The Vatican rules offer guidance on how people should dress when meeting the pope during specific occasions. However, wearing white is a privilege reserved for only a handful of royal women to symbolize three specific virtues.
Many people have met different popes throughout the years, but only seven women worldwide are allowed to wear white when meeting him. However, they are not permitted to do so when attending papal funerals. Here is what we know about the tradition.
Pope Francis meets with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on September 14, 2023, in Vatican City, Vatican | Source: Getty Images
How the Dress Code for Royal Women Meeting the Pope Changed
When the current Queen Consort, Camilla, was still the Duchess of Cornwall, she met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. During that meeting, she wore the customary black dress with long sleeves and a lace mantilla, or veil.
This dress code had been observed by women for centuries when meeting His Holiness. However, in April 2017, when Camilla met the now-late Pope Francis, she chose a pale gold dress and coat by Anna Valentine.
Pope Francis poses with Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during the royal couple’s visit to the Vatican on April 4, 2017, in Vatican City | Source: Getty Images
The Queen Consort opted not to wear headwear, seemingly defying the Vatican’s dress code. However, her look was not an issue, as Pope Francis welcomed the change. A Vatican spokesperson once explained, “Things have become more relaxed over the last few years [sic] there are no hard and fast rules.”
Since Camilla’s husband, King Charles III, is the head of the Anglican Church, she was required to wear black instead of white during her audience with the pope. When she met Pope Francis two weeks before his death during her royal tour of Italy, she wore a black dress with cropped sleeves and a knee-length skirt.
