Royal Pearls of Remembrance at Pope Francis’s Funeral

Royal women from around the world were part of the congregation during this morning’s funeral for Pope Francis, wearing pearls suitable for occasions of mourning and remembrance.

Royals and dignitaries from around the world converged on St. Peter’s Square this morning in Vatican City for the funeral of Pope Francis, who led the Roman Catholic Church from his election in 2013 until his death on Easter Monday. After the funeral mass, the late pontiff was buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

The royal ladies in attendance, both those who are Catholic and those who are not, dressed in traditional mourning attire. They wore black dresses and jackets, and most covered their hair with black veils. Across the board, they kept their jewelry very simple, largely restricting their choices to pieces set with diamonds and pearls. These “white” jewels are considered appropriate for mourning. Pear-shaped diamonds and pearls are often selected for these moments because of their resemblance to tears.

Among those gathered were the royal heads of state of several European Catholic nations. The King and Queen of the Belgians are pictured here arriving for the service. Queen Mathilde wore her classic diamond drop earrings with a pearl and diamond choker necklace. In 2022, she wore the same necklace for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in London.

Here, the King and Queen of Spain arrive for the funeral service. With her black dress and veil, Queen Letizia wore one of the most important pearl and diamond brooches at her disposal. Part of the joyas de pasar collection, the gray pearl brooch belonged to King Felipe’s great-grandmother, the British-born Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain. For the funeral, Letizia appears to have simplified the setting of the brooch, removing the diamond accents from the pearl drop.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg were also in attendance. With her black dress, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa chose to wear a pair of elegant pearl drop earrings from the family collection.

And here are the Prince and Princess of Monaco arriving for the service. Princess Charlene wore a pair of stud earrings (pearls, I think) and her diamond engagement ring.

Also in attendance were the Hereditary Prince and Hereditary Princess of Liechtenstein, who you’ll spot in the second row in this photograph. Princess Sophie also chose to wear a black ensemble with pearls for the service.

There were several non-Catholic royal heads of state paying their respects at the funeral as well. The King and Queen of Sweden are pictured here arriving for the service. Queen Silvia, who is recovering from foot surgery, wore a long black dress with cape detailing on the sleeves, plus a black lace veil. She accessorized with pearl earrings, a pearl torsade necklace, and a modern brooch from her personal collection.

Sitting here behind the President of Italy are the King and Queen of Jordan (and behind them, the Prince of Wales). Queen Rania also wore an all-black ensemble with little to no jewelry and dark glasses.

Representing her husband, who is presently on a visit to Japan, the Queen of Denmark also dressed in black with a lace veil. Queen Mary chose to wear a pair of diamond floral earrings that have been in her jewelry box for many years, plus a brooch. It appears to be her little round diamond floralesque ribbon brooch, which is thought to have been a gift from her late father-in-law, Prince Henrik, who was raised as a Roman Catholic. She wore the brooch for Henrik’s funeral in 2018 and also when she and Frederik had an audience with Pope Francis later the same year.

UPDATE #1: The Danish royal court’s Instagram account has shared more photos of Mary from the funeral mass, and some photos make it look like it might be a different brooch.

UPDATE #2: It is a different brooch indeed! Mary is wearing the top portion of the Danish Ivy Brooch.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway were there as well, representing his father, King Harald V. Crown Princess Mette-Marit, also in black with a lace veil, wore very minimal jewels. A pearl station bracelet, worn on her right wrist, was one of the most significant visible pieces.