Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco reunited with Pope Leo XIV in France, six months to the day after welcoming the pontiff for a historic visit to the Principality. The Monegasque royal couple traveled to Metz on Monday, September 28, for the final day of Pope Leo XIV’s four-day apostolic journey to France.
The royals joined French President Emmanuel Macron, First Lady Brigitte Macron and other European dignitaries at the Robert Schuman Congress Centre for a gathering focused on peace, unity and Europe’s future.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesReuters photographs from the event showed Princess Charlene and Prince Albert alongside the pope, the Macrons and European leaders during the gathering.
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert Met Pope Leo in Metz
The gathering, titled “At the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity,” took place in Metz, near France’s borders with Germany and Luxembourg.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe location carried historical significance. The conference center is named for Robert Schuman, the French statesman considered one of the founding fathers of European integration. Schuman lived in the Moselle region for many years, represented the area in France’s National Assembly and played a central role in postwar European reconciliation.
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene were welcomed by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron before attending the event. Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Guillaume and Prime Minister Luc Frieden were among the other European figures in attendance.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesFor Pope Leo, the gathering provided an opportunity to address Europe’s past while making a pointed appeal for dialogue and peace. “I am pleased to be here in this historic city, a crossroads at the heart of the continent,” the pope said as he opened his address.
He later reflected on the continent’s ability to change while learning from its history. “Europe has flourished and progressed when it has been able to draw on the best aspects of its past,” Pope Leo said, adding that those traditions could be reinvented through “encounters with others.”
Pope Leo XIV Makes a Plea for Peace in Europe
Peace was a major theme of the pope’s final day in France. During the Metz gathering, Leo spoke about the importance of negotiation and dialogue at a moment when war has again become a reality on the European continent. He urged countries to have courage in negotiations and be willing to give up certain positions for the greater goal of peace.
Reuters reported that Leo also described dialogue with different cultures as a “social and political necessity” and urged European leaders to give “real substance” to principles including freedom, democracy and unity.
© Getty ImagesThe message closely echoed themes from the pope’s interreligious meeting in Metz earlier that day. “Beyond all borders, it is always possible to meet one another, forge friendships, and seek peace,” Pope Leo said.
He also warned against using religion as a justification for conflict, saying, “Nothing that disfigures human dignity can claim to be inspired by God.”
Princess Charlene Wears White for the Papal Event
Princess Charlene also drew attention for her choice of white for the occasion.
The Monaco royal is among a select group of Catholic royal women traditionally associated with the privilège du blanc, or “privilege of the white,” which permits them to wear white rather than the customary black during certain audiences and encounters with the pope.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesCharlene exercised the privilege for the Metz appearance, just as she did when Pope Leo visited Monaco earlier in 2026.
Pope Leo Made a Historic Visit to Monaco Six Months Earlier
The Metz reunion came exactly six months after Pope Leo traveled to Monaco on March 28.
That journey was historic. According to the Prince’s Palace, it was the first apostolic journey by a pope to Monaco in the modern era. Pope Paul III had previously been received on the Rock in 1538.
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert welcomed Pope Leo upon his arrival in Monaco before the pontiff traveled to the Prince’s Palace. There, Albert, Charlene and their children, Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, joined him for the official welcome ceremony.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesThe pope and Prince Albert then held a private meeting, exchanged gifts and appeared on the palace balcony to greet the crowds below.
Monaco’s palace described that papal visit as a powerful sign of “hope” centered on “dialogue, peace and shared responsibility.”
During his Monaco visit, Pope Leo also emphasized the Principality’s potential role in bringing people together.
© Getty ImagesThe small sovereign state, he said, has “a vocation to promote encounter and to foster social friendship.”
The Monaco Royals’ Ties to Pope Leo XIV
Prince Albert and Princess Charlene’s relationship with Leo XIV predates his March trip to Monaco.
Albert and Charlene were received at the Vatican in January 2026, and Prince Albert had invited the pope to visit the Principality. Vatican News said the resulting journey reflected the centuries-old relationship between the Grimaldi dynasty and the papacy.
© WireImageMonaco also has an unusually close institutional connection to Catholicism. The Roman Catholic faith is recognized in the Monegasque Constitution as the state religion, while Monaco and the Holy See maintain longstanding diplomatic relations.
