Prince William to represent King Charles III at pope’s funeral

LONDON: Prince William will represent Britain’s royal family at the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday, Kensington Palace said Tuesday.

The heir to the throne will attend the service “on behalf” of King Charles III, the palace said, in a decision in keeping with modern tradition.

Charles, when he was Prince of Wales, represented his late mother Queen Elizabeth II at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

Elizabeth never attended the funeral of a pontiff during her reign from 1952 to 2022.

The British monarch is head of the Church of England, the mother church of global Anglicanism.

British media said William’s attendance at the funeral will be seen as a major milestone in his role as a global statesman and future king.

Charles and his wife Queen Camilla met Pope Francis for 20 minutes during the royal couple’s state visit to Italy earlier this month.

Charles, 76, began treatment in February 2024 for an unnamed cancer and was recently briefly admitted to hospital after experiencing side effects.

Additionally, Cardinals were due to meet on Tuesday to plan Pope Francis’ funeral, which leaders from around the world will attend ahead of a conclave next month to elect a new head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Francis, 88, died unexpectedly on Monday after suffering a stroke and cardiac arrest, the Vatican said, ending an often turbulent reign in which he repeatedly clashed with traditionalists and championed the poor and marginalised.

The pontiff spent five weeks in hospital earlier this year for double pneumonia. But he returned to his Vatican home almost a month ago and had seemed to be recovering, appearing in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.

His sudden death set in motion ancient rituals, as the 1.4-billion-member Church started the transition from one pope to another, including the breaking of the pope’s “Fisherman’s Ring” and lead seal so they cannot be used by anyone else.

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US President Donald Trump, who clashed repeatedly with the pope about immigration, said he and his wife would fly to Rome for the event. Among other heads of state set to attend were Javier Milei, president of Francis’ native Argentina.