The royals and dignitaries who attended Pope Francis’s funeral

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had suggested that Governor-General Sam Mostyn attend as the representative for Australia. So, following her attendance at ANZAC Day services in Gallipoli, Her Excellency travelled to the Vatican. Her husband, Mr Simeon Beckett SC, also attended.

In a post to her official Instagram page, the Governor General wrote: “In a Mass both simple and profound, his extraordinary life — a rare life of faith, humility, and tireless service — was honoured with deep and moving reverence.”

 Prince William attended the funeral on behalf of his father, King Charles III. Catherine, the Princess of Wales, did not accompany him.

It appears to be a tradition as King Charles represented Queen Elizabeth II at Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005.

King Charles recently visited the pontiff with his wife, Queen Camilla.

In a statement following the Pope’s death, Charles remarked: “His 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.”

Queen Mary of Denmark also attended Pope Francis’s funeral solo. King Frederik X was on an official state visit to Japan.

She sat by the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

King Frederik also sent a letter of condolences to the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re. The Dean presided over the funeral. He will also lead the papal conclave to decide on the next pope.

In his letter, he wrote, ” We have fond memories from our meeting with His Holiness in 2018 at the Vatican. We will remember him as a Pope dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and always advocating for people living in vulnerable situations.”

The Prince and Princess of Monaco announced three official days of mourning in their principality following the Pope’s death.

Princess Charlene converted to Catholicism ahead of her marriage to Prince Albert in 2011. Both attended Pope Francis’s first mass in 2013 and have made subsequent visits to the pontiff.

Prince Albert described the late pope as “a very great servant of mankind” in his tribute.

When Queen Letizia and King Felipe IV were still Prince and Princess of Asturias, they attended Pope Francis’s first mass. And after they were crowned King and Queen, their first official visit was to the Vatican State.

In his tribute to the late pope, King Felipe wrote: “Throughout his pontificate, His Holiness Pope Francis has borne witness to the importance that love of neighbour, fraternity, and social friendship have for the world of our century. We will always continue to be inspired by his conviction in the need to bring encouragement and comfort to the poorest and most needy, and by the importance he attached to dialogue and consensus in order to achieve a more just and united world.”

Spain also observed three days of mourning for the fallen pontiff.

King Abdullah had previously met Pope Francis several times. The most notable was during the Pope’s pilgrimage to Jordan in 2014. This included a visit to the purported site of the baptism of Jesus Christ in 2014.

Ahead of the funeral, Queen Rania described Pope Francis as “a man of piety, principle, and peace” in a post to her Instagram page.

In 2024, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess hosted Pope Francis in Luxembourg. In a post to her social media accounts, the Grand Duchess wrote: “Last September, we had the immense honor and joy of welcoming His Holiness Pope Francis to Luxembourg. His visit touched our family deeply. A memory we treasure with emotion and gratitude.”

On learning of his death, she described Pope Francis as “A man of compassion and light, he was a guide for our times, always concerned for the most vulnerable, whom he made his priority.”

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess attended the funeral as representatives of the Norwegian Royal Family. King Harald V of Norway is currently the oldest European monarch at 88 years old.

In his tribute to the late pontiff, Harald wrote: “Pope Francis was highly respected and loved for being a passionate and clear voice for the most vulnerable in society. My sympathy is with all Catholics in Norway and around the world on this sad occasion.”

Pope Francis paid a visit to the Belgian Royal Family in September 2014 to their official residence, Laeken Castle.

On learning of his death, the royal couple wrote in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Pope Francis. He was a great man, close to the most humble and concerned about the world’s problems. We share the grief of all Catholics around the world and all those who loved and appreciated him. We also express our gratitude for the honour he bestowed upon us by visiting our country.”

The Swedish Royals were among the Nordic nations to pay tribute to Pope Francis on learning of his death.

They wrote in a statement: “The Queen and I remember Pope Francis with great respect and warmth. In the power of his natural charisma, deep humility, and his never-failing defence of human value, the Pope was a significant leader.”

Queen Silvia had visited the pontiff several times during his papacy, and the Swedish royals also hosted him over a decade ago in Sweden.

The Ukrainian president and First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived to applause at the funeral of Pope Francis. The president last met the pontiff on 11 October 2024. He gifted Pope Francis an oil painting called “The Bucha Massacre – the Story of Marichka”. The painting depicts atrocities committed by Russian forces in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv. In return, the Pope gifted Volodymyr a cast bronze relief of a flower. It was inscribed with the words, “Peace is a fragile flower.” Francis frequently called for peace throughout the war.

The last person to meet with the Pope in an official capacity with Vice President of the United States of America, JD Vance. President Donald J Trump was among the numerous world leaders to pay their respects, alongside his wife, First Lady Melania Trump.

Donald sat close to the President of France, Emmanuel Macron and his wife. Before the funeral’s beginning, President Trump had a fifteen-minute discussion about peace plans with President Zelenskyy in the Vatican.