This is the strange reason King Charles isn’t allowed to go to Pope Francis’ funeral

Pope Francis’ funeral takes place on Saturday (26th April) and leaders from across the world will be there, but not King Charles.

Charles and Camilla met the pope just 12 days before he died during a state visit to the Vatican, but he isn’t allowed to go to the late pontiff’s funeral, and it’s all down to royal protocol.

Royal expert Katie Nicholl explained this in Vanity Fair, saying: “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.”

In 2005, then-Prince Charles attended Pope John Paul II’s funeral on behalf of Queen Elizabeth and now, Prince William is going to Pope Francis’ funeral instead of King Charles.

It’s not exactly clear where the royal protocol actually comes from or why it’s in place, but it must be followed, and the pope didn’t come to Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022 either.

Credit: Riccardo De Luca/Shutterstock

“Well that’s all protocol. I mean the Pope didn’t come to the Queen’s funeral as you remember and actually Prince Charles went to the last, not Pope Benedict, Pope John Paul II’s funeral,” royal expert Matt Wilkinson also told The Sun.

“He actually even postponed his service of blessing by a day. would you remember 20 years ago. It’s absolutely correct that it would be the Prince of Wales who goes. so I’m not at all surprised. The King doesn’t go to those sort of funerals.”

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So, we won’t be seeing the King there, but Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky and several other world leaders will all be at the funeral in St Peter’s Square. 

World leaders will sit on the right-hand side of the famous Vatican square, facing the Basilica, with the heads of state for Argentina and Italy at the front. Monarchs and other heads of state will be seated behind in alphabetical order by country.

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Featured image by: Riccardo De Luca/Shutterstock and Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock