Funerary Ceremonies: a View from Soft power.

Comparative Analysis of the Funerals of Queen Elizabeth II, Pope Benedict XVI and Constantine II of Greece.

Abstract

The theory of soft power raises social and cultural issues to the level of the economic and
military ones. Therefore, in the case of institutional ceremonies, soft power is connected to
the current protocol. Thus, this article, a comparative analysis of the funerals of Queen
Elizabeth II, Benedict XVI and Constantine II of Greece, highlights the elements of today’s
protocol linked to soft power and studies how both tools go hand in hand in funerals of who
were or had been heads of State. Owing to their differences, singularities emerge and, with
them, the possibility of analyzing them from a political perspective.