The King will not attend the Pope's funeral in Vatican City on Saturday, despite his close relationship with the late pontiff. Instead, the Prince of Wales will represent his father at the service for Pope Francis, who died aged 88 after a stroke on 21 April. But there's a reason behind Charles' absence and it's all down to a precedent set by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Charles as the Prince of Wales went to Pope John Paul II's funeral on behalf of his mother in 2005. Elizabeth II never attended the funeral of a pontiff, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The decision is in keeping with modern tradition and will be seen as a major milestone in Prince William's role as a global statesman and future king. British monarchs serve as Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. Royal author Robert Hardman wrote in 2024 that according to a senior Palace figure, William "very much respects the institutions", but he is "not instinctively comfortable in a faith environment". Mutual respect While William never met Pope Francis, Charles did on three occasions, and the pair are said to have had huge respect for one another. The King's most recent meeting with the pontiff took place just 12 days before his death during Charles and Camilla's state visit to Italy. A senior palace official said after the private visit: "Their Majesties both came away feeling that it had been a very significant and special moment." Charles and Pope Francis first met in 2017, when the Prince and the then Duchess of Cornwall were received at a papal audience in the Vatican at the end of a European tour. In 2019, Charles also travelled solo to the Vatican and met Pope Francis ahead of the canonisation of Cardinal John Henry Newman at an open-air mass in St Peter's Square. In a touching tribute to the pontiff, the King and Queen said they were "most deeply saddened" by the Pope's death. "The Queen and I remember with particular affection our meetings with His Holiness over the years and we were greatly moved to have been able to visit him earlier in the month," the monarch wrote in part.