Grand Duke Guillaume and Grand Duchess Stéphanie of Luxembourg were received by Pope Leo XIV at the Holy See. This visit marks the fourth official trip of the Grand Ducal Couple since the Grand Duke’s accession to the throne, following earlier visits to Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. Their sons, Prince Charles and Prince François, were also present. Upon arrival at the Apostolic Palace, they were welcomed by Father Edward Daniang Daleng.
Grand Duchess Stéphanie wore white, as she is one of the few women entitled to the privilege du blanc, which allows certain royal consorts to wear white in the presence of the Pope. This exclusive tradition permits only a small number of Catholic queens and princesses to wear white during papal audiences, while other women are required to wear black.
Those permitted to wear white include the Queen of Spain, the Queen of Belgium, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Princess of Monaco, and the princesses of the House of Savoy. This privilege is an honour granted by the Vatican as a sign of gratitude to royal houses that remained loyal to the Catholic Church during the Reformation, when many other kingdoms adopted Protestantism.
Very unflattering look for Stéphanie. My first impression was that this person must be a nurse. - But lovely that they brought their two little boys to the Pope.
ReplyDeleteI thought of a person in a religious order as well at first.
DeleteSo does that mean the children (boys) may also wear white?
ReplyDeleteChildren can wear whatever they want to visit the Vatican or see the Pope when granted an audience. As long as they do not appear in beach wear, everything is good.
DeleteI cannot say exactly, from the photos currently posted, that Stephanie's dress is very flattering (in the foist photo she looks like a medieval nurse or a nun), but it is entirely suitable. It is simple and unembellished. However, for a visit with the Pope, flattery is not the objective, and the dress looks like it is bespoke, and made to measure, which is good for her.
ReplyDeleteHowever I wish she'd worn her hair differently. Let loose, or a simple updo style, as we have seen her wear beautifully on several occasions, would have been better with the white veil, rather than the back knot she has worn.
The two boys look very cute.
- Anon 9:13
Oh dear, that dress looks like an old, ill fitting nurses uniform.
ReplyDeleteJanet
There are mirrors in the palace right!
ReplyDelete@ 9:13
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that in the middle ages women wore short dresses and high heeled white leather shoes ! And certainly not nuns.
The dress may be bespoke but it doesn't flatter her at all. I see a ressemblence with the white dress Queen Mathilde wore when she visited the pope last year. Although Queen Mathilde receives often the comment that her waist sits too high her white dress fitted better than GD Stéphanie's.
Wearing her hair in a knot wasn't a good choice either. She should have worn her hair simply loose.
The 2 boys are well dressed in their white jackets and light grey bermudas.
Dieser betonte Busen sieht so urkomisch "verpackt" aus, kein schmeichelhaftes Kleid, der Schleier ist zu viel, zu Pelerine, für mich wirkt es wie angelehnt an päpstliche Stile aber unglücklicher kann man das nicht umsetzen. Da passt ja nix, eine "Mantilla" ist keine Pflicht aber sehr schön wenn sie noch geschätzt und getragen wird. Wobei ich mir sicher bin, das es davon genug Auswahl in der herzoglichen Kleiderkammer gibt, eine Sammlung aus Jahrzehnten sicher. So eine junge und schöne Familie, möge ihr Besuch im schönen Rom und Vatikan erfüllt sein. - Dorothe -
ReplyDeleteI thought the same regarding her hair. It appears too flat with the veil worn like this. The first photo is not at a good angle, however the other ones show her dress. For me perhaps if there was some ruching across the waist it would of been more flattering.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought that comments about been "flattering" or not, would not be mentioned in this context.
ReplyDeleteOn dirait Soeur Marie du Bon secours voire une infirmière du 19ème siècle
ReplyDeleteHmmm--the first photo is unfortunate. It really is a terrible photo in which poor Stephanie looks like she's a character in the Handmaid's Tale. However, the other photos are much better and the dress looks quite good on her. I think the big problem is her hair. It looks flat and the veil emphasizes that. A better hairstyle that adds a bit of lift would be a huge game changer here--nothing elaborate but something that adds a bit of fullness and lift. I love that they brought their little ones--they are adorable!
ReplyDeleteJanet
Stephanie needs a good stylist and a good seamtress/tailor. She's too young for these matronly clothes and as a Grand Duchess she certainly has choices. The kids are cute and lucky them! Altho Pope Leo looks a little surprised they brought the kids.
ReplyDeleteThe added pictures show the front part of the dress better. The dress looks better on these pictures.
ReplyDeleteI’m in the minority here,but I think this is a flattering style on GD. The cut is perfect for her shape. My only tweak would be the shoes. I’d have preferred a nude heel rather than the white.
ReplyDeleteLowri.
Can we please learn to behave as grown ups. Can't be that hard I bet this behaviour is not what we learned to our own children...
ReplyDeletePerhaps the word flattering is offensive to some, so l will say gives her a nice silhoutte
ReplyDeletePour rendre visite au Pape à part la couleur blanche, je ne sais pas quel style Stéphanie aurait pu adopter ? Là, je pense qu’elle est très bien !
ReplyDeleteA nurse? A Nun? (well not with the low cut bit in the middle of the chest), ohhhh it's Stephanie in thee most unflattering garment I think I've ever seen her wear. Just think, from her beautiful Ellie Saab wedding dress to this, she needs a stylist to help her!
ReplyDeleteI disagree with all the negative comments expressed. I would however like to be very critical about the choice for pic1. It was not difficult to start with a better one and give a better impression.
ReplyDeletePresque une tenue de mariée.
ReplyDeleteEt les petits garçons semblent habillés comme en été, pour le mois de janvier c'est quand même bizarre !
Paloma.
The original Pic 1, that was posted this morning, and that caused almost all of us to comment unfavourably, has now been removed (so if you missed it, you've missed it) and a whole new bunch of other photos have been added. These new additions show both the dress and Stephanie in a better way than the original.
ReplyDeleteAlso, all of a sudden, I cannot reply directly to any particular comment like we used to. Is anyone else experiencing this? DSC seems to be the only one who can, as per the first two comments.
- Anon 9:13
Wow so many mean comments. Why? Stephanie looks so sweet and lovely and with a beautiful demeanour and smile. It not fair and not kind to criticise a human so much. She’s a mum of young kids, and when she and her husband show up, they have clearly both put thought and effort into their outfits, and the four of them are open and smiling and gracious. They are just humans and it’s not fair to demand or expect perfection.
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