The 'royals' who will attend the enthronement mass of Pope Leo XIV and those who will not

Beyond King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, whose attendance was confirmed on Tuesday , other representatives of European and international royal families have confirmed that they will attend the Mass for the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV's pontificate this Sunday in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. Other official delegations, leaders and faithful from around the world are also expected to attend.

After the ceremony, in which the Pope will receive the fisherman's ring, the royals, others Heads of state and the attending dignitaries will hold a brief meeting with the new pontiff. Some of the queens attending on Sunday will be able to wear white to the Mass for the enthronement of Leo XIV, in accordance with the privilege the Holy See granted in the past to queens, titular or consort, of royal houses that remained faithful to the Catholic Church when other kingdoms converted to other Christian churches.

In a statement issued by the Belgian royal family on Tuesday, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians were among the first to confirm their presence, as they did for Pope Francis' funeral. Philippe and Mathilde are practicing Catholics, as they recalled this Easter when they made the final leg of their Camino de Santiago pilgrimage after several years of traveling to Spain.

Absent from Pope Francis's funeral due to the country's domestic agenda, Queen Máxima of the Netherlands will attend the new Pope's enthronement this Sunday, accompanied by Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Although Máxima and Willem-Alexander's marriage was celebrated under Calvinist rites, permission from the Archbishop of Rotterdam allowed Máxima to retain her Catholic faith. Meanwhile, television personality Prince Emmanuel Filiberto of Savoy also confirmed his presence in a statement published on his Instagram story on Wednesday.

. 4-day state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to the Republic of Italy and the Holy See in Vatican City.22-6-2017 ROME" width="449">

Neither King Charles III and Queen Camilla, nor Prince William and Princess Catherine of Wales, will attend from the United Kingdom. Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh , the younger brother of the British monarch, will be representing the British royal family. While Prince William represented the Windsors at the Pope's funeral, it will be the current Duke of Edinburgh who will attend the Vatican this time. The information was revealed by the royal house in a statement, and since there was no mention of Sophia of Edinburgh, it is expected that Prince Edward will travel without his wife.

Frederick X, who already missed Pope Francis' funeral because he was on an official trip to Japan, will not be present at the enthronement either, nor will Queen Mary, according to a confirmation from the royal family to Danish media outlet Billed Bladet yesterday. Frederick X's absence from the funeral made it impossible for him to meet Donald Trump again, as the US president continues to threaten his ambitions to take control of Greenland , a semi-autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark. Queen Mary of Denmark attended the funeral of the former Pope, leading the country's delegation. On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance will attend from the United States.

Princess Victoria of Sweden will attend the funeral of the former pontiff alone, following the attendance of her parents, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. Members of the royal houses of Norway, Monaco, Jordan, and Luxembourg are also expected to attend. This could be one of the last major events attended by Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg as head of the family, as he will hand over the position to his son Guillaume next October. At Pope Francis' funeral, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg distinguished herself among the heads of European royal houses by carrying the lace mantilla, as required by Vatican protocol for such occasions, in her hand rather than on her head.

Currently, in addition to Queen Letizia , Queen Sofia, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Princess Charlene of Monaco, and Queen Paola and Queen Mathilde of Belgium have the privilege of wearing white. All of them are allowed to wear white for audiences with the Pope and other ceremonies, but not for funerals, where mourning requires black, as is recommended for other dignitaries and consorts during audiences with the Pope.

In recent years, the Vatican has relaxed protocol regarding attire during audiences with the Pope. Tony Blair's wife, Cherie Booth, wore white to her audience with Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. Queen Suthida of Thailand also wore white for Pope Francis's visit to Thailand in 2019. Queen Rania of Jordan wore black for her 2022 audience, but punctuated the look with white cuffs and shawls. In 2024, one of the queens consort of Swaziland, Nomcebo Zuma, also appeared before Pope Francis in white, wearing a large flower around her neck, defying the recommendation for sober attire. Another queen who met with Pope Francis without wearing black was Elizabeth II, who chose mauve during her visit to the Vatican in 2014.