Why Kate Middleton Isn't Attending Pope Francis' Funeral With Prince William

Kate Middleton is not expected to join her husband, Prince William, at Pope Francis’ April 26 funeral.

Per Vanity Fair, Kensington Palace confirmed that the Prince of Wales will attend the Pope’s funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on behalf of King Charles III and the Royal Family. While the Palace did not officially state that Middleton wouldn’t be heading to the Vatican with her husband, the Royal Family’s official diary does not include her name in William’s scheduled appearance.

Middleton is likely not attending the Pope’s funeral to focus on her own upcoming engagements as she continues to take a more selective approach to Royal engagements after recovering from cancer treatment.

At Middleton’s next official engagement, she will join William on April 29, their wedding anniversary. The couple will be celebrating 14 years of marriage on the Isle of Mull, an island off the coast of Scotland which is fitting given that the couple met while at college in Scotland.

Middleton’s absence at the Pope’s funeral will also carry on a tradition that began with the death of Pope John Paul II in 2005. Charles, who was still a prince at the time, attended alone on behalf of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, while Camilla did not attend. Charles and Camilla married in a private ceremony a day after the April 8 funeral, after previously postponing their wedding due to the Pope’s death.

Per Vanity Fair, William’s attendance at Pope Francis’ funeral instead of Charles is in line with “protocol and precedence which dictates that the Sovereign does not attend funerals.”

Charles issued a statement after Francis passed away at 88 on April 21. “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,” he wrote in part. “We send our most heartfelt condolences and profound sympathy to the Church he served with such resolve and to the countless people around the world who, inspired by his life, will be mourning the devastating loss of this faithful follower of Jesus Christ.”

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