King Felipe, Prince Albert, and More Royals Send Well Wishes to Pope Leo XIV

The world was watching on Thursday when Pope Leo XIV walked onto St. Peter’s Balcony in Vatican City as the new head of the Roman Catholic Church. While the crowds of thousands gathered in the square below remained in peaceful revelry, many dignitaries and world leaders shared messages with well wishes for the first American pope.

Among them, Europe’s few remaining Catholic royal families welcomed Pope Leo, who might be the first American regnant monarch as well. The pope is considered a sovereign monarch as the head of the Vatican City, which is an autonomous city-state surrounded by Rome, making the role unique as both a religious and temporal leader.

We can likely expect to see some of the European Catholic royals at the upcoming inauguration. Papal funerals typically draw world leaders, royals, and dignitaries of all faiths from around the globe, but attendance at a papal inauguration follows different precedents. When Pope Francis was inaugurated in 2013, for example, then-Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain were the most prominent royal guests. Now King and Queen, they also attended the late pope’s funeral in April.

In contrast, while King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden as well as Queen Mary of Denmark were all present for Pope Francis’s funeral, there were no Swedish or Danish royals at the inauguration. For the British royals, it has operated a bit differently. Prince William attended Pope Francis’s funeral on behalf of his father King Charles. In 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester represented Queen Elizabeth at Pope Francis’s papal inauguration.

Here are some of the royal messages shared so far:

United Kingdom

While the British royal family been Anglican since the reign of Henry VIII (with a few short-term reversions to Catholicism centuries ago), it has maintained friendly diplomatic relations with the Holy See for many years now.

King Charles, the head of the Church of England, sent private congratulations to the new leader of the Catholic church. In the message, Charles expressed his and Queen Camilla’s “sincere good wishes” for Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate.

Spain

The Spanish royals, perhaps the most high-profile Catholic monarchs in Europe, were the first to put out a statement, with a brief message on Instagram Stories within an hour of the papal announcement on Thursday: “We congratulate Cardinal Prévost on his election as the new pontiff, Pope Leo XIV. His call for peace inspires us, encourages us, and reflects the deep wishes and feelings of the Spanish people.”

Monaco

Prince Albert of Monaco wrote on Friday morning, “On the occasion of Your Holiness’s elevation to the Pontifical Throne, my family and I assure You of our fervent prayers for the greatness of Your Pontificate and humbly offer our respectful congratulations. Together with the people of the Principality, we express our deepest hope that the fulfillment of this eminent and weighty spiritual mission of universal scope will be marked by many satisfactions. I ask Your Holiness to kindly accept the respectful homage of my deep and filial devotion.”

The Monégasque royal family is Roman Catholic, and Albert is also part-American through his mother, the late Princess Grace.

See the original below in French:

Luxembourg

Henri, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, shared a message to Instagram late Thursday evening, writing: “The Grand Duchess and I wish to extend our warmest congratulations on your election to the Sovereign Pontificate. Your accession to the head of the Catholic Church represents a moment of hope for millions of faithful around the world. I express my hope that your pontificate will be marked by peace, dialogue among peoples, and universal fraternity. Rest assured, Most Holy Father, of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg’s commitment to continuing its ties of friendship and cooperation with the Holy See.”

See the original below in French, featuring a photo of Grand Duke Henri next to Pope Francis and Grand Duchess Maria Theresa, greeting then Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo. Pope Francis met with the Luxembourg royals, also Roman Catholics, during a state visit to Luxembourg and Belgium in 2024.

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