Privilège du blanc
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History
Protocol for papal audiences traditionally requires women to wear a black dress with sleeves and no cleavage, as well as a black mantilla or scarf for the head.[2][3]
Certain designated Catholic queens and princesses have nonetheless traditionally been exempted from wearing black garments. Those permitted to wear white garments include the Queen of Spain, Queen of Belgium, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Princess of Monaco, and the princesses of the House of Savoy. The privilege is not used by the wives of all Catholic monarchs or by the Catholic wives of non-Catholic monarchs. Even though they are Catholics, it is not accorded to the Queen of Lesotho, the Princess of Liechtenstein,[4] the Afro-Bolivian Queen, the Māori Queen, or Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who is the Catholic wife of the Protestant King Willem-Alexander.[5]
List of eligibility
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| Template:Unbulleted list | on the occasion of |
|---|---|
| Queen Sofía of Spain | accession of husband to the Spanish throne (1975) |
| Queen Paola of Belgium | accession of husband to the Belgian throne (1993) |
| The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg | accession of husband to the Luxembourgish throne (2000) |
| The Princess of Monaco | dispensation from Pope Benedict XVI to the House of Grimaldi (2013) |
| The Queen of the Belgians | accession of husband to the Belgian throne (2013) |
| The Queen of Spain | accession of husband to the Spanish throne (2014) |
| The Princess of Naples | accession of husband to headship of the former Italian royal House of Savoy (1983) |
In recent years
Marina, Princess of Naples, wife of the former Head of the House of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, exercised the privilege on 18 May 2003 during a Catholic Mass marking the birth anniversary of Pope John Paul II, of whom she had a private audience the day before.[6]
For the first time in Monégasque history on 12 January 2013, Charlene, Princess of Monaco, used the privilege in an audience with Pope Benedict XVI. The Holy See Press Office later issued a press release declaring the following:
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"…in accordance with prescribed ceremonial of the Vatican for Catholic sovereigns, the princess [of Monaco] was allowed to dress in white."[7]
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Charlene exercised the privilege once again on 18 January 2016 when visiting Pope Francis as part of an official state visit to the Vatican with her husband, Albert II, Prince of Monaco.[8]
List of occasions used
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| Date | Catholic Royalty | Pontiff | Occasion |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 May 18 | Template:Unbulleted list | Leo XIV | Inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV |
| 2024 September 27 | Queen Mathilde of Belgium | Francis | State visit to Belgium |
| 2023 September 15 | Queen Mathilde of Belgium | Francis | Private audience |
| 2018 October 14 | Queen Sofía of Spain | Francis | Canonization of Pope Paul VI |
| 2016 September 4 | Queen Sofía of Spain | Francis | Canonization of Saint Teresa of Calcutta |
| 2016 March 21 | Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg | Francis | Private audience[9]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". |
| 2016 January 18 | Charlene, Princess of Monaco | Francis | State visit to the Vatican |
| 2015 March 9 | Queen Mathilde of Belgium | Francis | Private audience |
| 2014 June 30 | Queen Letizia of Spain | Francis | State visit to the Vatican |
| 2014 April 27 | Template:Unbulleted list | Francis | Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II |
| 2013 March 19 | Template:Unbulleted list | Francis | Inaugural mass of Pope Francis |
| 2013 January 12 | Charlene, Princess of Monaco | Benedict XVI | Private audience |
| 2011 May 1 | Template:Unbulleted list | Benedict XVI | Beatification of Pope John Paul II |
| 2009 October 10 | Queen Paola of Belgium | Benedict XVI | Private audience |
| 2006 May 8 | Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg | Benedict XVI | Private audience |
| 2005 April 24 | Template:Unbulleted list | Benedict XVI | Inaugural mass of Pope Benedict XVI |
| 2004 October 3 | Queen Fabiola of Belgium | John Paul II | Beatification of Charles I of Austria |
| 2003 May 18 | Marina, Princess of Naples | John Paul II | Birthday of Pope John Paul II |
| 2003 March 23 | Template:Unbulleted list | John Paul II | Private audience |
| 1998 May 15 | Queen Paola of Belgium | John Paul II | Private audience |
| 1981 April 30 | Queen Sofía of Spain | John Paul II | Private audience |
| 1978 October 22 | Template:Unbulleted list | John Paul II | Inaugural mass of Pope John Paul II |
| 1978 September 3 | Template:Unbulleted list | John Paul I | Inaugural mass of Pope John Paul I |
| 1977 February 10 | Queen Sofía of Spain | Paul VI | Private audience |
| 1965 May 6 | Josephine Charlotte, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg | Paul VI | Private audienceScript error: No such module "Unsubst". |
| 1961 June 9 | Fabiola, Queen of the Belgians | John XXIII | Private audience[10] |
| 1939 December 28 | Template:Unbulleted list | Pius XII | Papal visit to the Quirinal Palace[11]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". |
| 1939 January 23 | Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy | Pius XI | Private audience after wedding |
| 1935 March 4 | Emanuela de Borbón, Duchess of Anjou and Segovia | Pius XI | Private audience after wedding |
| 1930 January 8 | Marie José, Princess of Piedmont | Pius XI | Private audience after wedding |
| 1929 December 28 | Princess Adelaide of Savoy | Pius XI | Private audience[12]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". |
| 1929 December 7 | Template:Unbulleted list | Pius XI | Private audience[13]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". |
| 1929 December 5 | Template:Unbulleted list | Pius XI | Private audience after signing of the Lateran Treaty[14]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". |
| 1923 November 19 | Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain | Pius XI | Private audience[15]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". |
References
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- ↑ James-Charles Noonan, Jr., The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church (New York: Viking, 1996), 411.
- ↑ George Seldes, The Vatican: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1934), 125.
- ↑ Fabio Cassani Pironti, Ordini in ordine: manuale d'uso decorazioni per il corpo diplomatico accreditato presso la Santa Sede, il Sovrano militare Ordine di Malta ed i rispettivi dignitari (Roma: Laurus Robuffo, 2004), 42 and 87.
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- ↑ "Privilege for Fabiola", New York Times (June 10, 1961), 10.
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- ↑ "Prince and Sisters Pay Visit to Pope", New York Times (December 8, 1929), 5.
- ↑ "Italy's Sovereigns Make First Visit to Pope", New York Times (December 6, 1929), 1.
- ↑ "Alfonso Received in Papal Splendor", New York Times (November 20, 1923), 7.
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External links
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