United Kingdom, May 10 -- Prince Edward will represent King Charles at the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.

The Duke of Edinburgh will travel to the Vatican on behalf of the royal family for the new Pope's formal installation as pontiff at a mass in St Peter's Square on May 18.

Edward, 61, will be joined by global leaders for the ceremony to mark the official start of Pope Leo XIV's tenure as the head of the Catholic Church.

King Charles sent a private message to the Pope congratulating him on his election as he expressed "most sincere good wishes for his Pontificate".

The new pontiff, who was formerly known as Robert Prevost, is the first American-born Pope in history and called for the Catholic Church to "desperately" try to remedy a l...