Why Queen Camilla Wore Black to Meet the Pope, but Princess Charlene Has Permission to Wear White

Queen Camilla dressed to respect protocol with religious history when she met Pope Francis at the Vatican.

On April 9, Queen Camilla and King Charles met the Pope in a surprise twist to their Italy trip. The King and Queen's itinerary in Italy was originally due to include the Holy See, the government of the Catholic Church which operates from the Vatican City State, but the plan was postponed following Pope Francis' recent health setback. In an unexpected turn, Buckingham Palace announced on April 9 that the royals were able to meet Pope Francis privately.

A photo released by the Vatican from the audience showed that the Queen, 77, wore a black dress with some signature jewelry for the 20-minute meeting with the 88-year-old leader of the Catholic Church.

It was Queen Camilla's first papal audience since King Charles' accession in September 2022. She wore black for the special occasion, just as other royal consorts and American first ladies have in the past. It also respected a nuanced rule, as she doesn't have permission to wear white for these meetings.

According to a little-known royal rule, there are just seven women in the world who are allowed to wear white around the pope. The tradition is called "il privilegio del bianco" in Italian or "le privil ge du blanc" in French (translating to the privilege of the white") and is exclusively extended to designated Catholic queens and princesses.

The protocol guides that those with permission can wear white for papal events like private audiences, canonizations, beatifications and special masses, and they usually choose to do so.

Today, the small club includes Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Letizia of Spain, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Princess Marina of Naples, as well as two Queens whose husbands are no longer reigning: Queen Sofia of Spain and Queen Paola of Belgium.

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While Queen Mathilde, 52, recently wore white when she met Pope Francis in September 2024, the women with permission don't have to choose the hue. The Monegasque royals are regular visitors to Vatican City, and Prince Albert's wife Charlene has worn both white and black for past papal audiences.

Princess Charlene, 47, even sported a dark manicure to match her black outfit when she most recently met Pope Francis in July 2022. 

King Charles became head of the Church of England upon his accession in September 2022 and has a keen interest in interfaith relations. However, his wife seemed to buck tradition when meeting Pope Francis previously.

Charles and Camilla, who were then known as the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, most recently met the head of the Catholic Church during a trip to Italy in 2017. There, Camilla wore a beige dress with a tan scarf to the Vatican instead of the traditional black.

While the reasoning behind her fashion statement remains unclear, she may have taken a page from Queen Elizabeth's fashion book. The late Queen wore both black and bright colors during previous meetings with Catholic popes during her record reign and even added tiaras.