King Charles III will not be attending the funeral of Pope Francis, breaking from the gathering of world leaders expected in Rome.

Instead, Kensington Palace confirmed that Prince William will represent the British royal family at the service, alongside figures such as U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

The decision aligns with royal tradition: during her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II also refrained from attending funerals for Catholic leaders. Buckingham Palace has yet to issue an official comment.

Back in 2005, King Charles postponed his wedding to Queen Camilla to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II on behalf of Queen Elizabeth.

However, he did not attend Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral in 2022, as it was not considered a state occasion following Benedict’s resignation in 2013.

Pope Francis, who passed away at 88 on Easter Monday due to a stroke and heart failure after battling pneumonia, shared a notably warm relationship with King Charles.

The monarch and Queen Camilla were the last state visitors to meet with Francis just two weeks before his death. Due to Charles’ ongoing recovery from cancer, his engagements have been carefully managed.

In a heartfelt statement, King Charles and Queen Camilla expressed their deep sadness over the pope’s passing, praising his compassion, environmental advocacy, and lifelong service to the global community.

They also shared fond memories of their meetings with him over the years.