(; "the privilege of the white") is a custom of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

that permits certain designated female royalty to wear white clothing (traditionally a white dress and white veil) during an audience with the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

. It is an exception to the traditional requirement of women to wear black garments on formal occasions.

History

Protocol for papal audiences traditionally requires women to wear a black dress with sleeves and no cleavage, as well as a black

mantilla A mantilla is a traditional female liturgical lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high hair ornament called a '' peineta'', particularly popular with women in Spain and Latin America. Within Christendom, ...

or scarf for the head. 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 The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

, Queen of Belgium, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Princess of Monaco, and the princesses of the

House of Savoy The House of Savoy (, ) is a royal house (formally a dynasty) of Franco-Italian origin that was established in 1003 in the historical region of Savoy, which was originally part of the Kingdom of Burgundy and now lies mostly within southeastern F ...

. 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, the Afro-Bolivian Queen, or

Queen Máxima of the Netherlands Máxima (born Máxima Zorreguieta on 17 May 1971) is List of Dutch royal consorts, Queen of the Netherlands as the wife of King Willem-Alexander. Argentine by birth, she worked in finance when she met Willem-Alexander, eldest son and heir appa ...

, who is the Catholic wife of the Protestant

King Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born 27 April 1967) is King of the Netherlands since 30 April 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht during the reign of his maternal grandmother, Queen Juliana, as the eldest ch ...

List of eligibility

As of 2025, the following living royal women are eligible for the privilege:

In recent years

Monagesque Princess Charlene at the Vatican

Marina, Princess of Naples, wife of the former Head of the

Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples Prince Vittorio Emanuele of Savoy, Prince of Naples (Vittorio Emanuele Alberto Carlo Teodoro Umberto Bonifacio Amedeo Damiano Bernardino Gennaro Maria di Savoia;''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser'' XIV. "Haus Italien". C.A. ...

, exercised the privilege on 18 May 2003 during a

Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...

marking the birth anniversary of

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

, of whom she had a private audience the day before. For the first time in Monégasque history on 12 January 2013,

Charlene, Princess of Monaco Charlene ( ;Since her marriage, her name has been Gallicised by adding a grave accent to her name in French documents. born Charlene Lynette Wittstock, 25 January 1978) is princess consort of Monaco, Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Albe ...

, used the privilege in an audience with

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

. The

Holy See Press Office The Holy See Press Office (; ) is the press office of the Holy See. It publishes the official news of the activities of the Pope and of the various departments of the Roman Curia. All speeches, messages and documents, as well as the statements ...

later issued a press release declaring the following: Charlene exercised the privilege once again on 18 January 2016 when visiting

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

as part of an official state visit to the Vatican with her husband,

Albert II, Prince of Monaco Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attend ...

List of occasions used

Among the occasions when the has been exercised are the following:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Privilege du blanc Holy See awards Catholic religious clothing Non-clerical religious clothing Role status * Royal dresses Culture of Vatican City Women and the papacy Women's clothing Women in Vatican City