html figure element: can figcaption be placed before img

Question

Is it semantically/syntactically correct to have the figcaption element be positioned anywhere within the figure element?

Consider the following:

<figure>
  <figcaption>Hello caption</figcaption>
  <img src="/path/to/file">
</figure>

Answer 1

tl;dr:

• W3C: figcaption can be placed anywhere in figure (as child, not descendant)
• WHATWG: figcaption can be placed as first or as last child of figure

W3C

In HTML5, the figcaption element has to be the first or the last child of figure:

Either: One figcaption element followed by flow content.
Or: Flow content followed by one figcaption element.
Or: Flow content.

In HTML 5.1, the figcaption element can be placed anywhere in the figure element:

Flow content optionally including a figcaption child element.

In HTML 5.1 2nd Edition, too.

In HTML 5.2 (Proposed REC), too.

Here’s the issue about the change:
Allow figcaption anywhere in a figure element?

WHATWG

In the HTML Living Standard (as of 2017-11-17), it’s the same as in HTML5:

Either: One figcaption element followed by flow content.
Or: Flow content followed by one figcaption element.
Or: Flow content.