THE PRINCE of Wales is set to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace has said.
William will travel to the Vatican ahead of the procession and ceremony for the pontiff on Saturday, joining world leaders such as US President Donald Trump and France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
Catholics around the world have been mourning Pope Francis after he passed away on Monday morning, following weeks of intensive care in hospital.
King Charles and Queen Camilla had met the Pope just 12 days before he died, during a state visit to the Vatican.
In a moving tribute, the King shared how “deeply saddened” he was to have heard of the pontiff’s death.
The message, posted on the Instagram account for The Royal Family, read: “My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis.
“Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his
life and ministry.
“His Holiness will be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others.”
The tribute continued: “His belief that care for Creation is an existential expression of faith in God resounded with so many across the world.
“Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many.
“The Queen and I remember with particular affection our meetings with His Holiness over the years and we were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month.
“We send our most heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy to the Church he served with such resolve and to the countless people around the world who, inspired by his life, will be mourning the devastating loss of this faithful follower of Jesus Christ.’ Charles R.”
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Pope’s cause of death confirmed by the Vatican as pontiff’s burial wishes revealed in final testament” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6371763344112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]Prince William never met Pope Francis, after a planned trip to the Vatican last spring was postponed after Kate was diagnosed with cancer.
Kensington Palace would not comment on whether William would be joined by the Princess of Wales.
It is not unusual for the heir rather than the monarch to attend funerals as the then-Prince Charles led the UK delegation to Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005.
In December 2023, the Prince of Wales flew to Kuwait to pay condolences following the death of Emir Sheikh Nawaf.
Charles was forced to postpone his wedding to Camilla for a week after the funeral fell on the day of his planned civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
Sources close to William point out his growing roles as a “global statesman”.
Last December, Wills travelled to Paris to meet Donald Trump who hailed the prince as “a good man” who is doing a “fantastic job”.
William will be back to join Kate on the Isle of Mull, in Scotland, for a string of engagements on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, which also falls on their 14th wedding anniversary.
[boxout headline=”The Royal Family’s relationship with the Vatican”]King Charles and Queen Camilla’s historic state visit to the Vatican was cancelled in early April due to the Pope’s declining health.
Despite this, the pair managed to visit the head of the Roman Catholic Church privately during their trip to Italy.
Charles and Camilla‘s meeting with the Pope in what would be his final weeks was arranged at the last minute and took place on their 20th wedding anniversary on April 9, with the pontiff wanting to personally wish them a happy anniversary.
A senior Palace official said afterwards: “I think outside of the official programme, the most significant and indeed moving thing was that visit to the Pope.
“We didn’t know until the last minute that it would be possible. But when the Pope asked if he could see the King and Queen, Their Majesties were clearly very pleased; after all, they have known him over many years and with the rest of the world, have been praying for his recovery.
“The Pope wanted personally to wish them a happy anniversary, not least because it hadn’t been possible to do the state visit on this occasion.
“Their Majesties both came away feeling that it had been a very significant and special moment.”
Twenty years ago, Charles and Camilla’s marriage ceremony was postponed with just four days to go following the death of Pope John Paul II.
The then-Prince of Wales put duty first and his wedding date was moved from April 8 to April 9 2005 because it clashed with the pope’s funeral.
Charles represented the late Queen by travelling to Rome to attend the service, alongside more than 100 world leaders and ended up shaking hands with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.
The then-archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who was due to conduct the prince’s blessing in St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle after his civil ceremony had made it clear he wished to break with tradition and attend the pope’s funeral.
The 24-hour postponement of the royal wedding from the Friday to the Saturday meant Charles and Mrs Parker Bowles’s civil wedding had to be slotted in ahead of three other weddings already taking place at the Guildhall in Windsor.
The King met Pope Francis twice as the Prince of Wales, but the visit in April was his first as monarch and head of the Church of England.
The pair are said to have had huge respect for one another.
When Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022, the Pope sent his “heartfelt condolences” to Charles, the new sovereign, in a telegram.
He said he joined all in mourning her loss and paid tribute to “her life of unstinting service to the good of the Nation and the Commonwealth, her example of devotion to duty, her steadfast witness of faith”.
The late Queen met Pope Francis in 2014 at the Vatican, when he gave her eight-month-old great-grandson Prince George a lapis lazuli orb decorated with a silver cross of Edward the Confessor, the 11th century English king who was made a saint.
The Queen gave the Pope a hamper full of produce from royal estates including honey from Buckingham Palace and Balmoral whiskey.
Charles and Pope Francis first met in 2017, when the prince and Camilla were received at a papal audience in the Vatican at the end of a European tour.
The Pope urged Charles to work to bring peace in the world, telling him “Wherever you go, may you be a man of peace”, with the prince replying “I’ll do my best”.
They exchanged gifts, with the prince giving the pontiff a large hamper of produce from his Highgrove estate for the poor and the homeless and framed photographs of himself and his wife.
The Pope presented him with a bronze olive branch, signifying peace, and copies of his writings on climate change bound in red leather and other papal writings.
Francis’s reputation as a pope with the “common touch” and a taste for simple living saw him dispense with some of the formality and trappings of his position.
In keeping with the relaxed nature of the meeting, Camilla did not wear black or a mantilla, a lace veil, in 2017 as she did when the royal couple met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, but opted for a gold silk Anna Valentine dress.
But both the King and Queen were dressed in black as a traditional mark of respect when they met the Pope in April.
In 2019, Charles travelled solo to the Vatican and met Pope Francis ahead of the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman at an open-air mass in St Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis had been hospitalised for weeks at the Gemelli hospital in Rome after suffering a bout of bronchitis and double pneumonia.
Following a 38-day stay at the centre, he was discharged on March 23, giving him time to recover and bless crowds of worshippers on Easter Sunday.
However, just hours later, officials in the Holy See announced the leader of the Catholic Church had passed away.
A death certificate released by the Vatican stated Pope Francis died after suffering a cerebral stroke which led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.
Following his death, the Italian government officially declared five days of national mourning, running up until his funeral on Saturday.
Plans are currently underway in the Vatican for the pontiff’s “humble” ceremony, after more than 12 years of him leading the Catholic church and its 1.4 billion followers.
His funeral is set to take place on Saturday morning in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City in Rome, with the service scheduled to begin at 10am local time.
It will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals – Giovanni Battista Re – ahead of the Pope’s burial in a simple underground tomb in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
World leaders such as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be in attendance.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa are also expected to attend.
Many nations are likely to send heads of state or government to take part in the historic and rare event.
TRIBUTES CONTINUE FOR ‘PEOPLE’S POPE’
Tributes flooded in for Pope Francis after the news of his death was announced early on Monday.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “I join millions around the world in grieving the death of His Holiness Pope Francis.
“His leadership in a complex and challenging time for the world and the church was courageous, yet always came from a place of deep humility.
“Pope Francis was a pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten. He was close to the realities of human fragility, meeting Christians around the world facing war, famine, persecution and poverty. Yet he never lost hope of a better world.
“That hope was as the heart of his papacy. His determination to visibly live out his faith inspired people across the world to see afresh the church’s teachings of mercy and charity.
“With his death, we are reminded once more of his call to care for one another across different faiths, backgrounds, nations and beliefs.
“My thoughts are with Catholics across the world, and the Roman Catholic church. May His Holiness Rest in Peace.”
Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch also posted a picture to social media from when she met Pope Francis in 2022.
She captioned the tribute: “Pope Francis spent his final Easter yesterday bearing witness to the faith he devoted his life to – a quiet presence at a time when the world needed humility, courage, and conviction.
“His death on Easter Monday feels especially poignant. He reminded us that leadership isn’t about power, but about service.
“When I met him in 2022, he spoke warmly of the UK and the values we share. In a world that too often turns away from faith, he stood firm. May he rest in peace.”
Former President Joe Biden, who was the second Catholic US president, posted an emotional tribute to the “People’s Pope” on social media.
He wrote: “Pope Francis will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of our time and I am better for having known him.
“For decades, he served the most vulnerable across Argentina and his mission of serving the poor never ceased.
“As Pope, he was a loving pastor and challenging teacher who reached out to different faiths.”
Biden added: “He commanded us to fight for peace and protect our planet from a climate crisis.
“He advocated for the voiceless and powerless. He made all feel welcome and seen by the Church.
“He promoted equity and an end to poverty and suffering across the globe.
“And above all, he was a Pope for everyone. He was the People’s Pope – a light of faith, hope, and love.”