At this moment, Donald Trump is getting ready to attend Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City. Having already described the solemn event as something akin to a vacation or party, the U.S. president is undoubtedly looking forward to meeting other prominent world leaders and royals, including Prince William. But he is in for a crude surprise, one that might demolish his flimsy love and admiration for the future king.
What hasn’t King Charles done to maintain peace between him and Trump? Double visits to the palace, rumors of the U.K. offering the U.S. a place in the Commonwealth, and not openly criticizing Trump’s treatment of the Ukrainian president while diplomatically supporting him. And the POTUS has paid back for the generous hospitality and tiptoeing around his outrageous actions by declaring his love for Charles and gushing over how handsome William is.
But Trump and his widely known fragile ego might not survive the status William holds over him – a difference that will be starkly visible to the politician when he attends the funeral.
King Charles III will not be attending Pope Francis’s funeral, as, according to royal protocol, “the Sovereign does not attend funerals.” In his stead, William will be marking his presence, and even though he isn’t the king, he is still a Royal, which means that the arrangements at the funeral will see him sitting ahead of Trump, who will be relegated to the third row. Whoa, I can already hear someone’s airy sense of self-worth exploding.
Now, this seating design has not been officially announced, but it is only obvious given that St. Peter’s Square follows a strict protocol based on religious rank, the French alphabetical order of countries, and diplomatic status. Now, cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons from around the world will be occupying the front row. Then, the second row will comprise the Royals and heads of state from countries like Argentina and Italy (since they close connection with the Pope and the Vatican).
So, yes, despite Trump flaunting his position as the leader of one of the world’s most powerful nations – using it to threaten the likes of Canada and Greenland, to dominating other countries in the tariffs debacle – he has no choice but to sit behind William at the funeral. Anyone thinking the president won’t be miffed by this has probably never borne witness to his many temper tantrums, which almost always lead to him leveling insulting remarks at the party that dared not to embrace his misconceptions about himself. Now, whether it would be leveled at the Vatican or William this time, remains to be seen.
Published: Apr 25, 2025 02:10 pm