Prince William keeps major tradition alive as Prince of Wales after King Charles move

Prince William is following in the footsteps of his father King Charles with a decision in keeping with major modern royal tradition.

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s office confirmed on Tuesday that the Prince of Wales will represent Britain´s royal family at the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.

According to a report by the AFP, the heir to the throne will attend the service "on behalf" of King Charles, the palace said, in a decision in keeping with modern tradition.

The report claims Charles, when he was Prince of Wales, represented his late mother Queen Elizabeth II at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005.

King Charles mother Queen Elizabeth never attended the funeral of a pontiff during her reign from 1952 to 2022.

The British monarch is head of the Church of England, the mother church of global Anglicanism.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reported Prince William will join other world leaders as well as the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican

Earlier, King Charles and Queen Camilla met Pope Francis for 20 minutes during their state visit to Italy earlier this month.