Just under a month after Pope Francis's funeral, many reigning monarchs and royal representatives have returned to Vatican City to witness the inauguration of his successor, Pope Leo XIV,née Robert Francis Prevost. In addition to serving as the head of the Catholic Church, the pope also holds the position of a reigning monarch as the head of the Vatican City State. In recent weeks, Europe's remaining Catholic royal families marked the news of Pope Leo's election with public messages of welcomeshared on social media. The Spanish royals, perhaps the most high-profile Catholic monarchs in Europe, were the first to put out a statement. Notably, while King Charles is the head of the Church of England, he alsosent private congratulationsto the new leader of the Catholic church. In the message, Charles expressed his and Queen Camilla's "sincere good wishes" for Pope Leo XIV's pontificate. Today, he was represented in the crowd by his brother, Prince Edward. Below, all the royals at this morning's mass. Prince Edwardrepresented King Charles atPope Leo XIV's inauguration mass. It is typical for the British monarch to send a representative to the inauguration mass. In 2013, whenPope Francis was inaugurated, the Duke of Gloucester represented Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by the Duchess of Gloucester. In 2005, at Pope Benedict XVI's inauguration, Prince Philip represented the Queen. King Felipe and Queen Letizia, two of the most prominent Catholic royals in Europe, were seated in the front row, alongside other royals and global dignitaries. Queen Letizia wore white,as one of only seven women in the worldcurrently given "Le privilège du blanc" or "the privilege of the white" while meeting the Pope. As Catholic royals, the Monégasque family has long maintained close ties to the Holy See.Princess Charlenewore an embroidered powder white dress by Elie Saab. Typically, only Catholic queens are permitted to wear white to the inaugural mass, and as Monaco is a principality, the crown princess is permitted as well. The inauguration of Pope Leo could be seen as extra poignant for Prince Albert given he is also part-American through his mother, the latePrincess Grace. Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, is the first American pontiff, born in Chicago in 1955. Accompanied by his wife Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Grand Duke Henri made one ofhis last international appearancesas Luxembourg's head of state at this inauguration. Henri, who like Pope Leo was born in 1955,announced in April 2024that he intends to abdicate the Luxembourger throne and step down in favor of his son, Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Duringhis Christmas addressin December, he specified that he will retire on October 3. King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgiumattended the papal inauguration, which was to be expected as the Belgians are among the few remaining Catholic royal families in Europe. The Queen wore all white, with a lace veil, a peplum button-down jacket, and a long pleated skirt. Crown Princess Victoria represented Sweden on behalf of her father, King Carl Gustaf. The King, along with Queen Silvia, attended Pope Francis's funeral in St. Peter's Square a few weeks ago. Victoria wore all black, per the dress code for non-Catholic queens and consorts. Sweden is a highly secular country, thoughabout 51% of the populationbelong to the Church of Sweden, a Lutheran denomination. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands also made an appearance in the front row at the papal inauguration. She appeared to be without King Willem-Alexander. The Dutch royals attended Pope Francis's papal inauguration as well, then as crown prince and princess. The late pontiff and Queen Maxima were both born in Argentina. Alois, Hereditary Prince of Liechtenstein, and Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein also attended the papal inauguration. Approximately 70% of the population of the principality of Liechtenstein, located between Switzerland and Austria, identifies as Roman Catholic,according to a 2020 census report. You Might Also Like 12 Weekend Getaway Spas For Every Type of Occasion 13 Beauty Tools to Up Your At-Home Facial Game
