Why Trump, Biden and Prince William chose blue over black, breaking dress code at Pope Francis' funeral

VATICAN CITY: When world leaders gathered at St Peter’s Square for Pope Francis' funeral on Saturday, April 26, President Donald Trump’s outfit sparked debates about Vatican dress protocol.

Trump arrived at the Vatican wearing a blue suit, a light blue tie, and his signature American flag lapel pin.

Meanwhile, Prince William — stepping in for King Charles III (who stayed home due to health reasons) — played it safer in a darker suit and tie. His look was way more in line with what the Vatican expects — but even William couldn’t escape some eagle-eyed fashion police who pointed out his suit was dark blue, not black.

Former President Joe Biden also wore a blue tie, straying from the strict Vatican funeral dress code.

Vatican's dress code for papal funeral

For the record, the Vatican’s protocol for men at a papal funeral is pretty clear — black suit, black tie, black lapel pin — no exceptions, as per Newsweek.

Italian newspaper Il Messaggero spelled out the official expectations.

“For men, dark suit with a long black tie and a button of the same color on the left lapel of the jacket, where only Vatican honors can be placed. For women, a black dress, preferably long, of the same color as gloves and veil on the head, with the only allowed ornament being a string of pearls," it wrote.

"These are the prescriptions for those attending the pope's funeral, according to well-established protocol manuals that also define the seating arrangement for dignitaries and heads of state," the newspaper added.

At least Melania Trump got the memo. She nailed the traditional look, wearing a long-sleeved black dress and a black lace mantilla.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also kept things mostly on point in an all-black outfit, though he skipped the tie. Just two months ago, Zelensky caught heat at the White House for not wearing a suit — a choice that reportedly really ticked Trump off.

Why did Prince William, Donald Trump and Joe Biden wear blue instead of black to Pope Francis' funeral?

Prince William and Donald Trump aren’t Catholic. That might explain why they skipped the traditional black at the pope’s funeral.

As mentioned, the Catholic Church has strict dress codes for funerals, with black being the go-to color to show respect and mourning. But while black is the norm for Catholic funerals, non-Catholics don’t stick to that rule as strictly.

Given that Prince William is from the Church of England and Trump is a nondenominational Christian, they might have opted for a different color as a nod to their own faiths.

That said, it is unclear why Biden, a proud Catholic, didn't adhere to the Vatican dress protocol.

Donald Trump faces flak (and some love) after flouting dress code

The fashion faux pas didn’t go unnoticed.

Prominent Trump critic Ron Filipkowski snarked on X (formerly Twitter), writing, "One guy shows up in a blue suit to the Pope's funeral. You will never guess who."

Political analyst Molly Ploofkins joined the pile-on. "According to the dress code required by Vatican officials for Pope Francis' funeral, men were required to wear a dark suit, along with a long black tie. Trump shows up in blue," she wrote.

Other critics weren’t any gentler.

"These norms are pretty much gone in the US, but for the Pope's funeral, seems like you should adhere to protocol. A funeral calls for a black wool suit, white shirt, black tie, and black leather dress shoes," one shared.

Someone else fumed, "Dress code - black suits. Trump has a blue suit. He didn't have money to buy a black one??? The main thing is that everyone was looking at Zelensky's suit in the White House."

But not everyone was throwing stones. Trump got a little backup from political strategist Joey Mannarino. "Trump at the Pope's funeral is just exuding complete and total class. Absolutely the image America should be projecting to the world," he wrote.

Mannarino also took a swipe at Zelensky. "Zelenskyy couldn't even wear a suit for Pope Francis's funeral. And the woke idiots in attendance clapped for him anyway. The lack of respect is unbelievable," he remarked.

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