Catholic Majesty

The titles Catholic King and Catholic Queen are awarded by the Pope as head of the Catholic Church to monarchs who in the eyes of the papacy embody Catholic principles in their personal lives and state policies. The title remains attached to monarchs descended from whoever received the original, unless withdrawn by a Pope. Among the reigning monarchs of Europe, the title is currently carried by the sovereigns of Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain^{[citation needed]}. The Roman Catholic Princes of Monaco and Liechtenstein have not been awarded the title, the other European monarchs (of Denmark, of the Netherlands, of Norway, of Sweden, and of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries) are not Roman Catholic, and the remaining world monarchs are not Christian, apart from the Catholic King Letsie III of Lesotho, who has also not been awarded the title, and the Protestant King George Tupou V of Tonga.

One of the rights of a Catholic Queen, either regnant or consort, is that she may wear white, rather than the normal black, when meeting the Pope (known as privilège du blanc).

The best-known example of this title is that of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon (both kingdoms are now part of Spain) in 1496; the term Los Reyes Católicos (the Catholic Monarchs, sometimes mistranslated as the Catholic Kings) is used to refer unambiguously to them. Since then the Kings of Spain have used the style of a Catholic Majesty. The present king chose not to relinquish the ancient titles of the Spanish crown, but he does not use them.

In the past, some monarchs with this title have also been granted the right to use specific styles:

• Hungary: His Apostolic Majesty (awarded circa 1000, renewed in 1758);
• France: His Most Christian Majesty (awarded circa 1380);
• Spain: His Catholic Majesty (awarded in 1469);
• Portugal: His Most Faithful Majesty (awarded in 1748).

See also

• Fidei defensor
• Rex Christianissimus
• Rex Fidelissimus