The Duke of Edinburgh will represent the King at the inauguration of the new Pope, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
Prince Edward will travel to the Vatican next Sunday for the formal installation of Pope Leo XIV which will involve a mass in St Peter’s Square.
The Mass usually starts with a visit to St. Peter’s tomb inside the Basilica, where deacons retrieve two items: the fisherman’s ring and the pallium, a liturgical vestment worn by the Pope.
Following prayers, there will likely be a procession into St Peter’s Square before Pope Leo is presented with the pallium and the ring as a symbol of his taking of the papacy.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said: “The Duke of Edinburgh will represent His Majesty at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.”
Pope Leo XIV, the first American head of the Catholic Church, emerged on to the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica in front of a packed St Peter’s Square on Thursday evening.
The election of the new Pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, from Chicago, was quickly hailed an honour and exciting time by US President Donald Trump.
Leo was elected by 133 cardinals from 70 countries in just over 24 hours, giving the church a pope just three weeks after the death of his predecessor Pope Francis.
He is set to deliver his first noon blessing from the loggia on Sunday, before attending an audience with the media on Monday in the Vatican auditorium and his first general audience on May 21.
The King sent a private message congratulating Pope Leo on his election and offered his and the Queen’s most sincere good wishes, the Palace previously confirmed.
The Duke of Gloucester attended the inauguration of Pope Francie in 2013 on behalf of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The event attracted over 200,000 people.
Prince Philip represented the Queen at Pope Benedict XVI’s inaugural Mass, while Charles, then the Prince of Wales, stood in for her at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.
