An unexpected member of the Royal Family is set to attend the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV later this month. The first American pontiff, 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost who was born in Chicago, will be inaugurated in Vatican City's St. Peter's Square on May 18.
Pope Leo was selected following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at age 88. It's now been revealed that neither Prince William nor King Charles will be in attendance at the historical ceremony. Instead, another member of the Royal Family will represent the U.K. at the prestigious mass.
Prince William attended Pope Francis's funeral on April 26, "stepping in" for his father, King Charles, in Vatican City, where he showed himself to be the "ideal" future monarch, per royal experts. King Charles met with Pope Francis weeks prior to the pontiff's death, during a royal tour of Italy with Queen Camilla.
In a statement to Hello! magazine, Buckingham Palace revealed, "The Duke of Edinburgh will represent His Majesty at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV." The outlet further reported, "The Palace has not given a reason as to why The King nor Prince William will miss the occasion."
As both King Charles and Prince William have recently traveled to the Vatican, it makes sense that Prince Edward will handle the important responsibility of being present for Pope Leo XIV's inauguration.
The important event will attract world leaders and religious figures, as well as members of the general public. According to Reuters, as many as 200,000 people attended Pope Francis's inauguration in 2013.
Pope Leo's brother, John Prevost, told The New York Times, "The best way I could describe him right now is that he will be following in Francis's footsteps...They were very good friends. They knew each other before he was pope, before my brother even was bishop." Prevost also shared his belief that Pope Leo "has great, great desire to help the downtrodden and the disenfranchised, the people who are ignored."
