Prince Charles will attend the funeral of former South African president Nelson Mandela on Sunday.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said he would be representing the Queen at the service in Qunu, South Africa, on December 15.
Prime Minister David Cameron will be at Mr Mandela’s memorial service on Tuesday.
Charles, who has made several visits to South Africa, is understood to have sent a private letter of condolence to Mr Mandela’s widow Graca Machel following his death last week.
Charles and Prince Harry visited South Africa in 1997 and met Mr Mandela at his Pretoria residence. The previous year, Charles had hosted Mr Mandela on a visit to Brixton during his first state visit to the UK.
The most recent trip to South Africa for Charles was in 2011, when he and Camilla made an official visit to Tanzania and South Africa. On that occasion they visited the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Pretoria and were greeted by Mrs Machel.
The Queen is also understood to have written to Mrs Machel expressing her sympathies.
She has visited South Africa on numerous occasions and hosted Mr Mandela on his two state visits to the UK, in 1996 and 2001. The Queen also received him at Buckingham Palace in 2008, during a visit to London to mark his 90th birthday.
The official memorial service will be at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, the South African Government said. A message on its website said it would be attended by members of the public as well as heads of state.
“This will give ordinary people and public leaders an opportunity to celebrate Madiba’s life collectively,” they said in the statement, using the clan name Mr Mandela was affectionately known by.