Monaco’s royal twins Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella celebrate First Communion with Princess Charlene and Prince Albert

The 10-year-old twins of Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene have completed a significant rite of passage within the principality.

Hereditary Prince Jacques and his sister Princess Gabriella celebrated their First Communion, also known as the First Eucharist, on Sunday.

The Prince’s Palace shared photos from the special occasion, congratulating the twins who stood proudly with their parents outside the Monaco Cathedral.

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“On this day of First Communion, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella who received this sacrament with faith and reverence,” the palace said.

The children were dressed in white and each wore a crucifix.

The First Communion is one of the seven sacraments within the Catholic church and is celebrated in Monaco, where the Catholic faith is a central part of daily life.

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Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella are following in the footsteps of other members of the Grimaldi family who have made their First Communion, following baptism into the church.

When Princess Charlene married Prince Albert in 2011, she converted to Catholicism.

In a previous interview with Paris Match, Charlene said: “The values of this religion profoundly touch me and correspond perfectly to my spirit”.

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Last month, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene attended the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.

They were among many royals and heads of state from across the world at the funeral, held inside St Peter’s Square, including Queen Mary of Denmark, King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain, King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden and Prince William.

In 2022, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene were invited to the Vatican for a special audience with the Pontiff inside the Apostolic Library.

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Their visit to the Vatican followed a long tradition of Monaco’s royal family sharing close ties to the Catholic church.

Prince Albert’s parents, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace were received by Pope Pius XII in 1957, John XXIII in 1959 and Paul VI in 1974.

In 2005, Prince Albert made his first public appearance as sovereign outside Monaco at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Because Monaco’s primary religion is Catholicism, Princess Charlene is one of the few royal women afforded the rare privilege of being able to wear white when meeting the leader of the Catholic church.

It’s due to a rule known as Privilège du blanc, or the privilege of the white, extended to the royal houses whose regents had been given the title of “(Most) Catholic Majesty” (Rex catholicissimus).

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Today it is limited to the Queens of Spain and Belgium, the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the Princess of Monaco, and the Princesses of the House of Savoy.

Although Princess Charlene wore black for her 2022 audience with Pope Francis, during her two previous meetings at the Vatican she wore white including during an audience with Pope Benedict XVI in 2013 and with Pope Francis in 2016.

Other royals, including Queen Camilla and the late Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, who was the head of the Church of England, and Queen Mary of of Denmark who is Lutheran, have worn black to meet the Pope.

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