--- title: Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump Wore Veils to Meet the Pope description: Melania and Ivanka Trump wore veils to meet Pope Francis, following the traditional dress code for private papal audiences at the Vatican canonical: https://time.com/4792096/melania-ivanka-trump-veil-pope-francis-vatican/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-24T12:15:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:03:59.816Z article:section: Politics og:title: Melania and Ivanka Trump Wore Veils to Meet the Pope og:description: They followed the traditional Vatican dress code for private papal audiences og:url: https://time.com/4792096/melania-ivanka-trump-veil-pope-francis-vatican/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c7d7925c508edc0/6988cea68fd2ee492b357327/ivanka-trump-melania-trump-vatican-veils.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3564 og:image:height: 2005 og:image:alt: VATICAN-POPE-AUDIENCE-US-DIPLOMACY og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Melania and Ivanka Trump Wore Veils to Meet the Pope twitter:description: They followed the traditional Vatican dress code for private papal audiences twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1c7d7925c508edc0/6988cea68fd2ee492b357327/ivanka-trump-melania-trump-vatican-veils.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Melania and Ivanka Trump Wore Veils to Meet the Pope > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=384c7a2f-8d01-4b02-876c-4f46751cba49&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: After Past Clashes, President Trump and Pope Francis Meet in the Vatican [Watch (HLS stream): After Past Clashes, President Trump and Pope Francis Meet in the Vatican](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/MwTIczDc.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2017-05-24. President Donald Trump and Pope Francis, two leaders with contrasting styles and differing worldviews, met at the Vatican City on Wednesday, setting aside their previous clashes to broadcast a tone of peace for an audience around the globe._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 24, 2017 12:15 PM UTC  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly May 24, 2017 12:15 PM UTC Melania and Ivanka Trump wore black veils to [meet Pope Francis](http://time.com/4791969/president-trump-pope-francis-meeting-vatican/?xid=homepage) on Wednesday, following the traditional dress code for private papal audiences at the Vatican. “Per Vatican protocol, women who have an audience with the Pope are required to wear long sleeves, formal black clothing, and a veil to cover the head,” Stephanie Grisham, spokesperson for the First Lady, said in a [statement](http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/politics/melania-trump-pope-francis-headscarf-fashion/) to CNN. Both Melania and Ivanka Trump [eschewed headscarves](http://time.com/4787178/donald-trump-saudi-arabia-melania-ivanka-headscarves/) during their recent visit to Saudi Arabia, a conservative Muslim country where women are expected to wear headscarves. The move contradicted President Donald Trump’s old [criticism](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/560839957426999297?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref%5Furl=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F4787178%2Fdonald-trump-saudi-arabia-melania-ivanka-headscarves%2F) of former First Lady Michelle Obama for making a similar decision. Obama opted not to wear a headscarf in Saudi Arabia in 2015, but she wore a black veil and a black dress when she [met Pope Benedict XVI](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/International/story?id=8049308&page=1) at the Vatican in 2009. While the dress code for papal audiences has received a good deal of attention, it’s possible Pope Francis has taken a more relaxed approach in recent years. “Things have become more relaxed over the last few years. There are no hard and fast rules,” a spokesperson for the Vatican told [The Telegraph](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/style/le-privilege-du-blanc-pope-francis-has-relaxed-strict-dress/) last month, after Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wore a champagne-colored dress and no veil while meeting the Pope at the Vatican. ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ INAUDIBLE ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Thank you. Welcome [ INAUDIBLE ] This is such a great honor. [ INAUDIBLE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] [ LAUGH ] [ INAUDIBLE ] [ INAUDIBLE ] What do you give him to eat? 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