Queen Camilla wore a veil for her meeting with the Pontiff in 2009
Samir Hussein
It is customary for women to wear a lace veil for the occasion, though the tradition is not compulsory. Queen Camilla chose to wear a Philip Treacy mantilla veil for the outing on Thursday, wearing the dramatic headpiece with a favourite black silk dress by Fiona Clare. She accessorised with jewels with a symbolic meaning, including the Edwardian-style pearl and diamond necklace that she wore for her 14th anniversary photograph – a romantic nod to King Charles on this most historic of occasions. The Queen finished her ensemble with a cross brooch, known as the ‘raspberry pip brooch’, believed to be a piece once owned by Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Camilla hasn’t always followed the rule – which is unenforced – during her previous Papal meetings. The Queen forwent a veil during her state visit to Italy to meet Pope Francis, despite donning a black veil for her meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth both wore elaborate veils when greeting Pope John Paul II in 1985 and 1980, though the dress code does not apply for meetings outside the Vatican, so the late Queen would often meet the Pope in her signature pastel-coloured dresses. Queen Rania has put her own, characteristically stylish, spin on the tradition, replacing the veil with a white headscarf for her 2013 trip to the Vatican.
It explains why Queen Mathilde wore white to her recent meetings with the late Pope Francis in September 2024 and in 2023, while royals like Queen Mary of Denmark, Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, and Princess Madeleine of Sweden all wore black for their audiences at the Vatican. American First Ladies, like Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, and Jackie Kennedy, all wore black when they had an audience with the Pontiff.