Buckingham Palace reveals key reason why King Charles not attending pope's funeral

Buckingham Palace has disclosed the key reason why King Charles is not travelling to Vatican to attend the funeral of Pope Francis.

Katie Nicholl, the royal expert, in her piece for Vanity Fair has revealed that the palace has confirmed that King Charles "will not travel to the Vatican, in accordance with protocol and precedence which dictates that the Sovereign does not attend funerals."

Earlier, Kensington Palace said on Tuesday Prince William will represent King Charles and the royal family at the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican on Saturday.

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

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

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.