'Le privilège du blanc': how Pope Francis has relaxed the strict dress code once adhered to by The Queen, Michelle Obama and more

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, meet Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, meet Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, met the Pope yesterday wearing a pale gold dress and coat by one of her favourite British labels, Anna Valentine.

Omitting headwear, her look defied all Vatican dress codes. But it wasn’t a faux pas, as the modern Pope Francis had welcomed the look. “Things have become more relaxed over the last few years there are no hard and fast rules," a spokesperson for the Vatican explained. 

When the Duchess met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, however, it was a different story. Camilla wore a customary black dress with long sleeves and a lace mantilla, or veil, as has been the dress code observed by women for centuries when meeting his Holiness.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall meets Pope Benedict XVI in 2009
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall meets Pope Benedict XVI in 2009

White dresses, in the past, have been permitted only for a handful of Queens and Princesses from Catholic regions. When Princess Charlene of Monaco met Pope Francis last January, she adhered to the "privilège du blanc" or “privilege of the white” rule, wearing a chic crepe jacket and white driving gloves with her white mantilla and nude heels; the only colour in her ensemble being a slick of red lipstick.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco meet Pope Francis in January 2016
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco meet Pope Francis in January 2016

Only seven Queens and senior female royals from around the world officially qualify for the "privilège du blanc" dress code, including Queen Letizia of Spain, Queen Sofia of Spain and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Queen Letizia of Spain meets Pope Francis in June 2014
Queen Letizia of Spain meets Pope Francis in June 2014

Our own Queen Elizabeth had always worn black when meeting the Pope, however since Pope Francis arrived she has chosen looks in her signature style, like a lilac suit by Angela Kelly with a matching hat worn in 2014. While wearing colours may now be an acceptable practice, it’s still advisable not to wear white, at risk of causing offense to the privileged few. Cherie Blair did when she met Pope Benedict XVI in 2006, and subsequent headlines about the woman with a ‘grand idea of herself’ were beamed around the world the next day.

Queen Elizabeth meets Pope John Paul II in 2000
Queen Elizabeth meets Pope John Paul II in 2000

First Ladies, celebrities, and other such mortals still tend to stick to the traditional codes, even if they aren’t officially required to. Michelle Obama wore a black, long sleeved dress with a veil when she met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, and Amal Clooney wore a sharp black skirt suit with a matching hat when she met Pope Francis in May 2016.

Barack and Michelle Obama meet Pope Benedict XVI in July 2009
Barack and Michelle Obama meet Pope Benedict XVI in July 2009
George and Amal Clooney meet Pope Francis in May 2016
George and Amal Clooney meet Pope Francis in May 2016

“My mom and I went back and forth about whether to wear the mantilla, the lace veil traditionally worn in the Roman Catholic Church, but decided against it this time,” sustainable jewellery designer Kyleigh Kühn previously told Vogue of her own meeting with Pope Francis in 2013. “And looking around the room, none of the women were wearing it either. I think the new Pope is much more focused on the essence of people than anything else and would have given us the same welcome had we shown up in soccer jerseys.”

 

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