Donald Trump may be the most famous person on the planet and leader of the free world, but he could be deeply disappointed when he sees the seating plan for the funeral of Pope Francis.

The US president is hardly accustomed to playing second fiddle, but the arcane world of Vatican protocol suggests that he will not be in the front row of dignitaries when he arrives at St Peter’s Basilica on Saturday morning.

He might not even be in the second row.

As delegations from about 130 countries, including 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs, make their way to Rome for the funeral, details are emerging of the seating arrangements and Mr Trump may have to settle for row three.

The Vatican has not released official details yet, but clues can be gleaned from the last funeral of a sitting pope – that of the Polish pontiff John Paul II in 2005.

Foreign dignitaries will be seated in a large block to one side of Francis’s coffin, while archbishops, bishops, patriarchs and cardinals – the red-robed “princes of the Church” – will be seated opposite them.