Prince William was among the world leaders at the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican at the weekend – and it seems he played his part in paving the way for historic talks between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky

Prince William made a subtle diplomatic move that allowed Donald Trump to hold impromptu peace talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky at the Pope’s funeral, it has been claimed. As world leaders including the Prince of Wales gathered in St Peter’s Square to pay their final respects to Pope Francis, there was an extraordinary moment where Trump sat face-to-face with Zelensky in a quiet corner of St Peter’s Basilica.

It was the first time they had encountered each other since a fraught clash in the White House in late February, and they were pictured in an intense discussion as they look to end the war in Ukraine, sparked by Russia’s invasion. Just moments before the hastily arranged meeting, Trump and Zelensky were pictured alongside Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. And it seems William crucially chose to discreetly step away as the huddle, ultimately leading to the extraordinary meeting.

Prince William arrives for the funeral of Pope Francis (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

William was seen with the Prime Minister paying his respects at Francis’ coffin and, as they walked away, they are believed to have spotted Trump, Zelensky and Macron. According to The Telegraph, William “respectfully peeled away” to allow the politicians to talk as he cannily “read the room”.

Many wondered why William, who didn’t meet Pope Francis, attended the funeral while his father the King was not there, despite him meeting the Holy Father just 12 days before his death during a state visit to Italy.

However, the decision was 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.

William is said to have discreetly slipped away from this huddle of world leaders (Image: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER)

During the service, 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 Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania.

However, it appears the seating plan for international leaders at Pope Francis’s funeral had been a delicate diplomatic effort, which meant that William was seated further back compared to some of his royal counterparts

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 since 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.

Trump and Zelensky came face to face for talks(Image: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER)

French is used in the seating arrangements because it is considered the language of diplomacy, but it also shook up the order of precedence that an English speaker may have expected. Trump, for example, appeared relatively early in the running because America is listed as “Etats-Unis d’Amerique,” which bagged him a front-row seat.

Ireland’s delegation came ahead of both of the UK’s representatives, William and the British Government delegation. This is because it was led by a head of state, the Irish President Michael D Higgins, a title that has a higher precedence than William, who was listed as a crown prince further down the list.

William sat in the third row among other world leaders (Image: Philip Coburn / Daily Mirror)

The seating plan was 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.

In an interview before the service, he said the funeral was “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.”