Guest list for Pope Benedict XVI’s funeral: who is on it?

Members of Europe’s royal families, including King Philippe of Belgium and Queen Sofia of Spain, will attend Pope Benedict’s funeral later this week.

The “simple” service, to be led by Pope Francis on Thursday, is set to commemorate the former Catholic leader, who died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95.

Delegations from countries such as Germany and Ireland will also be present, while high-ranking politicians from Italy and Hungary have already paid their respects to St. Peter’s Basilica while his body is laid out.

Millions of people from around the world are expected to attend the ceremony, which will be the first pope’s funeral to be hosted by his successor.

Queen Sofia of Spain, pictured here with her husband Juan Carlos, will attend Pope Benedict’s funeral

King Philippe of Belgium and his wife Queen Mathilde, pictured together, will also attend the service

Representatives of all of Europe’s Catholic royal families are expected to attend the funeral service for Benedict, who was born Joseph Ratzinger in Marktl, Germany, in 1927.

Queen Sofia will represent Spain, the largest Catholic country with a surviving royal family. It is not known if her husband, former King of Spain Juan Carlos I, will join her.

King Felipe is unlikely to be there, with a packed schedule for the week – including the Pascua Militar ceremony in Madrid on January 6 – which will make it difficult for him and his wife, Queen Leitizia, to attend, reports Royal Central.

According to local media, King Philippe of Belgium will also be there along with his wife Queen Mathilde. His father Albert II, who ruled Belgium from 1993 to 2013, is not expected.

Other Catholic royal families in Europe include Luxembourg, Lichtenstein and Monaco and all are expected to have representatives in attendance.

The King of Lesotho, Letsie III, is also Roman Catholic, although it is unknown if the South African nation’s monarch will be attending at this point.

It is not known whether the British royal family will send a representative to the funeral on Thursday.

The royal family is the head of the Church of the England, so not Roman Catholic, but that didn’t stop future King Charles from attending Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005.

On the occasion, the Prince of Wales was joined by Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, as well as Conservative Party leader Michael Howard and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy.

The “simple” service will be led by Pope Francis, pictured, the first time a pope’s funeral has been hosted by his successor

Pope Benedict XVI, waving to the crowd here in 2006, died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 95

Since Benedict was no longer an incumbent pope when he died, official delegations were limited to those from Italy and his native Germany.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has already traveled to the Vatican to pay her respects in person.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was seen among those paying their respects to the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica today.

The prime minister is a member of the Protestant Reformed Hungarian Church, but his wife and five children were raised Roman Catholic.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will go to the funeral, according to “Spiegel”, while Ireland will send its newly appointed ambassador Frances Collins as the only representative to the Holy See.

The country’s foreign ministry told The Irish Times: “In line with the Vatican’s official communication dated 31, official delegations are not foreseen.

“Countries are expected to be represented by their ambassadors. Ireland will be represented by Ambassador Frances Collins.’

In the coming days, thousands will stream through St. Peter’s Basilica to see Pope Benedict in state, with the last visitors to be admitted at 7pm on Wednesday.

The funeral itself begins the following day at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square Tens of thousands of mourners are expected.

The details of the funeral are not yet known.

Benedict lay in state without papal insignia – such as a crosier, a silver staff with a crucifix, or a pallium, a ribbon worn around the neck.

It was not clear if the Shepherd’s Cross or other items he used as Pope would be buried with him.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said he wishes Benedict to be buried under St. Peter’s Basilica in the same spot where his predecessor John Paul II was originally buried in 2005. His body was later moved to a chapel in the basilica in 2011.