King Charles and Pope pray together in historic moment

It is the first time King Charles has met Pope Leo XIV since the Pope's election in May

King Charles has become the first monarch to pray publicly with the Pope for 500 years.

The King and the Pope prayed together at the famous Sistine Chapel in Vatican city.

The King, who is also head of the Church of England, has often looked to find links between faiths.

It is hoped the visit will show how the Catholic Church and the Church of England, which are two different sections of Christianity, are united.

King Charles and Queen Camilla met Pope Leo XIV - for the first time since the pope was elected back in May - on Thursday morning.

During a special service held in the Sistine Chapel - a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the Pope's residence in Vatican city - the King and the Pope prayed together.

Although Charles has met the last three popes, the meetings have never included joint prayers.

Why is the King praying with the Pope significant?

Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III and Queen Camilla during the service at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City

This the first time a British monarch and a pope have prayed together for 500 years.

England split from the Catholic church in 1534.

Before that England was a Catholic country and the Pope was considered the head of the Christian faith.

In 1534 King Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church of England and the English church was separated from the papal authority in Rome.

Though King Charles and the Pope praying together is big news, the BBC's religious editor Aleem Maqbool says the two churches have come a long way since the split in 1534.

"The two Churches work together on numerous global projects and issues...

[and] the groundwork for these moments has been laid over decades and indeed centuries of coming together," he says.