Queen Mathilde is the best dressed in head-to-toe Dior at Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration

Queen Mathilde of Belgium is an underrated icon of European royal style – her outfits are always sophisticated and elegant, and she’s unafraid to recycle ensembles that work.

Especially given the many luxurious pieces that fill the wardrobes of fashionable royals, it would be a waste not to rewear such valuable pieces.

Attending Pope Leo XIV’s inauguration on Sunday, the wife of King Philippe stepped out in an all-white ensemble from Dior, centred around a beautiful buttoned midi dress, with a pleated skirt and chic belted waist.

To accessorise, the 52-year-old opted for a pair of stunning white heeled pumps and a small handbag that perfectly complemented the rest of her outfit, also from Dior. She also had a white mantilla over her head.

In a slight departure from the rest of the look, Queen Mathilde also donned a pair of sunglasses from Gucci, making for an all-round incredibly luxurious outfit that truly lives up to the elegance that the big names imply.

The Queen of Belgium also wore the exact same outfit late last year, during the Belgian royals’ state visit to Oman.

Why was Queen Mathilde allowed to white?

Catholicism, like many religions, is filled with unique traditions, one of which is ‘le privilège du blanc’, also known as ‘the privilege of the white’.

This unique rule means that only a few Catholic queens, consorts and reigning princesses are allowed to wear white in the presence of the Pope, while all other women are typically required to wear black.

Usually, women must wear a long black dress with long sleeves, a high neckline and a black mantilla before the Pope, but ‘le privilège du blanc’ means that this isn’t the case for some royal women.

At the moment, only a few royal women are entitled to partake in this tradition. These include: Princess Charlene of Monaco, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Queen Letizia of Spain, and, of course, Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

However, this privilege isn’t necessarily an assumed right: it is a permission that must be granted specifically by the Pope himself, and it isn’t a right that the royal women always exercise.