The Pope’s funeral is set to take place this Saturday, with global leaders like Macron and Donald Trump attending. However, King Charles won’t be there. Despite being the head of the Church of England, he has not been invited, and the reasons remain unclear.

While UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed his attendance, King Charles is notably absent, sparking widespread debate.

Royal protocol

Royal protocol says the British monarch can’t go to papal funerals. It’s a long-standing tradition that the King or Queen of the UK — who also leads the Church of England — doesn’t attend funerals held overseas.

Instead, that job goes to the heir. So this time, it’s Prince William who will represent the Royal Family at the Vatican.

This rule isn’t new. Back in 2005, when Pope John Paul II died, Queen Elizabeth stayed home and sent then-Prince Charles in her place.

In 2023, when Pope Benedict XVI passed away, no member of the Royal Family attended. That’s because Pope Benedict, who was the first pope in 600 years to step down, asked that only Italy and Germany (his home country) send official representatives. So the UK was represented by Education Secretary Gillian Keegan instead of a royal.

Weird timing?

King Charles, known for his close ties to the Pope, won’t be attending the funeral—raising eyebrows. While royal rules typically prevent monarchs from joining state funerals abroad, what’s odd is that Charles had just met with Pope Francis privately days before his sudden passing at age 88.