When Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009, she followed the Vatican’s traditional dress code, wearing a black dress and lace mantilla. This symbolized her status as a Protestant royal meeting the Catholic Church’s leader. However, by her meeting with Pope Francis in 2017, the Vatican had relaxed its dress code. Camilla wore a pale gold coatdress without a veil, which sparked no criticism.
In 2025, during her final meeting with Pope Francis as Queen Consort, Camilla returned to black attire, respecting the expectations for royals of non-Catholic faiths. The dress code evolution highlights the symbolic weight of color and political meaning. At Pope Francis’ funeral in April 2025, royals like Queen Letizia and Princess Charlene wore black veils and dresses in line with Catholic mourning customs. Meanwhile, select Catholic royals wore white, a privilege reserved for certain papal ceremonies, demonstrating the intersection of faith, diplomacy, and royalty.