Pope Leo accepts historic title

A year after the British state visit to the Holy See, Buckingham Palace announces that Pope Leo XIV has become a Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel in a historic move. 

One year ago, King Charles and Queen Camilla paid a historic state visit to the Vatican, during which the King prayed alongside the Pope, an act never seen before. While King Charles was made a “Royal Confrater” at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in 2025, Buckingham Palace announces further developments in the significant ties between the two leaders and the two countries.

With the “gracious approval of His Majesty The King, The Dean and Canons of Windsor are delighted to announce that His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.”

This act of confraternity represents a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity. It recognises both the centuries-old relationship between the College and Chapel of St George, Windsor and the Holy See, and the progress in relations between the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. It also reflects the deep mutual esteem between His Holiness and His Majesty and their shared desire for Christian unity.

These reciprocal acts of confraternity tangibly express spiritual fellowship and a shared commitment to Christian unity. King Henry VIII’s Reformation prompted a historic separation from the Roman Catholic Church. Mindful of the value of Christian unity, in an increasingly polarised and turbulent world, the King and the Pope have joined together in “Christian brotherhood and, for the first time in half a millennium, are receiving religious titles which underscore what unites rather than what separates the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.”

To mark these signs of confraternity, specially commissioned chairs have been created for the two religious sites. The chair presented to the King sits next to the monastic stalls in St Paul’s Outside the Walls. The special chair is adorned with His Majesty’s Coat of Arms and will remain in the Papal Basilica for King Charles and his heirs to use. A corresponding chair for the Pope will be unveiled at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in due course.