Prince William represented his father King Charles at the funeral of Pope Francis today and sat with other world leaders but three rows back while other royals sat closer to the front
Prince William represented his father King Charles at the funeral of Pope Francis today rubbing shoulders with other world leaders. The Prince of Wales arrived in Rome this morning and took his seat for the funeral mass of the Pontiff among hundreds of other dignitaries in St Peter’s Square.
William, dressed in a dark suit, sat in the third row in the section reserved for world leaders. It meant he was separated from other European royalty such as King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Mary of Denmark who were seated in the front row, along with US President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania.
However, it appears the seating plan for international leaders at Pope Francis’s funeral has been a delicate diplomatic effort, which meant that William was seated further back compared to some of his royal counterparts.
Prince William sat in the third row among other world leaders (Image: Philip Coburn / Daily Mirror)
Francis’s birth country, Argentina, took precedence in the seating arrangements. Argentina’s delegation included President Javier Milei, who was a vocal critic of the Pope before he became the nation’s head of state.
Italy followed as the Pope was the bishop of Rome and the leader of the nation’s Catholic bishops. Thereafter, reigning sovereigns were seated “in alphabetical order, but in the French language”, followed by heads of state, and later heads of government, like the UK Prime Minister, and other representatives.
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French is used in the seating arrangements because it is considered the language of diplomacy, but it also shakes up the order of precedence that an English speaker may expect. Trump, for example, appears relatively early in the running because America is listed as “Etats-Unis d’Amerique,” which bagged him a front-row seat.
William is guided to his seat in St Peter’s Square (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Ireland’s delegation comes ahead of both of the UK’s representatives, William and the British Government delegation. This is because it is led by a head of state, the Irish President Michael D Higgins, a title that has a higher precedence than William, who is listed as a crown prince further down the list.
The British Government delegation includes Sir Keir Starmer, his wife Victoria, as well as Foreign Secretary David Lammy. It is listed between groups from Qatar and Serbia, led by those countries’ heads of government.
The seating plan has been described as a “master plan” in stage-managing the “big egos” of world leaders by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales. Cardinal Nichols, who will take part in his first conclave to elect a new pope in the coming weeks, said the funeral organisers are well-used to dealing with the sensitivities of such big events.
The coffin of Pope Francis passes by world leaders including Trump in the front row along with the King and Queen of Spain and Queen Mary of Denmark(Image: G
In an interview in Rome, he said the funeral will be “without a doubt another masterpiece of stage management when you consider those state leaders who have high opinions of their importance”. He added: “In the past, I’ve seen it here over and over again that the combination of Rome and the Holy See, they actually are geniuses at dealing with these big events.”
Many have also wondered why William, who didn’t meet Pope Francis, attended the funeral while his father, who is still undergoing cancer treatment, was not there, despite him meeting the Holy Father just 12 days before his death during a state visit to Italy.
However, the decision is in keeping with modern tradition that the heir to the throne represents the monarch at events such as funerals. For example, Charles as the Prince of Wales went to Pope John Paul II’s funeral, representing his mother the late Queen, in 2005. Kensington Palace said the decision on William’s attendance at the Pope’s funeral followed Government advice.
It is the first time the prince has attended an international funeral on behalf of the monarch – and it will be seen as a major milestone in William’s role as a global statesman and future king. In December last year, William represented his father at the official reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, where he met Donald Trump.
Pope Francis died on Monday morning after suffering a stroke and heart failure, with his death sparking tributes from across the world. The King expressed his “most heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy” and praised Pope Francis’s compassion and tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith.
