Princess Charlene wears black for meeting with Pope Francis

• Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco visited the Vatican for a private meeting with Pope Francis.
• Charlene wore a black gown, breaking with her usual visitation attire.
• The royal couple met the head of the Catholic church on Wednesday in the Apostolic Library.

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert of Monaco visited the Vatican for a private meeting with Pope Francis; Charlene wore a black gown, breaking with her usual visitation attire.

The royal couple met the head of the Catholic church on Wednesday in the Apostolic Library. They visited for 25 minutes and exchanged gifts. Pope Francis gave the couple a bronze sculpture of two kids lifting each other up from the ground, with the words “love” and “help” engraved on the sides of the figures.

A sketch of the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, which is housed in the Royal Palace of Monaco, was presented to the Pope by 64-year-old Prince Albert.

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For the event, Princess Charlene, 44, wore a black dress with a bateau neckline, a rosary bead necklace, and a black lace mantilla veil. The outfit was similar to those worn by other famous ladies who met the Pope, such as former First Lady Melania Trump in May 2017 and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in October 2021.

Princess Charlene has previously chosen to dress in all-white for her visits with the Pope, though. She is one of just seven women who have access to “the privilege of the white.”

The exclusive tradition, known in French and Italian as “il privilegio del biacno” or “le privilege du blanc,” is only extended to designated Catholic queens and princesses and is typically saved for significant occasions at the Vatican, such as private audiences, canonizations, beatifications, and special masses.

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