Now the Jordanian ruler has shown that she has again adapted the outfit to Prevost’s personality, traditional but also contemporary. She has therefore lightened the sobriety she had reserved for Benedict XVI, removing, for example, the dark stockings she sported to meet him.
The expected dress code for a woman meeting the Pontiff traditionally includes a black suit or dress, without too many frills and brands in plain sight, minimal jewelry, and a covered head. Those exempted from wearing dark colors are Catholic queens who, as we know, enjoy the so-called “privilège du blanc,” an exemption granted to a very small number of Catholic royals (among them Charlène of Monaco, Mathilde of Belgium, and Letizia of Spain) who are allowed to wear white when they meet the Pope.
Rania of Jordan, of course, is not among them—even though in September 1999, having become queen only a few months earlier, she visited John Paul II at Castel Gandolfo in a light-colored gown (it is said to have been silver-gray, not white) and a matching veil.
