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Privilège du blanc

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Queen Elena of Italy and Crown Princess Marie-José wearing white garments in the presence of Pope Pius XII at the Quirinal Palace on 27 December 1939.

Le privilège du blanc (pronounced [lə pʁivilɛʒ dy blɑ̃]; "the privilege of the white") is a custom of the Roman Catholic Church that permits certain designated female royalty to wear white clothing (traditionally a white dress and white veil) during an audience with the pope.[1] It is an exception to the traditional requirement of women to wear black garments on such occasions, which has become optional since the 1980s.

History

Traditionally, the protocol for papal audiences required women to wear a long black garment with long sleeves, and a black veil, the colour of which signified the virtues of piety and humility. The queens of Portugal, Italy, Belgium and Spain[2] were exempt from this rule, as were the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and the princesses of the House of Savoy.

Those who are at present permitted to wear white garments include the Queens of Spain and Belgium, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and the Princess of Monaco, in summary those royal houses whose regents had been given the title of "(Most) Catholic Majesty" (Rex catholicissimus).[citation needed]

The protocol for papal audiences formerly required that women wear a long black dress with a high collar and long sleeves, and a black mantilla.[3][4] Certain designated Catholic queens and princesses have nonetheless traditionally been exempted from wearing black garments.

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, or the Queen of the Afro-Bolivians.[5] It is also not afforded to the wife of a male President of France, even though the French President is ex-officio Co-Prince of Andorra. The privilege is also not accorded to Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who is the Catholic wife of the Protestant King Willem-Alexander; nor to Katharine, Duchess of Kent, Princess Michael of Kent, or Sylvana, Countess of Saint Andrews, who are the senior Catholic members of the Protestant British royal family.[citation needed]

List of eligibility

The following living royal women are currently eligible for the privilege:[citation needed]

  • Catholic Sovereign
 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/Princess of Piedmont, widow of the head of the House of Savoy accession of husband to headship of the Italian house (1983)
The Princess of Venice, consort of the head of the House of Savoy accession of husband to headship of the Italian house (2024)

In recent years

The Princess of Monaco meeting Pope Francis on an official state visit at the Vatican.

Marina, Princess of Naples, widow of the former Head of the House of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, used the privilege on 18 May 2003 during a Catholic mass marking the birth anniversary of Pope John Paul II.[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:

"…in accordance with prescribed ceremonial of the Vatican for Catholic sovereigns, the princess [of Monaco] was allowed to dress in white."[7]

Charlene availed the privilege 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

Among the occasions when the privilège du blanc has been exercised are the following:

Date Queen/Princess Pontiff Occasion
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][verification needed]
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
Francis Canonization of Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II
2013 March 19
Francis Inaugural mass of Pope Francis
2013 January 12 Charlene, Princess of Monaco Benedict XVI Private audience
2011 May 1
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
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, Dowager Princess of Naples John Paul II Birthday of Pope John Paul II
2003 March 23
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
John Paul II Inaugural mass of Pope John Paul II
1978 September 3
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 audience[citation needed]
1961 June 9 Fabiola. Queen of the Belgians John XXIII Private audience[10]
1939 December 28
Pius XII Papal visit to the Quirinal Palace[11][verification needed]
1939 January 23 Princess Maria Francesca of Savoy Pius XI Private audience after wedding
1935 March 4 Emanuela de Borbón y Dampierre, 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][verification needed]
1929 December 7
Pius XI Private audience[13][verification needed]
1929 December 5
Pius XI Private audience after signing of the Lateran Treaty[14][verification needed]
1923 November 19 Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain Pius XI Private audience[15][verification needed]


References

  1. ^ James-Charles Noonan, Jr., The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church (New York: Viking, 1996), 411.
  2. ^ "His Catholic Majesty".
  3. ^ George Seldes, The Vatican: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1934), 125.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Only 7 Women in the World Can Wear White to Officially Meet the Pope | Articles". 21 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Marina in San Pietro con tailleur bianco". Corriere della Sera. 19 May 2003. Archived from the original on 2014-01-02. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  7. ^ Ledbetter, Carly (2017-05-24). "Here's Why Melania Trump Wore Black To Meet The Pope". HuffPost. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  8. ^ Barcelona, Ainhoa (2016-01-18). "Princess Charlene of Monaco is a vision in white as she meets the Pope". HELLO!. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  9. ^ "Pope Francis receives Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg". news.va. Archived from the original on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Privilege for Fabiola", New York Times (June 10, 1961), 10.
  11. ^ "Speeches 1939 - PIUS XII". vatican.va. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Italian Princes See Pope: Duke and Duchess of Genoa Among Seven of House of Savoy Present". The New York Times (published 1929-12-29). 29 December 1929. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Retrieved 2016-06-08. Pope Pius received additional Princes of the ruling House of Savoy in audience today. They included the Duke and Duchess of Genoa, the Prince of Udine, the Duke of Pistoia, the Duke of Bergamo, Princess Maria Adelaide and the Duke of Ancona.
  13. ^ "Prince and Sisters Pay Visit to Pope", New York Times (December 8, 1929), 5.
  14. ^ "Italy's Sovereigns Make First Visit to Pope", New York Times (December 6, 1929), 1.
  15. ^ "Alfonso Received in Papal Splendor", New York Times (November 20, 1923), 7.

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