Princess Charlene’s audience with Pope Francis yesterday has left royal fashion fans wondering why she broke with tradition.
For the casual onlooker, Prince Albert II’s wife was dressed in the traditional black outfit and veil that a woman would wear to meet the leader of the Catholic Church – but Charlene actually has a special privilege given to only seven women in the world. given.
called a privilege of the blancthe Monaguesque royal is one of the few people allowed to wear a white dress and white veil for an audience with the Pope.
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Princess Marina of Naples, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Paola of Belgium, Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Sofia of Spain are the other Catholic royals who are allowed to wear white when meeting the Pope.
Given her position, it’s not known why Princess Charlene chose to wear black, but the mother of two – who is back in Monaco after a mysterious illness – looked stunning in a tailored Terrence Bray dress for her audience.
The textured black midi dress with long, sheer sleeves was quite edgy in terms of visiting the Vatican; his boat neck bared only a hint of shoulder.
She added black nail polish, a black lace veil, and a rosary-style pearl necklace with a gold cross for her papal look, along with Louis Vuitton blush pumps.
“I’m curious”, a royal fan tweeted. ‘Isn’t she one of the few royals who can wear white? No criticism. She looks sweet.”
Another fashion account shared the feelingposting photos from the event and asking: “I wonder why she wasn’t wearing white, since she has the privilege du blanc.”
On previous visits to the Vatican, Princess Charlene chose to take advantage of the honor; she wore white for private audiences with Pope Francis in 2013 and 2016. However, she wore a black dress for the Pope’s inauguration ceremony in 2013.
At the end of the day, wearing white is something Princess Charlene likes but isn’t required to do, so maybe she just felt like a black ‘fit’ that day.