Catholic Symbolism In Royalty
Sunday was a beautiful day in Rome for faithful Catholics. Not only was the weather agreeable, but it was also the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV.
Leo is now officially installed as the new Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, witnessed by millions of people around the world. In the audience of St. Peter’s Basilica sat numerous heads of state which included several European royals.
You may have noticed that some royal women wore black and some wore white. In general, women are expected to wear black and cover their head when meeting the Pope as a sign of respect. Wearing all white, however, is a papal privilege granted only to Catholic royalty, known as the privilège du blanc.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands was in attendance and met with Pope Leo. The Dutch royal family is known as the House of Orange, a color symbolic of Protestantism since the Reformation. As such, Queen Maxima must wear a black dress and mantilla (veil) as the queen of a Protestant monarchy though she, personally, is Catholic.
Her Belgian counterpart, Queen Mathilde, wore a beautiful white mantilla and dress. As a Catholic queen in a Catholic monarchy, Mathilde has the privilège du blanc as does Queen Letizia of Spain, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and the Hereditary Princess of Monaco, Charlene. Spain’s Queen SofÃa and Queen Paola of the Belgians also hold the privilege. The Vatican also extends the privilege of wearing all white to the Princess of Naples, part of the Italian House of Savoy.
Correction: King Willem-Alexander was not present at the inauguration (thank you, Netty!)