Thousands gather for funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican

The funeral of Pope Francis has taken place in the Vatican.

Dozens of world leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US president Donald Trump, attended the service.

The Prince of Wales was also present, on behalf of the King.

They joined an estimated 200,000 people who turned out in and around St Peter's Square, where the funeral took place, to pay their respects to the head of the Catholic Church.

The special service paid tribute to the Pope who, for the approximately 1.4 billion Roman Catholics across the world, represents a direct link to Jesus.

He died on Easter Monday aged 88, after a period of ill health.

Before the service began, Pope Francis' coffin was carried from St Peter's Basilica, where he had been lying in state for the past three days.

He was brought into St Peter's Square, just outside the front doors of the church.

The funeral mass was held outdoors, with many world leaders and royals in attendance.

They included UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria, and US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

Prince William was also present, attending the funeral on behalf of his father, King Charles.

They were joined by more than 250,000 people from across the world who came to the Square and surrounding area to offer their final goodbyes.

Many had queued since the early hours of the morning, along the streets near the Vatican, in order to be able to gather in front of the basilica for the ceremony.

The ceremony was also broadcast around the globe, with many millions of people thought to have watched the proceedings at the Vatican on TV.

The funeral service was led by the dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re.

The ceremony was simpler than those of previous popes, which Pope Francis himself had requested.

The special service paid tribute to the Pope and referenced many of the things that were important to him.

Cardinal Re said Pope Francis had "touched minds and hearts" and wanted to "build bridges, not walls."

"He was a Pope among the people, with an open heart towards everyone," he added.

Swiss guards dressed in striped yellow, blue and red uniforms kept a close eye on proceedings in the Vatican.

Often known as "the world's smallest army", the 135-strong force has held the role of protecting the Pope for more than 500 years.

As the funeral drew to a close, there was a long applause from the huge crowd for Pope Francis for his 12 years as head of the Catholic Church.

Many people referred to him as the "People's Pope", for his reputation and mission to bring people together.

Following the service, the Pope's coffin was driven from St Peter's Square through the streets of Rome, to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis requested to be buried.

Around 150,000 people lined the streets of Rome to watch his coffin travel in procession to his final resting place, according to the Vatican.

It is a big change in tradition with Francis becoming the first Pope in more than 100 years to be buried outside the Vatican.

The Vatican is the smallest independent state in the world and is surrounded by the Italian capital, Rome.

Now that the funeral is over, the dean of the College of Cardinals has up to 20 days to summon the cardinals to the Vatican to begin the process of electing the next Pope, known as a conclave.

A nine-day mourning period, known as Novemdiales also begins - with a mass held every day during this time in memory of Pope Francis.