Apart from Prince William on behalf of King Charles, prominent royal will be making an appearance
Royal families from around the world expressed their grief and condolences on the sad passing of Pope Francis, who died of stroke and heart failure in the morning of Easter Monday.
The funeral of the Argentinian pontiff will be held at the St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Saturday, 10 a.m. local time, which will also see key figures in the royal family in attendance.
However, just like the royals have their own traditions, the Vatican also follows a set of rules and protocols for a high-profile event like this.
Front row:
The front pew for the sombre occasion will reserved for the Roman Catholic royals per Vatican protocol.
- Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco
- King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain
- King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium
- Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
- Prince Alois and Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein
Second row:
The second pew will have seats for the royals who are non-Catholics.
- Prince William, as the future leader of the Church of England
- Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway
- King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
- Queen Mary of Denmark, a representative husband, King Frederik of the Danish Royal Family
Other royals attending:
- King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah
- Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
- King Letsie III of Lesotho
The foreign dignitaries will be seated in a large block to one side of Francis’s coffin.
The seating arrangement is designed in a way to give the Catholic royals pride of place, as the Pope is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
