Prince William attends the funeral of Pope Francis on behalf of his father, King Charles — Reason explored

Prince William has stepped in to attend the funeral of Pope Francis on behalf of his father, King Charles, with 12 other royals from around the world. Prince William represented the royal family at Pope Francis' funeral on April 26, as a result of royal precedent. As per the modern royal tradition, the heir to the British throne represents the monarch at events such as funerals. In 2005, then-Prince Charles represented his mother, Queen Elizabeth, at Pope John Paul II's funeral.

William was seen dressed in a dark suit and arrived by car for the open-air ceremony. He walked down the steps into the square from St. Peter's Basilica before shaking hands with a member of the clergy.

King Charles and Queen Camilla had met with the late Pope Francis during a state visit to Italy, 12 days before his death. After news of the pontiff's death was announced on Easter Monday, Charles released an official statement via Buckingham Palace:

"My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis. Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.

Which other world Monarchs, other than Prince William, attend Pope Francis' funeral?

Besides Prince William, who attended Pope Francis' funeral on behalf of King Charles on April 26, twelve other monarchs from around the world were also present at the ceremony.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, Belgium's King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Grand Duke Henri, Queen Rania of Jordan and King Abdullah II, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II (representing King Frederik X) of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit (representing King Harald V) of Norway, Hereditary Prince Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie (representing Prince Hans-Adam II) of Liechenstein, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan (representing King Mohammed VI) of Morocco, Archbishop Joan Enric Vives i Sicília, Co-Prince of Andorra.

The Dutch royals were absent since they were celebrating the Netherlands Day. Prince William was seen sitting in the third row in the section reserved for world leaders, separated from other European royalty. Around 200,000 mourners from across the world, including key world leaders, were present at Pope Francis' funeral.

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