Pope Francis’ funeral seating arrangement’s politics were exposed: How Prince William and Keir Starmer are pushed further back, but Donald Trump really gets to sit in the first row

But Britain was not given preferential treatment. Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Sir Keir, and Lady Victoria had been crammed between Serbian and Qatari dignitaries.

According to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, the funeral planners are used to handling the delicate situations that arise on such significant occasions.

Prior to the burial, he told the Rome-based PA news agency that it would be “unquestionably another masterpiece of stage management when you consider those state leaders who have high opinions of their importance.”

“I’ve seen it here time and time again in the past that the Holy See and Rome together are truly geniuses at handling these major events,” he said.