Pope “Go Cubs!!!” Leo is gearing up for his official inauguration, which will draw leaders from across the world to Italy. But apparently King Charles and Prince William are sitting this one out.
Per the Daily Mail, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles will not attend the Chicago-born pope’s ceremony in Vatican City, and he isn’t sending Prince William to represent him. Instead, the Duke of Edinburgh is heading to Italy to celebrate Leo’s ascent from fan of deep-dish pizza to literal leader of the Catholic Church.
Per the statement: “The Duke of Edinburgh will represent His Majesty at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.”
Apparently there is some precedent for King Charles and Prince William skipping this event. In 2013 when Pope Francis was inaugurated, neither the Queen nor then-Prince Charles attended, and instead the the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester went on their behalf. And before that in 2005, Prince Philip represented the family for Pope Benedict XVI’s big day.
As a reminder, King Charles also skipped Pope Francis’s funeral (Prince William went instead), although he did send well wishes ahead of time, writing, “My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis. Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry.”
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