His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met with His Majesty King Charles III on the morning of Monday, 21 September, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
This was their second meeting since the British Monarch’s accession to the Throne. Their first took place in October 2022, while in the past His All-Holiness and the then Prince of Wales had also met in London.
In an exceptional gesture, the King received the Patriarch for a private meeting at his personal summer residence. Their conversation, which had initially been scheduled to last half an hour, continued for a further half hour in a very warm and friendly atmosphere.
Upon the departure of His All-Holiness, the British Monarch personally accompanied the Patriarch as far as the entrance of the Castle to bid him farewell.
His All-Holiness was accompanied at this significant meeting by His Grace Bishop Raphael of Ilion, who serves in Scotland, and the Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Private Patriarchal Office.
File photograph