Pope Francis’s body goes on public display as mourners gather ahead of funeral

Pope Francis’s body will be laid out for public view on Wednesday as mourners flock to the Vatican ahead of his funeral.

The late pontiff, who died on Easter Monday aged 88, will be buried on Saturday in a service that will be attended by both the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister.

Kensington Palace confirmed on Tuesday that William, a future head of the Church of England, will attend on behalf of the King.

Sir Keir Starmer, who will join other leaders including US President Donald Trump at the funeral, told reporters on Tuesday the Pope was “a quite remarkable man, and the work and commitment that he put into fairness over so many years, and globally, I think will be a real lasting legacy”.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it is “right, like other world leaders are, that he (Sir Keir) pays tribute to his life and attends his funeral”.

The Pope will lie in state in St Peter’s Basilica from Wednesday morning before a funeral mass is held at 10am local time (9am BST) in St Peter’s Square on Saturday.

Large queues are expected to form, with the body likely to be on display 24 hours a day, according to expert Joe Ronan, who works with the Catholic Voices media charity.

In changes made by the Pope last year, his body has been placed in a simplified wooden coffin with a zinc coffin inside, rather than in three wooden coffins as was previously tradition.

His casket will not be put on an elevated platform in St Peter’s Basilica, as was the case with past popes, but will instead be placed simply facing the pews.

Francis’s death, following a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure, prompted an outpouring of tributes across the globe.

The King, who met the Pope earlier this month, said he was someone who had “profoundly touched the lives of so many” while Sir Keir described him as having been “a pope for the poor, the downtrodden and the forgotten”.

Irish-born Cardinal Kevin Farrell – the camerlengo or senior Vatican official – will carry out the administrative and financial duties of the Holy See until a new pope takes over.

There is a nine-day period of mourning following the funeral, after which the secretive meeting – known as the conclave – to elect a new pope begins in the Sistine Chapel.

Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who held mass for Francis at Westminster Cathedral on Monday, is among those travelling to Rome.

There are currently five cardinals across the UK and Ireland, although only three – Cardinal Nichols, Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and Rome-based Cardinal Arthur Roche – are younger than 80 and therefore of voting age.

Francis requested to be buried in a simple underground tomb at St Mary Major Basilica following the funeral.