You’ll Never Guess Who Is Representing The Royal Family At Pope Leo XIV’s Inauguration

British royal family news reveals that neither Prince William nor King Charles will be in attendance at the historical ceremony and inauguration of Pope Leo XIV later this month.

The new pontiff, 69-year-old Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American pope. He hails from Chicago, Illinois and will be installed in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square on May 18.

Who will represent the UK monarchy at the historic ceremony? Keep reading to find out who has been chosen for this special honor!

Prince William Missing From Historic Ceremony

Pope Leo succeeds Pope Francis, who passed away on April 21 at age 88. Prince William attended Pope Francis’s funeral on April 26 as his father, King Charles’, proxy.

Charles met with the late pope in Vatican City just weeks prior to the pontiff’s death. Both Charles and his wife Queen Camilla were in Italy at the time, on an official state visit.

Now Buckingham Palace has revealed, in a statement to Hello! magazine, that the Duke of Edinburgh will represent His Majesty at Pope Leo’s inauguration.

The outlet notes that “The Palace has not given a reason as to why The King nor Prince William will miss the occasion.”

King Charles Will Miss Pope Leo’s Inauguration

Perhaps with King Charles and Prince William recently traveling to the Vatican, it makes more sense to have Prince Edward represent the crown for this prestigious event.

Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration will be filled with world leaders and religious figures. Reuters reports that up to 200,000 people attended Pope Francis’s inauguration in 2013.

Pope Leo is a White Sox Fan

Pope Leo was selected by Pope Francis to assist him prior to the latter’s passing. Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, told The New York Times that “The best way I could describe him right now is that he will be following in Francis’s footsteps…They were very good friends. They knew each other before he was pope, before my brother even was bishop.”

Pope Francis was from Argentina and Pope Leo spent decades working in Peru.

Prevost added that Pope Leo “has great, great desire to help the downtrodden and the disenfranchised, the people who are ignored” and this is another predilection that he shares with the late Pope Francis.

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Editorial credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com