Pope Benedict XVI died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95, with his funeral scheduled to take place on Thursday, 5th January.
It is likely mourners at the Vatican will be by members of Royal Households in the Papal state for the solemn occasion.
The last time a Pope was buried was in 2005 following the death of John Paul II – a service which saw royals from across Europe fly to Vatican City.
However, there is no precedent for a situation in which a former Pontiff who had abdicated is buried, so it isn’t yet clear whether the solemnity levels will be the same as seen in 2005.
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, who are Roman Catholics, were among the first to confirm their presence at Benedict’s funeral, but it seems unlikely that King Albert and Queen Paola will join them.
Another country likely to send a royal delegation is Liechtenstein, with the small Principality likely to be represented by Prince Regent Alois and Hereditary Princess Sophie.
Monaco is also a Catholic country, with Prince Albert possibly planning on making the trip to the Vatican. In 2005, no member of the Princely Family was present, for John Paul’s funeral, as only three days prior Prince Rainier III died.
The public can also expect to see amongst mourners members of the Grand Ducal Family of Luxembourg, most likely Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa; who were also present for Pope John Paul II’s funeral.
Finally, there will almost certainly be Spanish royals at the service, with Spain being the largest of the Catholic Monarchies.
King Felipe is currently in Brazil to be present for the swearing in ceremony of President Ignacio Lula de Silva. On January 6, a day after the funeral, he and Queen Letizia are expected in Madrid For the traditional ceremony of Pascua Militar. As such, their schedule might make it difficult to travel to the Vatican.
As such, the most likely Spanish royal to attend would be Queen Sofía, perhaps being accompanied by King Juan Carlos.
For the 2005 funerals of Pope John Paul II there were also representatives of Royal Families that are not Catholic, as Vatican City is also a State, and they were therefore taking part in the burial ceremony of a fellow head of state.
Pope Benedict XVI was a former monarch and head of state. Therefore, a large gathering of international figures can also be expected from non-Catholic countries.
In 2005, Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik of Denmark attended John Paul’s funeral, as did King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan, Queen Sonja of Norway, the former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani of Qatar, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, King Michael of Romania, and the then Prince Charles.
Given his abdication in 2013, the late Pope had previously expressed a wish for a “solemn, but sober” ceremony. This will likely mean the mourning will not be on a scale as seen in the past.
