This is the moment Melania Trump had to step in and help Donald Trump through an awkward moment at Pope Francis‘ funeral today after the US president nearly committed a diplomatic faux pas.
More than 250,000 mourners gathered in St Peter’s Square to pay their respects to the Argentine pontiff who died from a stroke, aged 88, on Easter Monday.
Among them were foreign dignitaries, world leaders, and monarchs, with representatives from 130 countries and international organisations reportedly in attendance for the high-profile gathering in Vatican City.
The delegation was led by the American president, 78, and his wife Melania, whose 55th birthday coincided with the Pope’s funeral, who arrived in Rome late last evening.
At one point during the three-hour Catholic mass, the congregation were invited to ‘offer each other a sign of peace’ by shaking hands with one another.
A clip from the funeral service showed Trump watching the proceedings around him without participating in the ‘Sign of Peace’ ritual before Melania came to his rescue, it has been revealed.
Forensic lip reader Nicola Hickling told MailOnline that Melania instructed her husband to start shaking hands before Trump grudgingly offers his hand to the French president Emmanuel Macron.
‘You should do it,’ Melania whispered in Trump’s ear before repeating herself.
Melania Trump had to step in and help Donald Trump through an awkward moment at Pope Francis ‘ funeral today after the US president nearly committed a diplomatic faux pas
At one point during the three-hour Catholic mass, the congregation were invited to ‘offer each other a sign of peace’ by shaking hands with one another. A clip from the funeral service showed Trump watching the proceedings around him without participating in the ‘Sign of Peace’ ritual before Melania came to his rescue
Earlier in the day, X users questioned Trump’s choice of attire for the event after he arrived wearing a blue suit and matching tie
‘Oh, alright,’ the American president replied.
He then stuck out his hand to greet Estonia’s president Alar Karis and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, before turning his attention to Macron.
The pair shared a prolonged handshake as Trump, who has been accused of breaking the event’s strict dress code, very narrowly avoided what would have been a terrible blunder.
Earlier in the day, X users questioned Trump’s choice of attire for the event after he arrived wearing a blue suit and matching tie.
The strict dress code for the event at the Vatican dictated that men should wear a dark suit with a long black tie and white shirt. Shoes, long socks, coats and umbrellas also had to be black.
Ukranian leader Volodymyr Zelensky wore no tie, and Joe Biden also wore a blue tie. All three have been accused of showing ‘disrespect’ because the majority of world leaders were dressed all in black.
Trump, who sat in the front row of hundreds of foreign dignitaries and royalty, donned a mid-blue outfit, adorned with a pin showing the American flag. He paired it with a shiny blue tie.
Several X users felt his decision not to wear black was disrespectful, with one person writing: ‘Why is Trump the only male world leader who is wearing a blue suit?
Trump greeting Estonia’s president Alar Karis and Spain’s King Felipe VI after being prompted by Melania
‘Has he no sense of appropriacy? Shame on him.’
Another noted: ‘How disrespectful Trump is wearing a blue suit to a funeral.’
And a third fumed: ‘Did he not have a black suit? At least a dark blue one? Where is the respect?’
Prince William, 42, also drew criticism for wearing a dark navy suit to the funeral, although he met the funeral regulations with a black tie.
The dress code required men to wear dark suits, a long black tie and a button of the same colour on the left lapel of the jacket, where only Vatican honours can be placed.
Melania, on the other hand, followed the dress regulations issued by the Vatican as she opted to wear a black blazer and modest, calf-length pencil skirt.
Guidance from the Catholic Church states women must wear black, closed-toe shoes and Melania chose a pair of simple pumps for the occasion.
She added an elegant black lace veil as well as matching gloves, and wore a simple diamond-studded cross pendant in keeping with the strict dress code for the event.
Trump, who sat in the front row of hundreds of foreign dignitaries and royalty, donned a mid-blue outfit, adorned with a pin showing the American flag. He paired it with a shiny blue tie
Melania, on the other hand, followed the dress regulations issued by the Vatican as she opted to wear a black blazer and modest, calf-length pencil skirt
The Pope’s funeral is among the rare occasions that Melania has made a public appearance since Trump was re-eleected to the White House three months ago
She appeared moved during the service for the religious leader
Upwards of 250,000 people gathered in St Peter’s Square to bid farewell to Pope Francis on Saturday, after he died suddenly on Easter Monday.
Francis had been lying in state in a simple wooden coffin lined with zinc at the St Peter’s Basilica since Wednesday morning for three days in public view, before the coffin was sealed ahead of his funeral today.
World leaders and royalty have since arrived in Italy for the funeral, which began at 10am local time (9am BST), with former US president Joe Biden, Prince William and a host of European royals leading the delegation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was also invited, greeted by a round of applause as he took his seat in Vatican City this morning.
The ceremony began with the entrance antiphon, a selection of psalm verses or scripture passages that are traditionally sung or recited. This was followed by the Penitential Act which allows the faithful to confess their sins to God.
The opening prayer came after the Penitential Act. The first reading was given in English by Kielce Gussie, a journalist from Vatican News.
The second reading was then delivered in Spanish by Edgar Pineda. This was followed by the Universal prayers.
Before the end of the mass, Cardinal Re will sprinkle the coffin with holy water and incense.
The coffin of Pope Francis being carried in front of dignitaries, including President Donald Trump, center, and French President Emmanuel Macron, left, during his funeral in St Peter’s Square at the Vatican
Trump was seen clapping as the Pope’s coffin passed him
The United States’ First Couple waved at crowds as they left the funeral service
At the end of the service, valedictory rite and final commendation, where the Pope is formally entrusted to God, will take place.
Francis’s coffin will then be carried to the left of the altar at St Peter’s.
At the end of the funeral – approximately 11.45am local time – the procession will begin.
Francis’s coffin will be taken from St Peter’s Square to Santa Maria Maggiore where he will be buried. This is expected to take around 30 minutes, depending on crowds.
The route crosses the river Tiber and passes Piazza Venezia followed by the Colosseum.
Francis left instructions asking to be buried in a simple underground tomb in Rome’s papal basilica of Saint Mary Major. The burial will be held in private.
This makes Francis the first pontiff in more than a century not to be buried at St Peter’s Basilica. The last pope who asked to be buried outside of the Vatican was Pope Leo XIII, who died in 1903.
