The funeral of King Charles has already been planned, despite the fact that he is still alive and not showing any signs of being near death. 

What makes the situation even more interesting, according to The Telegraph, is that the king has personally approved the funeral arrangements.

This all comes as the king continues to battle cancer. There has been much speculation about what kind of cancer he has, but the answer has yet to be disclosed.

King Charles III assisting the Divine Office led by Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel, the first time a British monarch has partaken in a religious service with the Bishop of Rome since 855, when Æthelwulf, King of Wessex, was in Rome for the inauguration of Pope Leo IV. pic.twitter.com/L1qc22jaqk

— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) October 23, 2025

The details

The Telegraph explains that planning for events such as a king's funeral "begins sometimes decades in advance, evolving over time through briefings with senior representatives from the Royal household, the police, the military and the Church."

For this reason, it is not that unusual that the king is making preparations.

The outlet continues:

While the vast majority of the state funeral, codenamed as for all monarchs Operation London Bridge, will look and feel much like Elizabeth II’s, the King has made some changes to the plans, which are reflective of his own personal beliefs.

The Telegraph goes on to provide a look at some things that are expected to happen.

It reports:

His lifelong dedication to the environment is expected to be recognised with the incorporation of sustainable elements wherever possible. Meanwhile, the period of royal mourning will be reduced, bringing it into line with the period of national mourning.

This will begin on the King’s death and last until the day of his funeral, 10 or 11 days later.

In other news...

King Charles recently made global news headlines after participating in a historic event with Pope Leo. Breitbart News reported:

King Charles III of the United Kingdom prayed alongside Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday, an ecumenical service intended to build ties between the long estranged Roman Catholic and Anglican churches.

At first glance, this may not seem to be that big of a deal, but it is.

The outlet goes on to explain:

A British monarch has publicly prayed alongside a Pope for what is said by Buckingham Palace to be the first time since the Reformation some 500 years ago, and quite possibly a great deal longer than that.

The point of it all, according to Breitbart, is for King Charles to build "reconciliation between the Anglican Church of England, of which the King is the Supreme Governor, and the Catholic Church."

Time will tell whether the king and the pope are successful in doing so.