Her Magesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, accompanied by her husband, His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh arrived at the Vatican at 3:20pm local time today, having traveled from the Quirinale.
In John Paul II Square (between the Paul VI Hall and the Palace of the Canons), Her Highness was welcomed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State and by His Excellency, Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States, as well as by Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for Relations with States. Inside the entrance to the small Hall located there, His Eminence, Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster was also waiting to greet Her Highness.
The Holy Father greeted Her Majesty, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in his study, near to the Paul VI Hall, where they spent some time in private conversation for about twenty minutes. When they had completed this exchange, a presentation of the accompanying parties and an exchange of gifts took place in the adjoining Hall.
Her Majesty presented the Pope with a large basket containing refined edible products (jams, beverages etc) from various parts of kingdom. The Pope gave Her Majesty a copy of a precious document conserved in the Vatican, in which is described the cult of Saint Edward the Confessor (ancestor of the British Royal Family and founder of Westminster Abbey, where he is buried), a following that was extended to the universal Church in 1679 by Pope Innocent XI. The Pope also presented the great-grandson of Her Majesty, Prince George of Cambridge, an artistic object, composed of a sphere of lapis lazuli topped by a Cross of Saint Edward in silver. To His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Pope gave a triptych of medals of his Pontificate.
The Royal procession left the Vatican shortly before 4:00pm.
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