Belgian royals King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited the Vatican for a private audience with Pope Leo, five days after Britain’s King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla met the pontiff.
According to local media, the royal couple was received in the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace before meeting the Pope to discuss humanitarian issues, social challenges and the current importance of faith in public life.
The royal family shared several photos of the king and queen’s meeting with the pope.
Royal fans couldn’t help but notice that Queen Mathilde wore a casual outfit and a headscarf to the meeting, just days after Queen Camilla’s black dress, particularly the headscarf, sparked reactions on social media.
The Belgian queen wore a white dress because only a handful of royal women are given special permission to wear white around the pope, as part of a tradition known as “il privilegio del bianco” or “the privilege of white.”
This honor is exclusively granted to designated Catholic queens and princesses.
A report in people.com said last week that the group currently includes Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Letizia of Spain, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Princess Marina of Naples, former Queen Sofia of Spain and former Queen Paola of Belgium.
