Prince William will attend Pope Francis’s funeral on behalf of King Charles, Kensington Palace confirmed on Tuesday.
The Prince of Wales will join world leaders, including President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, at the funeral service at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Saturday.
King Charles, the last head of state to have an audience with Pope Francis, will not travel to the Vatican, in accordance with protocol and precedence which dictates that the Sovereign does not attend funerals, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The attendance of Prince William alongside world leaders highlights the vital role he plays as heir. When Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, Charles and Queen Camilla’s wedding was delayed as Charles was required to attend in place of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the late Pope during their tour of Italy two weeks ago. The meeting took place at Casa Santa Maria, where Pope Francis died on Easter Monday morning. Charles and Camilla were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary and received a gift from the Pope during the private meeting.
King Charles has spoken of the “devastating” loss of Pope Francis and said that he and Queen Camilla “remember with particular affection their meetings” with the Pope over the years and “were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month.”
As a mark of respect for the pontiff, flags were flown at half-mast at palaces around the country.
Pope Francis died on Monday at age 88, as the result of a stroke. A month earlier, he had been hospitalized for five weeks while being treated for double pneumonia.
On Easter Sunday, the pontiff had appeared to greet crowds and was driven around St Peter’s Square, where he was cheered on by thousands of well-wishers.