The (; "the privilege of white") is a custom of the Catholic Church that permits certain designated female royalty to wear white clothing (traditionally a white dress and white veil) during an audience with the pope. It is an exception to the traditional requirement of women to wear black garments on formal occasions.
Protocol for papal audiences traditionally requires women to wear a black dress with sleeves and no cleavage, as well as a black mantilla or scarf for the head.
Certain designated Catholic queens and princesses have nonetheless traditionally been exempted from wearing black garments. Those permitted to wear white garments include the Queen of Spain, the Queen of the Belgians, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Princess of Monaco, and the princesses of the House of Savoy. The privilege is not used by the wives of all Catholic monarchs or by the Catholic wives of non-Catholic monarchs, such as Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, who is the Catholic wife of the Protestant King Willem-Alexander. Even though they are Catholics, it is not accorded to the Queen of Lesotho, the Princess of Liechtenstein, the Afro-Bolivian Queen, nor the MÃÂori Queen.
As of 2025, the following living royal women are eligible for the privilege:
Marina, Princess of Naples, wife of the former Head of the House of Savoy, Vittorio Emanuele, Prince of Naples, exercised the privilege on 18 May 2003 during a Catholic Mass marking the birth anniversary of Pope John Paul II, of whom she had a private audience the day before.
For the first time in Monégasque history on 12 January 2013, Charlene, Princess of Monaco, used the privilege in an audience with Pope Benedict XVI. The Holy See Press Office later issued a press release declaring the following:
Charlene exercised the privilege once again on 18 January 2016 when visiting Pope Francis as part of an official state visit to the Vatican with her husband, Albert II, Prince of Monaco.
Among the occasions when the has been exercised are: