Donald Trump allegedly violated the attire rules at the funeral of Pope Francis

Donald Trump has been accused of beaking the dress code at the Pope’s funeral after he arrived wearing a blue suit and a blue tie.

The dress code for the event held at the Vatican was quite strict. Men were expected to wear a dark suit with a long black tie and a white shirt. In addition, shoes, long socks, coats, and umbrellas were required to be black.

During the event, Ukranian leader Volodymyr Zelensky chose not to wear a tie, and Joe Biden opted for a blue tie instead of the specified black. This decision led to accusations of ‘disrespect’ as the majority of world leaders in attendance followed the dress code by wearing all black.

Despite the expectations, President Biden stood out in the front row among hundreds of foreign dignitaries and royalty with his choice of attire. He wore a mid-blue outfit with an American flag pin and complemented it with a shiny blue tie.

Traditionally, smart, dark outfits are worn out of a sign of respect – a practice adopted by many of the gathered mourners, inluding Sir Keir Starmer.

Melania, sitting beside her husband on her 55th birthday, could be seen pairing a conservative black coat with a lace veil and gloves. 

The world leaders were among hundreds of thousands of mourners packed into St Peter’s Square for the funeral, with many waiting overnight to get a seat for the ceremony.

The Pontiff was remembered as ‘a pope among the people, with an open heart’, who strove for a more compassionate, open-minded Catholic Church, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his funeral homily. Applause rose from the ceremony as he hailed the pope’s ‘conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open’.

The clothing row comes just two months after Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky was branded ‘disrespectful’ by a reporter in the White House for not wearing a suit on a visit to the Oval Office – with reports claiming Trump was irritated by his attire.

The president was blasted by onlookers today as they said he stuck out ‘like a sore thumb’ from other leaders.

One, Alison Graham, slammed the US premier – saying: ‘Why is Trump the only male world leader who is wearing a blue suit? 

‘Has he no sense of appropriacy? Shame on him.’

Another viewer, Sam, added: ‘How disrespectful Trump is wearing a blue suit to a funeral.’

And a third, Madaelene, fumed: ‘Did he not have a black suit? At least a dark blue one? Where is the respect?’

Prince William also drew criticism for wearing a dark navy suit to the funeral, although he met the funeral regulations with a black tie.

The funeral dress code for the late Pontiff asked that men wore dark suits, a long black tie and a button of the same colour on the left lapel of the jacket, where only Vatican honours can be placed.

Women were asked to wear long black dresses, gloves and a veil, with the only jewellery allowed being a string of pearls.

Guidance from the Catholic Church states women must wear black, closed-toe shoes and Melania chose a pair of simple pumps for the occasion. 

She added an elegant black lace veil as well as matching gloves, and wore a simple diamond-studded cross pendant. 

Patriarchs and Cardinals were requested to wear their white damask mitres, while archbishops and bishops has to wear their amice, surplice, cincture and red stole.

It comes just two months after a reporter sparked a White House row over war-time leader Zelensky’s dress, when he arrived in combat clothes – his choice of clothes since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

The Ukranian premier did not attend the Pope’s funeral in a black suit, wearing an all-black combat-style jacket over a black shirt and trousers.

In a sign of support towards Zelensky, before the meeting escalated into a tense war of words, Trumpdefended the president’s clothing.

‘I do like your clothing by the way,’ Trump said. ‘I don’t know if you two like each other, but I think he (Zelensky) is dressed beautifully.’

but the president’s comments appeared to contradict reports that the US President was actually irritated by Zelensky’s attire.

Advisers had urged the Ukrainian leader to wear a suit as a sign of respect when visiting the White House, sources told Axios.

And when Zelensky first arrived at the entrance to the West Wing, dressed in an all black outfit and jumper emblazoned with the Ukrainian trident, Trump appeared to mock him.

‘He is all dressed up today,’ the President said as he shook Zelensky’s hand.

The criticism by Glenn, who was one of several pro-Trump journalists invited into the White House Press pool after the President’s inauguration, was echoed by his partner Ms Greene.

She wrote on X shortly after the exchange: ‘I’m so proud of for pointing out that Zelensky has so much disrespect for America that he can’t even wear a suit in the Oval Office when he comes to beg for money from our President!!’

Others on social media also pointed out that when Elon Musk visited the Oval Office with Trump last month, he too did not wear a suit.

The First Lady wore a solemn expression today and remained by Trump’s side, with her attendance at the funeral expected to be crucial to keeping the peace between him and his predecessor Joe Biden.

Alluding to Melania’s role at the funeral, which will also be attended by Ukrainian president Volodymy Zelensky, he told reporters in Washington: ‘She’s going to have a great birthday. She’s got a working birthday.’

Biden, 82, was seated two rows behind Trump, who told reporters outside Air Force One that meeting the former president in Rome was ‘not high on my list’.

He also revealed he hadn’t known that Biden and wife Jill Biden would be at the basilica for the funeral.

‘Oh he is? I didn’t know,’ he told reporters on Air Force One.

 

When asked if he would meet with the former president, Trump replied: ‘It’s not high on my list. It’s really not.’

Like Melania, the US’ former first lady Jill, 73, also wore a black blazer and skirt for the sombre occasion, as she helped her husband down the steps of the basilica.

She added a pair of black sheer tights and pumps as outlined in the dress guidance, and carried a simple black clutch to the event. Jill also opted for a delicate lace veil to cover her head.

Biden wore a dark suit to the funeral, but also opted for a blue tie a he attended the solemn event. 

The Vatican reported some 200,000 people packed into St Peter’s Square and surrounding streets during the ceremony. 

The crowds, packed with young people, applauded as the pope’s coffin was carried out of St Peter’s Basilica by white gloved pallbearers, accompanied by more than 200 red-robed cardinals. 

Francis was ‘a pope among the people, with an open heart’, who strove for a more compassionate, open-minded Catholic Church, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re said in his funeral homily.

There was applause as he hailed the pope’s ‘conviction that the Church is a home for all, a home with its doors always open’.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, led the service, addressing thousands gathered in St Peter’s Square.

But it will be prisoners and migrants who ultimately usher the pope into the basilica where he will be buried, reflecting his priorities as head of the Catholic Church.

Francis is breaking with tradition and will be buried in the St. Mary Major Basilica, where a simple underground tomb awaits him with just his name: Franciscus.

Pope Francis died on Monday, aged 88, from a stroke and irreversible heart failure in his beloved Casa Santa Marta residence.

In his final hours, he had joined crowds for an Easter Sunday blessing at St Peter’s Square. The pontiff had only recently been discharged from hospital, after five weeks of treatment for an infection that led to double pneumonia.

Bells tolled as the last of leaders from more than 150 countries took their places on Saturday. 

The massive crowd was largely silent, watching proceedings on several large screens around the square.

Applause then rang out at the start of the ceremony as 14 white-gloved pallbearers carried the coffin, inlaid with a large cross, out of St. Peter’s Basilica and into the square.

The pope’s casket was placed on a carpet in front of the altar, with the book of gospels laid on top, as the Vatican choirs sang.

Choirs sang Latin hymns and prayers were recited in various languages, including Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese and Arabic, reflecting the global reach of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church.

Massed ranks of red-robed cardinals sat to one side of the altar, facing rows of black-suited world leaders on the other side.

In front of them were hundreds of priests in white vestments and then thousands of ordinary mourners.

‘I’m touched by how many people are here. It’s beautiful to see all these nationalities together,’ said Jeremie Metais, 29, from Grenoble, France, ahead of the ceremony.

‘It’s a bit like the centre of the world today.’

‘We want to say goodbye because he (was a) living saint, very humble and simple,’ said Mary James, a Franciscan nun, who had stayed up overnight to guarantee a good place.

‘You can feel a lot of energy, yes, a little bit of despair because we are tired, but ultimately we want to come and say ‘thank you’, thanks to Pope Francis for all he did for his church,’ said Eduardo Valencia, visiting from Mexico.

The crowd broke into applause when Italian Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re spoke of Francis’ care for immigrants, his constant pleas for peace, the need for negotiations to end wars and the importance of the climate.

‘Rich in human warmth and deeply sensitive to today’s challenges, Pope Francis truly shared the anxieties, sufferings and hopes of this time,’ Re said.

The open-air ceremony, which will be celebrated by 220 cardinals, 750 bishops and more than 4,000 other priests, was due to last 90 minutes.