At the funeral for Pope Francis in Vatican City on April 26, 2019, Prince William paid tribute to the late leader of the Catholic Church.
At the ceremony, the 42-year-old Prince of Wales spoke for the British royal family and his father, King Charles. Other royals, foreign officials, and religious leaders from around the world, including President Donald Trump, were also there.
As the heir, Charles spoke for his mother, Queen Elizabeth, at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005. In fact, the prince had to move his wedding to Queen Camilla back by one day so that he and other people could attend the funeral.
There were four popes who died during Queen Elizabeth's 70-year reign: Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, and John Paul I. However, she never went to any of their funerals.
There was no one from the British royal family at Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's funeral in 2023.
The latest time that Prince William has taken on more important royal tasks as heir to the throne is when he went to the funeral. In the same way, he spoke for the British royal family at the Dec. 7 reopening of Paris's famous Notre Dame Cathedral.
When the news came out that the pope had died on Easter Monday, the King made a statement through Buckingham Palace.
The king or queen said, "My wife and I were very sad to hear of Pope Francis's death." "However, it makes our heavy hearts a little lighter to know that His Holiness was able to send an Easter greeting to the Church and the world he loved so much during his life and ministry."