The King and Queen arrived in Rome last night before a historic joint prayer session with the Pope, offering Charles a moment of respite from the Prince Andrew scandal (Tom Kington writes).

Buckingham Palace has billed the ceremony in the Sistine Chapel today as the first time a pope and a British monarch have prayed together publicly since the 16th century Reformation when Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church.

The visit is the first meeting between Charles, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, who was elected in May. The palace said the visit was a “landmark in relationships between the Church of England and the Catholic Church, and between the UK and the Holy See”. It added: “At times of such global challenge, it has seldom been more important for Christian communities around the world to unite in faith and in fellowship.”

The royal visit comes as MPs call for Andrew to be stripped of his titles over his ties to the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and pressure grows to force him out of his mansion on the Windsor Estate.

Later today the King and Queen will attend a service at the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls where Charles will be made a “royal confrater” or “brother” of the church’s abbey.