Why Princess Charlene wore white during Pope Leo XIV visit while other Monaco royals were banned

Princess Charlene of Monaco was a vision in white for Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the principality on 28 March, but eagle-eyed royal fans will have noticed that the other royal ladies in attendance wore black. 

Princess Caroline of Hanover, her daughter Charlotte Casiraghi, and her daughter-in-law, Beatrice Borromeo, all wore black. Former Olympic swimmer Charlene was permitted to wear white as dictated by the tradition that the wife of a sovereign should wear this colour while in the presence of the Pope.

Why did Princess Charlene wear white?

There is also another layer to the rule. For events where the pope is present, royal ladies who are Catholic are permitted to wear all white – a rule known as privilège du blanc.

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As the wife of Prince Albert, Charlene, 48, opted for a bespoke Elie Saab coat dress featuring a tie belt waistline and a shin-skimming skirt. She wore a white Elie Saab dress underneath, as well as white stilettos and a white mantilla, in accordance with tradition.

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Charlene’s daughter, 11-year-old Princess Gabriella, joined her at the mass and twinned with her mother in white. She looked so sweet in a collared jacket and dress by Elie Saab, paired with Mary-Jane shoes by Chloe.

Who does the privilege du blanc apply to?

Though Princess Charlene was the only sovereign’s wife in attendance on Saturday, meetings that involve royals from around Europe will see more than one royal lady in white. For example, last May, Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Mathilde of Belgium were among the royal ladies in attendance at the inauguration mass of Pope Leo XIV at St Peter’s Square in Vatican City. 

As Monaco, Spain, and Belgium all have Catholic sovereigns, royal women from these nations were all permitted to wear white for the occasion.

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Meanwhile, Sweden has its own state religion, and as the daughter of King Carl Gustaf, the head of the Church of Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria was restricted from matching her fellow royal ladies at the inauguration.

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Prince William was in attendance, but if his wife, Kate, had joined him, she wouldn’t have been permitted to wear white, as her father-in-law, King Charles, is the head of the protestant Church of England.