Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

Image source, PA Media

In the red carpet line-up at the Vatican was the Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, dressed in black.

Later she'll be giving a reading from the Bible during the service in the Sistine Chapel.

Appropriately for the location, it will be from a Letter to the Romans.

That was written by St Paul, whose tomb the King will visit this afternoon.

State visits are carried out on behalf of the government, so the Foreign Office is a key part of organising such events.

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

Image source, Getty Images

There can’t be any more spectacular setting than the Sistine Chapel for the service where the King and Pope will pray.

The chapel has the remarkable ceiling painted by Michelangelo. The painting of the Last Judgment will be looming above them.

For anyone who enjoyed the movie Conclave this year, this is where the voting for a new pope really takes place. It’s art to concentrate the mind.

The music sung by the choirs at the service will include a piece by Thomas Tallis, the 16th Century English Catholic composer.

The Sistine Chapel Choir is a reminder of the sheer ancientness of the place. The choir has roots that go back to the 4th Century, making it among the oldest choirs in the world.

It should be an important moment for the King, with his love of art and music, and who has worked for many years to build links between different faiths.

Image source, Reuters

The King is set to meet Pope Leo shortly - but who is the new pope?

Robert Francis Prevost, 70, became the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter in May this year and is known as Leo XIV.

Born in Chicago, USA, he is of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent.

He received Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and reportedly refers to Peru as "my second homeland". In 1985, he moved to Peru and spent many years there as a missionary.

Pope Francis appointed him prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome in 2023, and made him a cardinal.

More on Pope Leo XIV's life, and his views, in our profile.

As the royals arrived at the Vatican, the national anthem of the UK - God Save the King - rang out.

The King and Queen stood together as the finely dressed Swiss Guards lined up in ceremony.

The Swiss Guards is one of the oldest - and most prestigious - military forces in Europe. It's made up of Roman Catholic Swiss citizens who have completed military training.

Along with ceremonial duties, they also form the Pope's bodyguard.

Image source, Reuters

The Vatican is surrounded by the Italian capital city Rome, and is a tiny fragment when compared with the extensive Papal States of central Italy.

Many imposing buildings are packed into its small area - including St Peter's Basilica, a pilgrimage site. As well as the Apostolic Palace, which is the official residence of the Pope.

At the heart of the Vatican is St Peter's Square - a large plaza where, today, people are awaiting the arrival of the King and Queen.

The Sistine Chapel - where Cardinals meet to vote - will today bring together clergy and choirs from both the Catholic Church and the Church of England - the latter of which the King is the supreme governor.

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

King Charles and Queen Camilla have arrived inside the Vatican to meet Pope Leo on this historic visit. The King in a blue suit, the Queen wearing a veil.

The King’s Royal Standard is flying above the pikes of the papal Swiss Guard.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

The motorcade carrying King Charles III is now approaching the Vatican.

A series of black cars escorting the King and Queen can be seen making their way into Vatican City.

We're expecting to see the royals step out of the car in a few minutes - stick with us.

In the next few minutes, we're expecting King Charles and Queen Camilla to arrive at the Vatican ahead of meeting Pope Leo.

You'll be able to see all the key moments in our live stream above, just click Watch live at the top of this page.

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

The Swiss Guards, in their colourful uniforms, are in place inside the courtyard in the Vatican where the King and Pope Leo will soon meet for the first time.

A marching band is playing.

The red carpet is being fixed in position.

Daniela Relph
Senior royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

Image source, Reuters

I met Cardinal Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

As I reported a little earlier, he is in Rome to join the state visit.

Despite the scrutiny the Prince Andrew problem has caused the King at home, Cardinal Nichols thinks the state visit was timely.

“I think in the essence of prayer, we bring before God our weakness and troubles” he told me.

“I have no doubts at all that family difficulties will be in the heart of both the Pope and the King as they, as it were, place themselves before God and ask for grace and strength to live through all the difficulties that we all have in life.”

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

There has been an exchange of titles announced this morning between the Vatican and the royals, emphasising their close links.

It’s part of the diplomatic schmoozing of such state visits.

King Charles is going to receive a Papal knighthood and the King will make Pope Leo a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.

The King will take an honorary, spiritual title associated with the church, becoming what's called a "royal confrater", as part of the church’s confraternity. It’s a recognition of his work building links between the Church of England and the Catholic Church.

It shows he’s part of the confraternity of the historic church where St Paul is buried.

In return the Pope will become “papal confrater” of St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

Image source, Getty Images

The visit is focused on building links between religious groups, against the dramatic backdrop of the Vatican, but every state visit has its own strategic purpose.

The King’s spokesman put the trip in the context of a challenging world where international partnerships are more important than ever.

Stronger relations with the Vatican will be a “bulwark against those promoting conflict, division and tyranny”, said the King’s spokesman.

State visits, although full of ceremony and pageantry, are carried out on behalf of the government. And previous visits have emphasised the need for traditional allies to stand up against extremism and the threat of military aggression.

The Vatican might be a small state, but the Foreign Office highlighted its significance.

“The Catholic Church is the largest denomination of the world’s largest religion,” said a Foreign Office spokeswoman.

The King and Queen’s visit will “strengthen the UK’s relationship with this crucial and influential partner”, she said.

Daniela Relph
Senior royal correspondent

Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

One man is uniquely placed to observe the state visit.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, is in Rome this week.

He knows both Pope Leo and King Charles.

“Pope Leo is very attentive, he absorbs exactly what people are saying and he can be very direct in expressing his own mind,” Cardinal Nichols told me.

“King Charles is probably a little more subtle in the way he talks, but I'm sure they will find common ground, though they will probably express it in slightly different ways.”

Speaking to the BBC this morning, the Bishop of Manchester says the King's visit is a "significant step forward" in the "painful journey of reconciliation" between Anglicans and Catholics.

Bishop David Walker tells BBC Breakfast that for everybody watching - and those taking part - it will be an "intense moment" as both the King and Pope Leo "speak to the same God" in prayer.

Walker adds he expects environmental issues will feature in the prayers and discussions of the two men, calling the visit "momentous".

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

Outside St Peter’s, at the heart of the Vatican, it’s a mix of pilgrims, press and police, as we await the arrival of King Charles, Queen Camilla and Pope Leo later this morning.

The usual tourist throngs are held back by security barriers, with organised groups of pilgrims singing hymns as they cross the otherwise empty square.

Daniela Relph
Senior royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

The city of Rome never feels out of season. It’s quite rainy here but St Peter’s Square in Vatican City has still been full of tourists.

Father Robert Dykes, the parish priest of Saint Joseph’s Church on the Wirral, is here with 50 parishioners – many are excited about the moment when the King and the Pope pray together.

"It's a great step forward in unity, in prayer." said Father Robert. "It's a great hope for the future for us that we can come together, we can go and pray together and bring peace and harmony to the world."

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

Image source, Getty Images

The scandal around Prince Andrew is the inescapable backdrop to this visit.

There have been damning headlines about his links to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which show little sign of disappearing.

It’s a row that has drowned out whatever else the royals have been doing.

But Buckingham Palace will be hoping this trip will shift some of the focus back to the working royals, such as the King, who is here on behalf of the government to strengthen relations with the Vatican.

Sean Coughlan
Royal correspondent, reporting from the Vatican

Image source, Reuters

The state visit will be sending powerful symbols of reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England.

The King, as head of the Church of England, will pray with Pope Leo, head of the Catholic Church, in a public display of togetherness.

It’s the first time that’s happened in a shared church service since the Reformation in the 16th Century.

In the afternoon, there will be be another historic connection, when the King attends a service at another church, St Paul’s Outside the Walls.

This church, which holds the tomb of St Paul, was associated with the English monarchy before the Reformation.

There’s a special chair made for the King there which throws the visit forward as well as looking into the past.

It’s going to be kept in the church for the King when he returns, or for his heirs and successors.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will shortly be arriving at the Vatican to meet Pope Leo.

The King, who landed at Ciampino airport in Rome on Wednesday evening, will become the first British monarch to pray with a pope since the Reformation in the 16th Century.

The visit will be seen as an important symbol of reconciliation, writes our royal correspondent Sean Coughlan - who will be providing updates from the Vatican throughout the day.

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

A stronger relationship between the two Christian denominations is a "bulwark against those promoting conflict, division and tyranny," says a statement from the King's spokesman.

We'll be bringing you the key moments as the day unfolds - stay with us.