STORY: Pope Leo XIV landed on Saturday (March 28) at the Monaco heliport for a one-day visit to the tiny Mediterranean city-state, where he was welcomed by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene.

As soon as the pontiff set foot on Monegasque soil, he was greeted by the first of 21 cannon shots fired at one-minute intervals by the Prince's Carabinieri from Fort Antoine.

The visit will see Leo meet Monaco's royal family at the Prince's Palace, pray at the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate and hold a mass at a stadium before returning to the Vatican.

From the early hours of the morning, crowds gathered outside the palace, where an official welcome ceremony was to be held for the first pope to visit the Principality in modern times.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: MONACO, MONACO (MARCH 28, 2026) (TV MONACO - Must on-screen courtesy "Direction de la Communication 2026", no re-use after 0700GMT March 31, 2026, no archive)

1. AERIAL VIEW OF MONACO

2. HELICOPTER APPROACHING HELIPORT

3. VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER LANDING

4. PEOPLE UNROLLING RED CARPET

5. GUARDS TAKING POSITION FOR GUARD OF HONOUR / HELICOPTER DOOR OPENING

6. POPE LEO GETTING DOWN HELICOPTER / GUARD FIRING SALUTE CANNON (SPLIT SCREEN AT SOURCE)

7. VARIOUS OF PRINCE ALBERT II AND PRINCESS CHARLENE OF MONACO GREETING POPE

8. VATICAN FLAG RISING

9. VARIOUS OF POPE AND ROYALS POSING FOR PHOTOS

10. POPE AND ROYALS HEADING OUT OF HELIPORT

MONACO, MONACO (MARCH 28, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

11. EXTERIOR OF PRINCE'S PALACE

12. BANNER READING (French): "Apostolic trip of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV / Monaco 2026 / I am the way, the truth and the life"

13. GUARD, PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE PALACE

14. VARIOUS OF MEDIA STANDING OUTSIDE PALACE

15. BALCONY

16. GUARDS WALKING

17. MONACO AND VATICAN FLAGS

18. PEOPLE STANDING OUTSIDE PALACE

19. PERSON HOLDING SMARTPHONE, ROSARY

20. PEOPLE STANDING

21. PERSON HOLDING SMARTPHONE, ROSARY

22. PEOPLE STANDING

23. PERSON LOOKING ON

24. VARIOUS OF GUARDS AT WORK

25. VARIOUS OF GUARDS MARCHING

26. VARIOUS OF PERSON TAKING PHOTOS

27. DETAIL OF SHOES

28. PEOPLE STANDING

29. GUARDS SMILING

30. PEOPLE STANDING

31. NEWSPAPER

32. EXTERIOR OF PALACE