Belgian royals King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited the Vatican for a private audience with Pope Leo, five days after Britain’s King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla met the Pope.
According to local media, the royal couple were received in the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace before meeting with the Pope to discuss humanitarian issues, social challenges and the continued importance of faith in public life.
The royal family shared several photos of the king and queen meeting the pope.
Royal fans couldn’t help but notice that Queen Mathilde wore a period outfit and a scarf during the meeting, just days after Queen Camilla’s black dress, especially the scarf, sparked reactions on social media.
The Belgian queen wore a white dress because only a handful of royal women are given special permission to wear white around the Pope in a tradition known as “il privilegio del bianco” or “the privilege of the white”.
The honor is awarded exclusively to designated Catholic queens and princesses.
A report in people.com said last week that the group currently includes Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Letizia of Spain, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Princess Marina of Naples, former Queen Sofia of Spain and former Queen Paola of Belgium.
