European Royalty Attended the Funeral of Pope Benedict XVI

Today, mourners from around the world gathered at the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Among them were representatives of several royal families, including King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium as well as Queen Sofia of Spain, the mother of Spain's reigning king, Felipe VI.

For the service, presided over by Benedict's successor, Pope Francis (a first, in modern times) the royals were appropriately somber in traditional black mourning clothes. Queen Mathilde, who was said to have been close with the late religious leader, donned a simple black dress and a lace mourning veil along with pearl jewelry—the gemstone traditionally chosen for funerals and displays of grief. Beside her, the king wore a black suit and tie, while Queen Sofia opted for a black coat.

Though her son, King Felipe, did not attend the service, the Spanish royal house shared a memorial message after news of Benedict's death broke.

"Benedict XVI led the Catholic Church with an extraordinary vocation for service, humility, dedication and love. We keep, with deep feeling, the memory of the affection with which he always distinguished Spain with his visits to Valencia, Santiago de Compostela, Barcelona and Madrid," they wrote alongside a photo of the late pope meeting with Felipe and Queen Letizia.

Benedict, who was born Joseph Ratzinger, became the first German pope in a millennia when he became pontiff in 2005, and the first pope in 600 years to resign the position before his death, stepping down in 2013. He lived the last years of his life in the Vatican under the title of pope emeritus, passing away on December 31, 2022, at the age of 95.

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