Royal Protocol and Etiquette

[JR76]

Originally Posted by fandesacs2003

I don't really understand the rules of use of the black mantilla, for women not very closed to the deceased. Pcs Caroline wore one, but queen Sofia didn't cover her head. I noticed that most of the ladies had not had covered (hat or mantilla) does anyone know the protocol for this.
I remember on late Prince Rainier funeral both his daughters were wearing long heavy mantillas covering also shoulders. But yesterday princess Tatiana was uncovered.

Sent from my SM-A426B using The Royals Community mobile app

While the custom of covering your head in church used to be followed by most Catholic women, today it's use seems to be a matter of personal preference. Princess Caroline, by the looks of it, favour wearing a veil for funerals and a hat for other church services.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by JR76

While the custom of covering your head in church used to be followed by most Catholic women, today it's use seems to be a matter of personal preference. Princess Caroline, by the looks of it, favour wearing a veil for funerals and a hat for other church services.

Máxima has the same habit: hats for official events and protestant funerals, mantilla for catholic funerals:

Funeral of the Duke of Parma: https://c8.alamy.com/compes/d5beb9/e...ijk-d5beb9.jpg

[An Ard Ri]

Mantillas are still traditional in parts of Spain, France and Italy and have been worn by many royal ladies .They can be worn at funerals, meeting the Pope or at a Solemn Mass.

They used to be widely worn by Roman Catholic females at Mass up until Vatican II when the rules were relaxed.
My mother still has her black lace mantilla.

Queen Letizia
https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/5981411995638194/

Queen Maxima
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/7239...visual-search/

https://www.ppe-agency.com/preview.p...ktype=&search=

Queen Paola
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/4730...visual-search/

Catholic Mantilla - Will You Mantilla With Me?: Queen Paola at a funeral in 2009

Queen Sofia of Spain
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yXNVkpaQZ6...eina-sofia.jpg

The Princess of Hanover
https://www.gettyimages.ie/detail/ne...?adppopup=true

https://www.gettyimages.ie/detail/ne...?adppopup=true

The Princess of Hanover and Princess Antoinette of Monaco
https://www.zimbio.com/photos/Prince...Inside+Service

[sarahedwards2]

Originally Posted by JR76

While the custom of covering your head in church used to be followed by most Catholic women, today it's use seems to be a matter of personal preference. Princess Caroline, by the looks of it, favour wearing a veil for funerals and a hat for other church services.

Why did Catholic women have to cover their heads in church anyway? The traditional Catholic Church still does, by the way.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by sarahedwards2

Why did Catholic women have to cover their heads in church anyway? The traditional Catholic Church still does, by the way.

The Mantilla was worn as a mark of respect for the Eucharist during Mass.
Unmarried girls wore a white lace mantilla and married/widowed women wore black lace.

The Tridentines have revived the tradition and are actually quite common here in Ireland again with the increase in popularity of the Latin Mass.

[sarahedwards2]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

The Mantilla was worn as a mark of respect for the Eucharist during Mass.
Unmarried girls wore a white lace mantilla and married/widowed women wore black lace.

The Tridentines have revived the tradition and are actually quite common here in Ireland again with the increase in popularity of the Latin Mass.

How was covering your head a mark of respect for the Eucharist?

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by sarahedwards2

How was covering your head a mark of respect for the Eucharist?

As we see in many cultures today still, women covered their hair as a form of modesty. It may seem archaic but women's hair was one of their "marks" of beauty and allure. A woman covers her hair in respect for the eucharist as it serves to keep from distracting attention away from it.

I grew up in the Catholic church and I *never* entered the church without someone on my head. Round lace chaplets were the norm. Of course, this was in the 50s and 60s.

They looked like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283818292101

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by Osipi

As we see in many cultures today still, women covered their hair as a form of modesty. It may seem archaic but women's hair was one of their "marks" of beauty and allure. A woman covers her hair in respect for the eucharist as it serves to keep from distracting attention away from it.

I grew up in the Catholic church and I *never* entered the church without someone on my head. Round lace chaplets were the norm. Of course, this was in the 50s and 60s.

They looked like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283818292101

Sorry, had to chuckle that you never entered the church without SOMEONE on your head...

In some reformed churches in the Netherlands it is still customary for women (and girls) to cover their head but they normally wear a hat (or beret (like this one or in a lighter color) for teenagers or younger women - which is what I borrowed from my mother-in-law (who still had some from when she was younger) when I had to wear head covering for a funeral).

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Osipi

As we see in many cultures today still, women covered their hair as a form of modesty. It may seem archaic but women's hair was one of their "marks" of beauty and allure. A woman covers her hair in respect for the eucharist as it serves to keep from distracting attention away from it.

I grew up in the Catholic church and I *never* entered the church without someone on my head. Round lace chaplets were the norm. Of course, this was in the 50s and 60s.

They looked like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/283818292101

Nowadays, however, it is not common for women to wear veils or mantillas at Mass in the US or other countries with large Catholic populations in the Americas like Brazil.

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

Nowadays, however, it is not common for women to wear veils or mantillas at Mass in the US or other countries with large Catholic populations in the Americas like Brazil.

That is true. But it is not common either to wear hats and many royal ladies still do. It is just part of decorum.

[Osipi]

Originally Posted by Somebody

Sorry, had to chuckle that you never entered the church without SOMEONE on your head...

In some reformed churches in the Netherlands it is still customary for women (and girls) to cover their head but they normally wear a hat (or beret (like this one or in a lighter color) for teenagers or younger women - which is what I borrowed from my mother-in-law (who still had some from when she was younger) when I had to wear head covering for a funeral).

Oooops! Someone on my head should bring me more coffee as I'm in a brain fog it seems. Got coffee? Too funny.

[sarahedwards2]

How old are Catholic girls when they cover their head for the first time? At my cousin’s wedding, his wife is traditional Catholic (he converted and went through RCIA before they got married) and even the 5-year-old flower girl wore a veil; she looked just like a girl on her First Communion day, but wasn’t old enough for that yet.

[An Ard Ri]

The Infanta Elena of Spain wearing a traditional Spanish mantilla

https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/242983342368316378/

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/301389400037993716/

http://estaticos2.ileon.com/resource...DSC03237dn.jpg

The late Infanta Pilar

http://www.revistanaval.com/imaxes/l...a_f102_01a.jpg

The late Princess Grace
https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/5753349...visual-search/

[CyrilVladisla]

Originally Posted by sarahedwards2

How old are Catholic girls when they cover their head for the first time? At my cousin’s wedding, his wife is traditional Catholic (he converted and went through RCIA before they got married) and even the 5-year-old flower girl wore a veil; she looked just like a girl on her First Communion day, but wasn’t old enough for that yet.

I have attended Latin Masses. Four year old girls wore veils.

[Duc_et_Pair]

In traditional Dutch Protestant communities it is still expected to wear hats for church: https://images.rd.nl/fill/crop:1024:...b5bb846bba.jpg

[Blog Real]

The different rules that royal families have to obey.

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalt...ules-revealed/

[Toledo]

My guess is the traditional head cover, we call it La Mantilla in Spain, is as old or more than the times of Rome and it evolved into the use of church hats. So modern church hats are likely the descendants of this religious custom to cover the head when you enter the Church.

As a kid in the 60s I recall being taken to church and the ladies in my family would meet outside and cover their heads as they approached the church steps.

Come to think of it, that also makes the wedding veil part of the head fashion family tree for church attendance.

[An Ard Ri]

The Mantilla is now traditionally worn by Roman Catholic royal ladies and hats by Protestant Royal Ladies at Mass /Church Services.

[sarahedwards2]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

The Mantilla is now traditionally worn by Roman Catholic royal ladies and hats by Protestant Royal Ladies at Mass /Church Services.

Hats in church dates back to when it was unacceptable for a woman to show her hair in public. Why was it unacceptable for a woman to show her hair in public? I Googled it and can’t find an answer.

[Toledo]

Originally Posted by sarahedwards2

Hats in church dates back to when it was unacceptable for a woman to show her hair in public. Why was it unacceptable for a woman to show her hair in public? I Googled it and can’t find an answer.

I can't tell you without researching it myself, but it has to be similar to men required to remove their hats when they enter a church, home or greet a lady or someone senior or important. All my grand uncles and uncles wore hats outside but never inside a church.

Is interesting the tradition to cover the hair if you are a female is also part of other religions. We can assume this is as old as time itself even if it can't be explained or accepted by our more modern ways to see it as fashion instead of a tradition rooted at the start of civilization.