
historic and hugely significant.
On this trip, the king and pope will
pray together in the cyine chapel. The
first time a monarch and pontiff have
done that in around 500 years.
It will be a powerful moment of
religious unity in a week when family
>> Together at St. James's Palace this
week, the king and prime minister on
duty promoting British interests. But
lurking in the background, questions
around the Prince Andrew problem just intensify.
intensify.
His 30 room mansion in Windsor Great
Park at the heart of political scrutiny.
>> Mr. Speaker, given the revelations about
Royal Lodge, does the prime minister
agree that this house needs to properly
scrutinize the crown estate to ensure
taxpayers interests are protected? The
chancellor herself has said that the
current arrangements are wrong. So, will
the prime minister support a select
committee inquiry so all those involved
can be called for evidence, including
the current occupant?
Prime Minister.
>> Well, it's important in relation to um
all properties, crown properties, that
there is proper scrutiny. I certainly
support that.
>> Prince Andrew's lease for Royal Lodge
was frontloaded. In 2003, he paid a
million pounds to move into the property
and then 7.5 million to do renovations
required under the lease.
The money up front meant in effect he
pays no rent. Where Prince Andrew
sourced that level of cash is unclear.
Buckingham Palace said he now receives
no money from the royal family from any source.
source.
But for the next 24 hours, the focus
will shift to Vatican City. And for
those attending events, this is a timely
state visit for the king.
>> Well, I think in the essence of prayer,
we bring before God our weakness and
troubles. And I have no doubt at all
that family difficulties will be in the
heart of both the pope and the king as
they as he were place themselves before
God and ask for grace and strength to
live through all the difficulties that
we all have in life.
>> These are far from perfect circumstances
in which to start a trip of this kind.
But Buckingham Palace hope its message
of unity and faith will make an impact.
Daniela Ralph, BBC News.
>> Well, let's show you the live scene
looking out at the Vatican as King
Charles prepares to arrive there for his
meeting with Pope Leo. Well, let's speak
to our correspondent Mark Lohan who is
>> Hi, Rajie. Yes, good morning. uh on a
really symbolic historic day here at the
Vatican. It was it back in 1534 that
King Henry VIII broke with uh Rome and
set England on the path to
Protestantism, created the Church of
England. And then for many centuries
there was real mistrust between the
Church of England and the Catholic
Church. In recent decades, uh there has
been a warming of relations between the
two wings of Christianity. And yet today
will be that really that the climax of
that kind of unity and and
reconciliation as King Charles III
becomes the first British monarch uh in
five centuries to pray alongside a
Catholic pope, Pope Leo I 14th inside
the Systeine Chapel uh just behind me
there in the splenders of Vatican City.
And uh they will pray beneath the
frescos of Michelangelo in the Systeine
Chapel where Pope Leo himself was
elected pontiff back in May. and prayer
is often a very private moment. Uh so in
the fact that it will be filmed by
Vatican TV in itself is unusual and yet
on top of that you've got this extreme
extremely important symbolism of the two
faiths coming together. Uh now what
we're expecting this morning is before
that prayer uh King Charles and Queen
Camila will arrive. They will meet uh
Pope Leo. It'll be their first meeting.
First meeting of course of two heads of
state because the pope is also head of
state of the world's smallest
independent state, the Vatican. Uh then
uh Queen Camila will be given a tour of
a of a of a chapel called the Pauline
Chapel. Um and then they will go into
the Systeine Chapel for that moment of
prayer and then later on in the
afternoon Rajini another symbolic moment
as the king and queen are taken by the
pope to the basilica of St. Paul outside
the walls outside uh the Vatican where
the king will be given a special seat
engraved with his coat of arms and
conferred with a title of royal confrater
confrater
signifying the kind of unity and and
confraternity once again between the two
churches. Uh the English church
traditionally was involved in the upkeep
of the tomb of St. hall in that basilica
and that seat can be used by King
Charles and his successors in decades
and centuries to come. So uh the both
Buckingham Palace and the papacy very
very keen to emphasize the symbolism of
today but as you heard there in
Daniela's report of course looming large
in the background to all of this back in
the UK is the deepening scandal over
Prince Andrew and Buckingham Palace very
much very much hoping that the that the
importance and symbolism of today is not
overshadowed by that.
>> Indeed Mark lo in the Vatican. Thank you
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