Thursday, March 21, 2013

Privilège du blanc

The Privilège du blanc is the privilege granted to Catholic Queens and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg to wear white in the presence of the Sovereign Pontiff. Women ordinarily wear black, including a black mantilla, when having an audience with the Pope, according to the long-standing Vatican dress code. Maria Teresa, Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, can be seen all in white in the photo above. Below is Belgium's Queen Paola.


 More pictures of the Papal Inaugural Mass, HERE.
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4 comments:

May said...

I have a picture somewhere of Princess Lilian of Belgium visiting the Pope (Pius XII, I believe) with her husband King Leopold III. Lilian was wearing the long black dress and mantilla. It's interesting to think that she could easily have been there in white, if she had only been styled Queen, which would have been more normal, instead of Princess...

elena maria vidal said...

People do not realize what a humble woman she was.

Terry Nelson said...

Elena - one of my readers asked how the tradition of black dress and mantilla came about for women in audience with the Pope? Would you happen to know?

elena maria vidal said...

No, I don't know but I would love to find out.