Prince William is set to attend Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, representing his father, King Charles. The seating arrangement for the event was revealed on Friday, and it has been confirmed that William will sit with Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, who are attending on behalf of their country.
As the Prince of Wales is not the UK’s monarch, he is placed further down the royal precedence list, meaning he won’t be seated with royals like Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia, or Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde.
The absence of King Harald of Norway has raised questions, though it is known that Queen Sonja was recently hospitalized for breathing issues.
In addition to Prince William, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and other British officials, such as Foreign Secretary David Lammy and the UK ambassador to the Vatican, Chris Trott, will also attend the funeral.
William’s role in representing Britain follows in the tradition set by his father, who attended Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005.
While Kate, the Princess of Wales, won’t be attending, she has family commitments, including celebrating her children’s birthdays.
Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88 after battling pneumonia and a stroke.
