Even here, as he met the Pope inside the Vatican, the King commented that the cameras were a "constant hazard". Rather laconically the Pope said: "You get used to it", as he too has faced a rapid lesson in the unrelenting attention that comes with such a high-profile role,

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 service inside the Sistine Chapel brought together clergy and choirs from both the Catholic Church and the Church of England, of which the King is the supreme governor.