Pope Leo XIV named Papal Confrater of St George’s Chapel, Windsor
23 October 2026
The appointment follows King Charles III’s acceptance of the title of Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome during his State Visit to the Holy See in October 2025.
Vatican News
Pope Leo XIV has become Papal Confrater of the College of St George at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, with the approval of King Charles III, the Dean and Canons of Windsor announced on Friday, 23 October.
According to the announcement, the appointment represents “a visible sign of spiritual fellowship, ecumenical friendship and Christian fraternity”. It recognises the centuries-old relationship between the College and Chapel of St George and the Holy See, as well as progress in relations between the Catholic Church, the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.
The appointment also reflects the mutual esteem between Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III and their shared desire for Christian unity, the announcement states.
The announcement comes one year after the State Visit to the Holy See by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, during which the King was welcomed as Royal Confrater of the Papal Basilica and Abbey of St Paul’s Outside the Walls in Rome.
The British monarch is accorded the title "Royal Confrater" at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, taking a seat on a stall bearing the Gospel inscription, “That they may be one”.
Reciprocal appointments
On 23 October 2025, during the State Visit, the King was welcomed as Royal Confrater by the Archpriest of the Papal Basilica and the Abbot of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, with the approval of Pope Leo XIV.
Before the mid-sixteenth century, the Kings of England had a historic role in relation to St Paul’s Outside the Walls, the announcement notes.
In response, and with the approval of the King and the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dean and Canons of Windsor invited Pope Leo XIV to become Papal Confrater of the College and Chapel of St George. The Pope has accepted the invitation.
The announcement describes the reciprocal appointments as tangible expressions of spiritual fellowship and a shared commitment to Christian unity. It also recalls the separation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England following the Reformation under King Henry VIII.
“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,” the statement says.
Chairs and mosaic icon to mark the appointments
Specially commissioned chairs have been created for the two religious institutions to mark the appointments.
The chair presented to King Charles III has been placed beside the monastic stalls at St Paul’s Outside the Walls. A corresponding chair for Pope Leo XIV will be unveiled at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in due course.
Later this autumn, the King is due to attend a service at St George’s Chapel during which a mosaic icon of the Christ of Cefalù, gifted to him by Pope Leo XIV during the State Visit, will be dedicated and installed in the South Quire Aisle.