Prince William is set to notch up another milestone in his Kingly apprenticeship. Picture: Jane Barlow/WPA Pool/Getty

The last 12 months has seen the prince undergo not only incredible personal tumult, as his wife and father King Charles battled cancer, but has also seen his job as Prince of Wales undergo a serious makeover, clocking up the airmiles as he quietly took an unprecedentedly out-size place on the world stage for an heir to the throne.

Part of this was simply practical, with his father undergoing treatment for an unspecified form of cancer as was the case when he stood in for His Majesty during the commemoration for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France last year.

However things have progressed much further with William seemingly having quietly ripped up and firmly chucked away the guidelines for being Prince of Wales with a firm eye on global politics.

Buckingham Palace announced Prince William would be attending this weekend’s funeral of Pope Francis, rather than King Charles. Picture: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

Let us simply review the ever-growing collection of used Ryanair boarding passes he has acquired of late.

In March this year, at a time of heightened global tensions over the war in Ukraine, William flew to Estonia to visit British troops stationed near the border with Russia and to meet with the Estonian president Alar Karis.

In a very similar vein, it was the prince who was forced to rep the royal family and to freeze inside the rebuilt Notre Dame with the great and good for the famed cathedral’s reopening ceremony in December, 2024.

That same night, he was tasked with (and deemed fully up to) having the UK’s first one-on-one meeting with the freshly re-elected Donald Trump, spending 40 minutes speaking with him in private. (How much of that time was William banging on about his beloved Aston Villa’s defensive line, do you think?)

Prince William flew to Estonia to visit troops in March. Picture: Suzanne Plunkett/WPA Pool/Getty

In November, William was in South Africa for his Earthshot Prize, taking time away from helping bright, exciting minds save the Earth from climate catastrophe to meet with Cyril Ramaphosa, the South Africa president.

And before that it was the father-of-three who stood in for Charles at the international D-Day landing commemorations in France in May.

Getting the picture?

William clearly has his eye on a far bigger pitch than his safe, British home turf with royal aides and sources making clear how big his global ambitions are.

Already this year we know he will be heading to Brazil for the Cop30 climate conference and next Earthshot Prize. Contrast that with 2022 when Charles held a Palace reception for Cop participants and in 2023 when he delivered the opening address at Cop28 in Dubai in 2023.

Torches appear to be being passed.

Prince William was tasked with having the UK’s first one-on-one meeting with the freshly re-elected Donald Trump in December. Picture: Aaron Chown/Pool/Getty

All this jet setting and hobnobbing with presidents is right up his alley and reports suggest he is not bored witless having to ask polite questions about the current state of the Estonian tractor part industry or some such.

“He is extremely comfortable in doing this,” a well-placed palace source has told the Telegraph.

In fact, the prince, a royal aide told the Sunday Times, has a vision for “the role that modern monarchy has in diplomacy”.

Royal aides and sources have made clear how big Prince William’s global ambitions are. Picture: Darren Staples/WPA Pool/Getty

Now if all of this is making you worried that the ever-sensitive Charles’ nose might be out of joint by all of his son’s Davos-adjacent derring do, never fear.

Last year a friend of His Majesty told The Times: “If there was ever a green-eyed monster or a sense of rivalry between the two, that is a chapter of the past.

The King sees his son as a useful ally on family matters and increasingly in discharging the duties of nation and state.”

And so while the prince neatly packs his carry on and re-downloads Duo Lingo for the 17th time to brush up on his Italian basics, he has already made his impact felt far beyond Britain’s shores.

While in Estonia in March he visited the Mercian Regiment where he was reportedly surprised at how rudimentary, if not downright crappy, their rec room was.

“You don’t have a fridge? You’re joking? You do need a fridge. I’m definitely getting you a fridge,” the prince said at the time.

True to his word, he later arranged a personal donation. The Mercian Regiment won’t be the last people to raise a cold one to William.

Donald Trump, Prince William and thousands of faithful: Key moments from Pope Francis’s funeral

In a ceremony steeped in tradition, faith and his characteristic humility, the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis has been laid to rest.

The 88-year-old pontiff died earlier this month after suffering a stroke and irreversible heart failure.

Dozens of leaders, dignitaries and royals joined an estimated 200,000 mourners in and around St Peter’s Square in the Vatican for the funeral mass.

Pope Francis opted for a pared-back ceremony, asking to be laid to rest in a simple wooden casket instead of the three interlocking coffins some of his predecessors were buried in.

And while this was a deeply spiritual moment for Catholics around the world, the funeral still set the stage for some surprising diplomacy on the sidelines.

Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re called for world leaders to “build bridges, not walls” — something Francis once asked of US President Donald Trump.

But it came as the American leader already attempted to forge a new bond with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a quiet meeting before the funeral began.

Here are the key moments from Pope Francis’s farewell.

VIPs included the Trumps and Zelenskyy

Pope Francis may have been a humble man, but his funeral was a star-studded affair.

US President Donald Trump, who stood out from the primarily black-clad crowd in a navy blue suit, attended the funeral with his wife, Melania.

America’s first lady was secretly baptised as Roman Catholic in her native Yugoslavia, where religion was outlawed at the time by Communist rulers.

She attended the funeral in a black suit and mantilla, a traditional liturgical lace veil.

In what could have potentially been an awkward moment, Ukrainian President Voloydymyr Zelenskyy was also at the funeral.

He hadn’t seen Trump since their extraordinary meeting in the Oval Office in March, during which the US President accused Mr Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War III”.

During the meeting, a reporter ridiculed Mr Zelenskyy for not wearing a suit, a choice the Ukrainian leader has made in solidarity with troops fighting a full-scale invasion by Russian forces.

Mr Zelenskyy again opted against a suit and tie.

But his presence in Italy allowed him to meet up with Trump to clear the air and discuss a potential deal between Russia and Ukraine that could lead to a ceasefire.

A surprise meeting between tense allies

While the funeral was underway, officials from the US and Ukrainian governments revealed that Trump and Zelenskyy had already met.

The White House called the 15-minute meeting inside St. Peter’s Basilica “productive”, and Zelenskyy’s office described it as “constructive”, but neither would reveal more.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were also shown standing in a tight huddle with the leaders before they went to the funeral.

It comes just a day after Trump said Russia and Ukraine were “very close to a deal”, following negotiations in Moscow.

Ukraine was not represented at the meeting, and the country is under pressure to make concessions in pursuit of a ceasefire.

One such concession would be essentially granting Russia all the territory it has gained in the war, including Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

Once the leaders joined the rest of the mourners in the square, they were seated far away from each other.

But this wasn’t about keeping frenemies apart. Seating arrangements were organised in French alphabetical order.

Royals were among the mourners

The heir to the British throne, Prince William, attended the funeral solo. It’s school holidays in Britain, so Catherine, Princess of Wales, stayed home with the kids.

William went in place of his father, King Charles III, who met with Pope Francis during his tour of Italy earlier this month.

It’s a tradition for British monarchs to skip funerals on foreign soil, usually sending their heirs in their place.

It’s such a strict tradition that when he was still the Prince of Wales, Charles had to delay his wedding to his future Queen Camilla by a day to attend Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005.

Other royals among the mourners included Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia.

Letizia is part of an exclusive club called privilège du blanc, which means “the privilege of the white”.

All women who meet the pope are asked to wear black. But seven female royals, including Queen Letizia, instead are encouraged to wear white.

All members of privilège du blanc are Catholic, among them, Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, and Princess Marina of Naples.

For funerals though, these Catholic royals dress like everyone else — in dark colours, with low heels, and minimal jewellery.

The funeral crowds were both joyful and solemn

There was an outpouring of grief and sorrow for Pope Francis.

But among the prayer and reflection, who would have thought a funeral could also be so joyful?

Without cheapening what is ultimately a solemn occasion, among the crowd in St Peter’s Square, there was an air of excitement and anticipation about what was to come.

Large crowds streamed in early in the day, with many people even camping outside Vatican City on Friday night to make sure they got in.

Helena Tutoe is among a group that travelled from Cairns to be part of the church’s jubilee year celebrations.

Her travelling party was also in St Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday.

That the Pope died the next day, and that her group has been able to attend the funeral, had a profound impact on her.

“Pope Francis has given us an example and it’s now our turn to live his legacy, through love, compassion and service, especially to the poor and those who are marginalised,” she said.

While the sense of occasion was respected, many among the large crowd in St Peter’s Square snapped selfies and embraced in the hours leading up to the funeral, and quite clearly couldn’t believe they were there.

For a man of the people like Pope Francis, it was a fitting farewell — a mixture of tradition, faith and joy.

Aussie Cardinal ‘nervous’ for conclave

Spare a thought for Mykola Bychok next week.

While the exact dates of the conclave are yet to be announced, the Ukrainian-born Melbourne bishop will be among those in the Sistine Chapel trying to pick the next pope.

Australia’s only cardinal has only held the title since December. He arrived in Vatican City on Friday and said he was “nervous”.

“It is human that I’m nervous. If you are not nervous, you are not human,” the 45-year-old said.

“On the one hand I’m nervous but on the other hand, I’m completely in peace and hope.

Cardinals from around the world will head into the conclave no sooner than 15 days after the Pope’s death to choose a new leader for the Catholic Church.

All those aged under 80 can vote.

The process can take weeks, although recently, it’s been much shorter than that — sometimes only a day or so.