
Princess Charlene of Monaco and Belgium's Queen Mathilde step out for Pope Leo XIV's inauguration Mass in all-white outfits (and only 7 people in the world are allowed to wear that colour today)
The world's Royal Families arrived in the Vatican City's St Peter's Square to attend Pope Leo XIV's historic inauguration mass on Sunday.
Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Letizia of Spain, and Queen Mathilde of Belgium looked equally stunning in all-white at the event.
Charlene, Letizia, Mathilde, and Maria Teresa, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, are allowed to wear white in front of the Pope because they are one of the seven Catholic Queens, Princesses, and Duchesses.
Meanwhile, 67-year-old Prince Albert looked smart in a navy suit and a pair of black sunglasses.
Today marks the Inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, following his election on May 8.
It comes after Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella of Monaco made their first Holy Communion, the royal palace announced.
The heir to the Monegasque throne - also known as the Marquis of Baux - and his twin sister, both 10, marked the religious ceremony with a series of sweet family portraits shared to the royal household's official Instagram page.
The First Holy Communion, also known as the First Eucharist, is one of the most important milestones in the Catholic faith.
It is a key step in in a child's faith journey, symbolising their deepening relationship with Jesus and the Church, and it involves receiving the consecrated bread and wine, believed to be the body and blood of Christ.
The young royals beamed as they were joined by their parents Prince Albert of Monaco and Princess Charlene at the important ceremony.
A translated statement shared to the palace's Instagram page read: 'On this day of First Communion, we extend our most sincere congratulations to Crown Prince James and Princess Gabriella who received this sacrament with faith and compulsion'.
It further read that the palace extended its 'heartfelt congratulations' to the prince and princess who 'received this sacrament with faith and reverence'.
The prince and princess looked adorable in white floor-length robes and matching gold necklaces.
Prince Jacques, appropriately called Hereditary Prince Jacques, looked wholesome as ever in a pair of black leather lace-up loafers and a well-coiffed haircut.
His sister - who is younger than the future king by two minutes - donned a pair of fitting white leather shoes, while her fringe was neatly parted and styled with a gold floral headband.
The siblings smiled sweetly as they posed on the grounds of the Church.
Pictured: Queen Mathilde of Belgium and King Philippe of Belgium arrive ahead of the Inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV in St Peter's Square
Their parents Prince Albert and Princess Charlene were on hand to celebrate the momentous occasion, after which they posed for celebratory photographs.
The prince, 67, and princess, 47, were pictured standing behind their children and appeared to be in happy spirits.
In one image, the prince, 67, firmly embraced his son's left shoulder, perhaps signalling a physical show of support for his special day.
For the ceremony, Albert - who has reigned over Monaco since 2005 - donned a dark blue suit, a crisp white shirt and a grey tie.
Meanwhile Charlene stunned in a stylish dark grey ensemble with gold circular buttons.
The former Olympian swimmer opted for a pared back look, as her make-up was minimal and her blonde tresses appeared to be tied backwards, allowing only a few strands loose for a parted fringe.
The quartet looked spectacular and appeared to be in the happiest of spirits as they smiled cheerfully for the camera.
The young royals are perhaps now accustomed to taking photographs after celebrating their 10th birthdays with a set of endearing snaps.
Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella of Monaco marked their milestone birthdays with a set of previously unseen family photos.
The prince and princess were born two minutes apart at Princess Grace Hospital Monaco, which is named after their late grandmother, on December 10 2014.
Although the children, who are the first set of twins in Monaco's royal household, occasionally appear with their parents for public occasions, they are growing up largely outside of the spotlight.
To mark their birthday, the Royal Family's official Instagram account shared 12 new images of Jacques and Gabriella with their followers.
The majority of the images were taken by Eric Mathon - the royals' official photographer who took their Christmas card image too.
The first undated image shows Princess Gabriella in a gymnastics uniform and matching bow while wearing a medal around her neck and holding a pair of binoculars.
As she beams for the camera, Gabriella's brother, who is dressed in a white polo and jeans, puts an arm around his sibling as they stand inside a gymnasium's private seating area.
The photo montage also includes a candid image of the twins laughing in a garden while dressed formally for an unspecified occasion.
Princess Gabriella - who wore an ivory dress and matching coat - is pictured leaning on her brother, who is wearing a navy suit and trying to control his giggles.
Another image from the same occasion shows the twins making a love heart with their hands as they pose in front of a water fountain.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Pope Leo blesses cyclists competing in the Giro d'Italia
Pope Leo imparted his blessing to more than 150 cyclists participating in the Giro d'Italia on Sunday, as the final stage of the three-week race commenced with an unprecedented route through the Vatican gardens, behind St. Peter's Basilica. Upon entering Vatican City, overall race leader Simon Yates and other classification leaders dismounted to greet the Pope, presenting him with a replica of the leader's pink jersey. "You are role models for young people all over the world," Leo told the peloton. "May God bless all of you on this last part of the Giro d'Italia. Congratulations to all of you. 'May you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican. You are always welcome by the church, which represents God's love for all people." In an unscripted moment, Nairo Quintana of Colombia, the 2014 Giro champion, paused to greet the Pope after the other riders had moved on. While popes have blessed the Giro riders before and the race has previously passed through or next to St. Peter's Square, this marked the first time that the route took the peloton on a three-kilometre (nearly two-mile) route inside the Vatican walls. Bringing the race inside the Vatican was originally intended as an homage to Pope Francis during the 2025 Holy Year but after Francis died, Leo, the first American pope, decided to honour the event in Francis' memory. The cyclists entered the Vatican through the Petriano gate to the left of St. Peter's, rode around the basilica and then climbed up toward the gardens before exiting near the Santa Marta hotel at the Perugino gate. Santa Marta was where Francis lived. The passage through the Vatican occurred during the non-competitive neutralised period before the stage. The official start was given after the riders exited the narrow Perugino gate. British rider Yates could cruise to the title with an advantage of nearly four minutes over Isaac Del Toro of Mexico. The 143-kilometre (89-mile) final stage concluded with a circuit of eight laps through downtown Rome and finished next to the Circus Maximus. It is the third time since Leo was elected that he has met with the sports world. Two weeks ago, . Then last week, he welcomed the players and staff of Italian soccer champions Napoli to the Vatican.


BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Postcard sent by Norfolk war heroine Edith Cavell up for auction
A rare postcard written and sent by the nurse Edith Cavell to her mother is to be sold at auction. The postcard is addressed to Mrs Cavell at 24 College Rd, Norwich, and reads in pencil: "Mundesley much changed & much grown."Cavell is celebrated for her compassion during World War One, treating soldiers from both sides without discrimination and helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape German-occupied Belgium. She was executed in postcard is due to go under the hammer on 18 June and is expected to exceed an opening bid set at 1,000 euros. The auctioneers, International Autograph Auctions Europe S.L in Malaga, Spain, say the postcard most likely dates from around the time of the outbreak of World War note has "some extremely minor, light age wear" and the image is of the chapel on Mundesley High Street. Cavell was born in Swardeston, near Norwich, Norfolk, where her father was the local reverend. She returned to Norfolk when her father became unwell and helped nurse him back to health, which is what inspired her to become a nurse. In 1907, she travelled to Brussels to help run a new nursing school. She helped hundreds of soldiers escape as part of the Belgian underground was executed by a German firing squad for treason on 12 October 1915 at the age of 49, and her body was later returned to her home is buried within the grounds of Norwich Cathedral at Life's Green, next to the cathedral's St Saviour's Chapel, built as a memorial to Norfolk's fallen in World War in the autograph letters, manuscripts and historical documents auction, the postcard has been listed alongside autographs by Gingers Rogers and Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Laurence most expensive item in the auction is a Radisson Pierre-Esprit manuscript, dating back to the 17th Century, which is estimated to sell for up to 90,000 euros. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


The Independent
16 hours ago
- The Independent
Simon Yates finishes safely in peloton to seal victory at Giro d'Italia
Britain's Simon Yates sealed victory in the Giro d'Italia following the final stage from the Vatican City to Rome. Yates took a lead of almost four minutes into stage 21 and finished safely in the peloton as Visma-Lease a Bike team-mate Olav Kooij came out on top in a sprint finish. Yates effectively sealed victory on Saturday's penultimate stage when he exorcised his personal demons on the Colle delle Finestre with a stunning solo attack to claim the race leader's pink jersey. On the mountain where his dreams of victory were shattered by Chris Froome's famous solo breakaway in 2018, Yates turned the tables with a masterclass of his own as his rivals were left to question their own tactics. The 32-year-old Lancastrian rode away from leader Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz on the brutal gradients and the gravel to turn an 81-second deficit and third place into a three minute, 56-second lead over Del Toro. With the final stage a largely-ceremonial affair, which started with the leading riders meeting Pope Leo XIV, only a serious crash would have denied Yates a second Grand Tour victory following his success in the 2018 Vuelta a Espana. He is the third British rider to win the Giro after Froome in 2018 and Tao Geohegan Hart in 2020.