Queen Camilla Gets a New Title From Pope Leo During Historic Vatican Visit
Queen Camilla was bestowed with the Dame Grand Cross of the Vatican Order, recognizing her distinguished service to the Catholic Church.
On October 23, King Charles and Queen Camilla embarked on a state visit to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff. Their visit marked the first time in 500 years that a British monarch publicly prayed with the Pope. While Charles's historic prayer garnered most attention, Camilla also made history by receiving the highest-ranking papal honor. She was bestowed with the Dame Grand Cross of the Vatican Order, recognizing her distinguished service to the Catholic Church and its mission.
According to The Telegraph, the prestigious title is a papal honor of knighthood, founded in 1560 and currently conferred by the Holy See to women. Alongside Camilla, Charles also received the Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Vatican Order of Pope Pius IX, traditionally given to Heads of State. During her visit, the Queen Consort was seen wearing the Grand Cross, typically suspended from a broad ribbon over the right shoulder with a star displayed beneath. Her elegant black mantilla and golden brooch paid tribute to both royal tradition and Catholic heritage. The award ceremony followed a private audience in the Apostolic Palace, where the King and Queen met with Pope Leo.
Camilla's honorary title wasn't the only thing that drew attention. Royal watchers also noted her all black outfit for the visit. Her silk Fiona Clare dress and Philip Treacy mantilla were reminiscent of the late Queen Elizabeth's outfits during her trips to the Vatican. While most royal women wear white while meeting the Pope, the honor is reserved only for Catholic queens and princesses. Only handful of royal women are given special permission to wear white in a tradition known as 'il privilegio del bianco,' or 'the privilege of the white.' While it is no longer a compulsion to wear white around the Pope, Camilla chose to honor tradition, as a non Catholic royal.
Charles and Camilla’s Vatican historic state visit also coincided with the Jubilee Year, a special year of remission of sins, spiritual renewal, and celebration called by the Pope. On the first day of their visit, the King and the Pope attended a prayer service at the Sistine Chapel. It broke a centuries-old tradition as reigning monarchs have traditionally avoided praying publicly with the pontiff since the 16th-century Reformation. For over 500 years, political and religious tensions following King Henry VIII’s split from the Catholic Church meant that sovereigns refrained from such acts of ecumenism. By praying alongside Pope Leo, Charles aims to bridge a division between the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
The King and Queen were initially set to visit the Vatican in April, but postponed it due to the late Pope Francis’s frail health. Their second day in the Vatican will see Charles attend a reception at the Pontifical Beda College, a seminary which trains priests from across the Commonwealth. As Prince of Wales, Charles has visited the Vatican on five occasions: 1985, 2005 (for Pope John Paul II’s funeral), 2009, 2017, and 2019 (for Cardinal John Henry Newman’s canonization).
