Princess Charlene Wears Black Ensemble In Recent Pope Francis Meeting Despite Privilege To Wear White

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert traveled to the Vatican and met with Pope Francis this week.

The royal couple from Monaco traveled to the Vatican City and met the leader of the Catholic church in the Apostolic Library Wednesday. Princess Charlene donned a black ensemble during the meeting. While her black outfit followed tradition, it was a break from her previous outfits during her past visits, People reported.

She met the Pope wearing a black dress with a bateau neckline, a rosary bead necklace and a black lace veil. The ensemble was similar to what First Lady Dr. Jill Biden sported in October 2021 and former First Lady Melania Trump wore in May 2017 when they also met with Pope Francis.

According to the outlet, Princess Charlene used to wear white when she met with the Pope. She sported a white ensemble when she met with Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 and Pope Francis in 2016.

Princess Charlene was reportedly one of the seven women given "the privilege of the white" also called "le privilège du blanc" in French or "il privilegio del bianco" in Italian.

The special tradition is extended to designated Catholic queens and princesses. It is usually reserved for important events at the Vatican, including private audiences, canonizations, beatifications and special masses.

Aside from Princess Charlene, the other women who enjoy the same privilege are Queen Sofia of Spain, Queen Paola of Belgium, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Letizia of Spain, and Princess Marina of Naples.

During their 25-minute visit, they exchanged gifts. Pope Francis presented the couple with a bronze depiction of a child helping another child get up from the ground with the words "love" and "helped" etched on both sides. Prince Albert, 64, gave the Pope an artistic sketch of the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, located in the Royal Palace of Monaco.

The Monegasque royals have visited Vatican City multiple times. They attended the Inauguration Mass of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square in 2013. Prince Albert made his first public engagement as sovereign outside Monaco at Pope John Paul II's funeral.

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert just celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary. They commemorated the event by releasing a new portrait of them, which the royal princess also shared on her official Instagram account.

"Happy anniversary," she wrote in the caption, along with a red heart emoji to pay tribute to her husband.