Pope Francis funeral LIVE updates as thousands attend Vatican service

The funeral of Pope Francis will be held at St Peter's Square in the Vatican on Saturday morning, with thousands expected to attend.

Francis, the leader of the Catholic church for 12 years, died at the age of 88 on Easter Monday after suffering a stroke.

He will be laid to rest at a church in Rome following Saturday morning's service, which will be led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, and is set to begin at 10am local time (9am BST).

The service, held in the open air outside St Peter's Basilica, will be attended by the highest-ranking members of the Catholic Church as well as major political leaders, royals and faithfuls from across the world.

Sir Keir Starmer and Prince William will attend on behalf of the UK. Other notable attendees include Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US president Donald Trump.

Following the service, Francis’ coffin will be taken through the streets of Rome on his final journey. His final wishes expressed that he wanted to be buried in a simple underground tomb in the basilica of Saint Mary Major.

The funeral marks the beginning of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning and masses for the repose of the late Pope’s soul.

Scroll down for live updates as the funeral of Pope Francis takes place...

Several major news channels will cover the funeral.

On BBC One, Reeta Chakrabarti will present coverage of the funeral, with a BBC News special beginning at 8.30am on Saturday and scheduled to continue until 12.30pm.

On Sky News, presenter Anna Botting will host live from Rome, with commentary from the former governor of Edinburgh Castle, Major General Alastair Bruce of Crionaich.

The Sky News broadcast begins at 7am and will