Over 400,000 people gathered to watch the funeral mass, with the attendees adhering to the dress code of dark suits for men and dark lace mantillas for women. While a Papal funeral is a highly ceremonial affair, Francis – known for his more humble approach to the office – pared back the more formal aspects before his death.
Notable by their absence were King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, who remained at home to celebrate King’s Day celebrations, though the royal couple paid tribute to the late pope amid the festivities. In a video message, King Willem-Alexander admitted that King’s Day ‘has two faces’ this year, acknowledging the passing of Pope Francis, who he described as ‘a source of inspiration’ for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
Queen Maxima, who was born into a Roman Catholic family in Argentina, told crowds that she would have loved to attend the Pope’s funeral in the Vatican, but that ‘remembering our conversations, community was so important to him – so I believe it is good to be here today, that we celebrate important moments together, and to be together, also in moments of sorrow.’