Prince William defended over wearing navy blue suit to Pope Francis' funeral
William attended on behalf of the king on April 26Prince William has been defended by royal fans after wearing a navy blue suit to the funeral of Pope Francis over the weekend.
The Prince of Wales, 42, represented the royal family at the funeral, which took place in Rome on Saturday (April 26).
Prince William attends the funeral of Pope Francis
On Saturday, Prince William, along with other notable world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, attended the funeral of Pope Francis.
In total, a reported 250,000 people were in attendance.
The Pope died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. He’d been Pope since 2013.
The Prince of Wales sat some rows back from the front alongside the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. He was some distance away from the Prime Minister of the UK.
Many of those in attendance on Saturday wore black suits. However, Prince William was slightly different, opting to wear a dark navy blue suit instead.
There was backlash aimed at Donald Trump thanks to his wearing of a blue suit. People then pointed out that William was wearing a similar outfit too.
Why did Prince William wear a navy suit to Pope’s funeral?
William wore a navy suit as it fit within the dress code set out by the Vatican. Many other attendees were also seen in blue suits.
However, there was some backlash online. One person said on X: “I guess Prince William doesn’t understand protocol either… smh. He was wearing a blue suit also.”
Another wrote: “Who wears blue to a Pope’s funeral?”
But, some royal fans were quick to point out that Prince William did nothing wrong. In fact, he was following the rules.
As one fan pointed out, the prince followed the dress code that was suggested by the Vatican.
As the Vatican said, the funeral dress code “requires men to wear a dark suit with a long black tie and a button of the same colour on the left lapel of the jacket, where only Vatican honours can be placed”. Attendees are also “allowed to wear white shirts”.
Therefore, William’s outfit was entirely appropriate and followed the dress code perfectly.
William ‘reluctant’ to attend Pope’s funeral
Though he did attend, the Prince of Wales was reportedly “reluctant” to follow his father’s orders and attend the funeral in his place.
King Charles wasn’t allowed to attend the funeral due to an old royal tradition.
Buckingham Palace said that the king “will not travel to the Vatican, in accordance with protocol and precedence which dictates that the Sovereign does not attend funerals”.
This rule was followed in 2005 when Charles attended the funeral of Pope John Paul II on behalf of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
According to a piece in the MailOnline, Prince William was “reluctant to obey the order to go to Rome on Saturday until his father pulled rank”.
Charles paid tribute to the Pope following his death on Easter Monday (April 21).
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Read more: Queen ‘disapproved’ of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s link to Princess Diana at their wedding
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