{"id":16172,"date":"2025-05-02T13:50:59","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T13:50:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=16172"},"modified":"2025-05-02T13:50:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T13:50:59","slug":"prince-williams-move-at-at-popes-funeral-branded-disrespectful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/used82.com\/?p=16172","title":{"rendered":"Prince William\u2019s move at at Pope\u2019s funeral branded \u201cdisrespectful\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Prince
Prince William (right). Credit: Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Prince William was just one of many royals in attendance at Pope Francis\u2019 funeral last weekend. The future king represented his father, King Charles, at the solemn event, but royal fans reacted strongly as soon as the Prince of Wales walked onto St. Peter\u2019s Square. Some found his attire disrespectful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During\u00a0Pope Francis<\/a>\u2018 12-year papacy, he traveled to more than 60 countries, meeting dignitaries, world leaders, and many Royal Family members from various royal houses.\u00a0King Charles<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Queen Camilla<\/a>\u00a0had the honor of meeting Francis, but Prince\u00a0William<\/a>\u00a0never did.<\/p>\n

However, he was the one who represented the British Royal Family in the Vatican on April 26, when Pope Francis was laid to rest after passing away Monday, April 21. Presidents, prime ministers, and many other notable guests attended, and William wasn\u2019t the only royal there.<\/p>\n

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco were in attendance, alongside King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium were also in Italy to pay their respects, together with Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.<\/p>\n

The Nordic royal houses were also represented by Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, and Queen Mary of Denmark, who represented the Danish Royal Family on her own, as her husband, King Frederik, was on a three-day visit to Japan.<\/p>\n

Vatican protocol states that Catholic royals are to be seated in the front row of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica. King Charles has battled health issues with his cancer diagnosis for the past year, with Prince William stepping in as a result.<\/p>\n

Why Prince William attended the funeral of Pope Francis<\/h2>\n

However, sickness is not the reason as to why King Charles didn\u2019t travel to the Vatican to attend Pope Francis\u2019 funeral. According to royal expert Hugo Vickers, it\u2019s not rare for the heir to the throne \u2013 rather than the reigning monarch \u2013 to attend funerals. For example, then-Prince Charles represented the British Royal Family when Pope John Paul II died in 2005, not\u00a0Queen Elizabeth II<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s all protocol. I mean the Pope didn\u2019t come to\u00a0the Queen\u2019s funeral as you remember and actually Prince Charles went to the last, not Pope Benedict, Pope John Paul II\u2019s funeral,\u201d Vickers said on The Sun\u2019s\u00a0Royal Exclusive<\/a>\u00a0show.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe actually even postponed his service of blessing by a day. would you remember 20 years ago. It\u2019s absolutely correct that it would be the Prince of Wales who goes. so I\u2019m not at all surprised. The King doesn\u2019t go to those sort of funerals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prince William has been praised on more than one occasion for his handling of stepping in for his father. Vickers stated that the Prince of Wales was \u201cabsolutely the right guy\u201d to attend the pope\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen him step up and be deputised in such a strong way for\u00a0King Charles\u00a0because obviously with the King\u2019s\u00a0health\u00a0battles last year, even though that\u2019s not the reason for this one, he has had to step up a lot and I do think he\u2019s doing it very well while juggling family life,\u201d the royal expert said.<\/p>\n

And Vickers isn\u2019t the only one praising Prince William after Pope Francis\u2019 funeral. Speaking to\u00a0Express<\/a>, body language expert Judi James described the Prince of Wales as embodying the \u201cideal\u201d future king.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is probably the biggest compliment to William to say that he was close to invisible at the Pope\u2019s funeral, with his elegant body language looking quietly composed and appropriate while all the global leadership dramas swirled around him.\u201d Judi James said, \u201cWilliam had only one job which was to pay respects and he executed it perfectly. His height singles him out but his body language was low-key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prince William praised after stepping in for King Charles<\/h2>\n

James continued by analyzing William\u2019s body language, explaining: \u201cWhen he stood with [British Prime Minister Sir Keir] Starmer at the coffin, he bowed his head slightly in a moment of reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it was his call in terms of ending the pose, as he turned out of it first to signal to the Starmers that it was time to move away,\u201d the body language expert concluded, saying that Prince William\u2019s behavior was \u201celegantly politely drama-free.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Pope Francis died, condolences were sent to him and his family from all over the world. While King Charles wasn\u2019t in the Vatican to bid a final goodbye, he did release an official statement reflecting their final meeting just 12 days before Francis\u2019 death.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur 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,\u201d Charles said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis Holiness will be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others. His belief that care for Creation is an existential expression of faith in God resounded with so many across the world. Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Prince William appears to have done a great job representing the British Royal Family, it took only minutes after he arrived at the funeral for many royal fans to express strong opinions as to his attire.\u00a0Just like Donald Trump<\/a>, William wore a blue suit instead of a more traditional black one.<\/p>\n

Prince William criticized for wearing blue suit at Pope Francis\u2019 funeral<\/h2>\n

Online, the Prince of Wales received fierce criticism for his decision to wear a navy blue suit with a white shirt, a black tie, and black shoes. The big question: why wasn\u2019t he wearing black?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe blue suits bother me. Sorry, but isn\u2019t there a standard for black suits?\u201d one person wrote, per\u00a0Hello Magazine<\/a>. A second asked: \u201cWearing black was too difficult?\u201d while a third stated, \u201cBlue suit? Disrespectful. Period.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hello Magazine\u2019s lifestyle editor, Nichola Murphy, held a different opinion, stating that wearing blue to a funeral is not necessarily disrespectful.<\/p>\n

\u201cBlack has long been associated with appropriate funeral attire,\u00a0but it is not the only colour that is acceptable,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While royal fans appear not to have been too fond of Prince William wearing a blue suit to the funeral, a Vatican insider has come to his rescue. The Vatican doesn\u2019t list any official funeral dress codes on its website. Meanwhile, a Vatican source told\u00a0People Magazine<\/a>: \u201cAttendees wore what they considered to be appropriate attire for such a solemn occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The insider explained that it was up to the individual to wear what was \u201cappropriate attire\u201d for the funeral service. That suggests that William didn\u2019t break any protocol.<\/p>\n

At the same time, prominent Italian national newspaper\u00a0Il Messaggero\u00a0reported on the funeral attire, referring to the Vatican\u2019s protocol.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor men, dark suit with a long black tie and a button of the same color on the left lapel of the jacket, where only Vatican honors can be placed. For women, a black dress, preferably long, of the same color as gloves and veil on the head, with the only allowed ornament being a string of pearls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Royal family members have worn blue suits to funerals in the past<\/h2>\n

It continues: \u201cThese are the prescriptions for those attending the Pope\u2019s funeral, according to well-established protocol manuals that also define the seating arrangement for dignitaries and heads of state.\u201d<\/p>\n

One might think that royals always wear black to a funeral, but a glance back three years reveals several examples of when blue has been used instead.<\/p>\n

When Prince William attended the funeral of England and Manchester United football legend Sir Bobby Charlton in November 2023, he wore a similar blue suit. Moreover, when Queen Elizabeth II passed away,\u00a0Prince George<\/a>, the eldest son of William and\u00a0Kate Middleton<\/a>, wore a navy suit with a white shirt and black tie, just as his father did for Pope Francis\u2019 funeral.<\/p>\n

Religion and the Royal Family have walked hand in hand for centuries. The royals are known to be\u00a0members of the Church of England, but while previous, and possibly current, British monarchs might have been more religious, that is not the case with William.<\/p>\n

Pope Francis\u2019 funeral \u2013 a \u201cwake-up\u201d call for Prince William<\/h2>\n

Speaking to\u00a0GB News<\/a>, Royal Historian Alexander Larman stated that the Prince of Wales has never expressed any interest in religion. The fact that King Charles sent his son to attend the pope\u2019s funeral could be seen as a \u201cwake-up call\u201d for William.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s interesting about William\u2019s presence is that there\u2019s been a lot of discussion about whether Prince William is at all interested in religion, because he\u2019s never given any kind of public interview or statement about religious faith. And we know that his father is very interested in religion,\u201d Larman said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m sure that the King himself wishes that he\u2019d been there to honour his friend and to honour this important figure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, he is baptised in the Church of England, he is somebody who is an Anglican, not a Catholic, but nonetheless, he has never shown any interest in religion. He has never shown any kind of expression of faith or anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Royal Historian concluded: \u201cAnd most people who know him say he doesn\u2019t have any particular religious faith, so this might be something of a wake-up call that might actually be an opportunity for him to think, \u2018I see how important religion is to people, I see that this is not just an expression of leisure activity which has this huge, important value\u2019, which is more than just symbolic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you think it was wrong for Prince William to wear a blue suit instead of a black one? Please share this article on Facebook and give us your opinion!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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