Spanish Royal Sparkle to Welcome the Pope to Madrid

This weekend, the Pope embarked on an apostolic visit to Spain, where he was welcomed warmly by King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and their daughters.

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Madrid on Saturday and headed to the Royal Palace in Madrid with King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. The Holy Father and the royal couple have met before. They attended his inauguration in May 2025 and had an audience with him at the Vatican in March.

On all three occasions, Letizia has exercised the privilège du blanc—the right to wear white instead of black in the presence of the Pope. The privilege has been extended to the Queens of Belgium and Spain, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, and the Princess of Monaco, as well as the women of the House of Savoy, Italy’s former royal family. Technically, since they’re on her home turf, Letizia could wear whatever color she liked, but royal women often follow the pattern anyway during papal visits as a sign of respect.

For the occasion, Letizia rewore a dramatic white floral dress from her wardrobe. The dress comes from the Spanish fashion brand The 2nd Skin Co. We previously saw her wear it during the Egyptian state visit last September.

For the palace reception this weekend, she paired the dress with diamond climber earrings from her jewelry box. The earrings, which come from Gold & Roses, aren’t a perfectly matched pair. One earring features two diamond stars, while the other features three. As usual, Letizia also wore her Coreterno ring on her left hand.

Both of Felipe and Letizia’s daughters were also present to welcome the Pope to Spain. Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia both wore black dresses and pointed black shoes with low heels for the occasion.

Leonor borrowed a pair of earrings from her mother’s jewelry box to accessorize the dress: the Pluja earrings from the brand Boira.

The earrings use borosilicate glass drops to mimic raindrops suspended from stainless steel hoops.

On Sunday, all four members of the family were on hand again for Sunday’s events in Madrid, which included a large outdoor mass held in the Plaza de Cibeles.

Queen Letizia again wore white for the occasion, opting for a tailored midi dress from Self Portrait. Princess Leonor was lovely in a shortened version of the “Lauren” dress (great name!) from the brand Hannibal Laguna White, while Infanta Sofia chose a mint green jacket and trousers from Mirto.

Letizia and Leonor both wore significant jewelry pieces for the mass. Letizia opted for a pair of diamond and pearl earrings from Ansorena that have been in her regular rotation for two decades, plus her Coreterno ring. Leonor again chose a pair of earrings that she and her mother have both worn: diamond and blue topaz drops from Luzz.

Here’s a closer look at the diamond and blue topaz earrings, which Leonor paired with a cuff and a small stud in her second piercing. Leonor memorably debuted the earrings in 2022 at the Princess of Girona Foundation Awards in Barcelona.