Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, has attended his first public Mass in an official capacity, London’s Catholic Herald reports.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that during a visit to Malta last weekend, the second in line for the British throne went to Mass in St John’s Cathedral in Valletta, the island’s capital.
The Prince was attending in an official capacity as part of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Malta’s independence. He was travelling alone as his wife, Katherine, is pregnant.
Aides told assembled media that Prince William might have attended Masses privately in the past but this was his first public appearance at such a ceremony.
When Prince William becomes King of England, he will inherit the title of supreme governor of the Church of England. But the Herald points out that he also has strong Catholic links as he is distantly related to Fr Ignatius (George) Spencer, whose cause for sainthood is presently being considered by the Vatican.
A great-great-great uncle of the Prince’s mother, Diana, Father Spencer was an Anglican vicar before he became a Catholic and later a Passionist.
