Topics: Prince William, Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Politics, Royal Family
Prince William's subtle move at the Pope's funeral seemingly played a 'secret role' in conversations between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The funeral of Pope Francis brought leaders from every corner of the globe together on Saturday (26 April).
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, the future King of England Prince William, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer were all in attendance.
It is a modern tradition within the royal family that the heir to the throne attends the pontiff's funeral, as then-Prince of Wales Charles attended Pope John Paul II's funeral, representing his mother the late Queen, in 2005.
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But it seems William had a more important role than he might have expected on Saturday, when the world leaders came together for a discussion.
William's involvement at the funeral more generally involved walking alongside Starmer, representing the UK.
But when the Prime Minister went over to have talks with the US President, alongside Macron and Zelenskyy, reports suggested that the prince 'read the room'.
According to The Telegraph, William allegedly stepped away from the huddle and 'respectfully peeled away' in order to allow discussions to happen.
Trump and Zelenskyy were also pictured having their own private conversation in St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
Two chairs faced opposite one another as they were seen together for the first time since that awkward clash at the White House in February.
White House communications director, Steven Cheung, later noted: "President Trump and President Zelenskyy met privately today and had a very productive discussion."
Zelenskyy later took to X addressing the conversation, and added: "Good meeting. We discussed a lot one on one. Hoping for results on everything we covered.
"Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional ceasefire.
"Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out."
He concluded: "Very symbolic meeting that has potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results. Thank you."
Despite their differences in recent times, Trump has backed Ukraine as Russia continued to attack the country.
Speaking yesterday (27 April) about Vladimir Putin, the Republican leader said: "I want him to stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal. We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it."
Following this warning, the Kremlin stated on Telegram this afternoon (28 April) that they have proposed a ceasefire to take place between 8 and 10 May.
It says it expects Ukraine to reciprocate Russia's temporary ceasefire but would respond to any 'violations'.
