King Charles and Queen Camilla unexpectedly visited the Vatican on April 9 to meet with Pope Francis. The royals planned a trip earlier this spring, but officials canceled the meeting due to the pope’s battle with pneumonia. Camilla wore black to the meeting, which according to People, is significant. Per the “il privilegio del bianco,” only seven women in the world are permitted to wear white around the pope, and Camilla is not one of them. The Vatican extends the exclusive privilege to wear white to designated Catholic queens and princesses.
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Those women may wear white for papal private audiences, canonizations, beatifications, and special occasions. Most honor the privilege and opt to wear white to those occasions.
Queen Camilla Wore Black To Meet Pope Francis Because She Is A Member Of The Church Of England
While Queen Camilla wore black with Pope Francis, the small group of Catholic royals wore white. Among them are Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Mathilde of Belgiim, Queen Letiziaof Spain, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Princess Marina of Naples. Per People, Queen Sofia of Spain and Queen Paola of Belgium may also wear white even though their husbands are no longer reigning.
The Vatican updated the pope’s health on April 11. A statement reads, “During a briefing on the Pope’s health, the Press Office conveyed that Pope Francis continues to show clinical improvements as he recovers at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta, following his hospitalization for a polymicrobial infection that resulted in bilateral pneumonia.”
Additionally, the Vatican addressed King Charles and Queen Camilla’s meeting with Pope Francis. “The latest update came the day after the Pope’s surprise outing to spend some time in St. Peter’s Basilica. On Wednesday, he held a private audience at the Casa Santa Marta with Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla, expressing his best wishes for their wedding anniversary.”
This story’s featured image is by the Vatican via Getty Images.
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