The King will write privately to the Pope to pass on his well-wishes after the pontiff was diagnosed with lung cancer, the Press Association understands.
Pope Leo XIV’s condition was confirmed on Tuesday after the Vatican said he had undergone a “successful” planned surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.
The 71-year-old pontiff is expected to remain hospitalised for a week to recuperate, with official audiences and public engagements temporarily suspended while doctors monitor his recovery.
King Charles III, who is still undergoing cancer treatment himself, met Pope Leo XIV for the first time earlier last year during a state visit to Vatican City.
The pair made history – marking the first time a reigning British monarch and a pope prayed together in public since the 16th-century Reformation, a moment hailed as a historic milestone in relations between the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church.
While the contents of the message will remain private, it is expected that Charles’ well-wishes will be particularly heartfelt.
The King was diagnosed with an unspecified cancer following a routine procedure in 2024.
Since, he has advocated for people across the UK to attend cancer screenings, unveiling a new national Screening Checker that allows people to check their eligibility online.
The Church of England’s top bishop also said she is praying the Pope’s “recovery will be swift”.
Archbishop of Canterbury Dame Sarah Mullally, who travelled to Rome to meet the Pope in April, said he is in her daily prayers.
She said: “My daily prayers remain with Pope Leo XIV following his cancer diagnosis, and I assure the Holy Father and the Catholic faithful of the prayers of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion.
“I pray that the Holy Spirit – the Comforter, Healer and Giver of Life – will sustain him in the days and weeks ahead, and that his recovery will be swift and complete.”
Dame Sarah, in the hours after her meeting with the pontiff, had hailed it “a significant moment”, describing the experience as warm, encouraging and hopeful.
She assured the Pope of a “warm welcome from the Church of England should you honour the United Kingdom with a visit”, and offered him gifts including a jar of honey made from nectar from beehives in Lambeth Palace Garden in London.
The Pope commented “still a nurse” when Dame Sarah handed it to him, referring to her previous career as chief nurse in England.
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