Why did Melania choose to cover her head at the Vatican, but not in Saudi Arabia or at the Western Wall?

WASHINGTON— To cover up or not to cover up?

Melania Trump wore a veil to the Vatican on Wednesday to meet the Pope, but no head covering a few days earlier to meet the king of Saudi Arabia, a religiously conservative country where most women cover themselves up from head to toe.

Why the difference? The answer is a complicated mix of personal preference, diplomatic protocol and religious dictates.

Stephanie Grisham, a spokesperson for the first lady, said Trump’s decision to wear a black lace veil known as a mantilla followed Vatican protocol that women who have an audience with the Pope must wear long sleeves, formal black clothing and a veil to cover their head. In Saudi Arabia, however, the government did not request that Trump wear a head covering known as a hijab, or a headscarf, Grisham said.

The Vatican’s rules of attire are not strictly enforced. Many women, including high-ranking dignitaries, have visited the pontiff with their heads uncovered, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015.

Many women wear veils out of respect. Trump is Catholic, which likely made accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump for a meeting with the leader of the world’s more than one billion Roman Catholics all the more meaningful to her.

When a Vatican official handed her a rosary, the first lady immediately gave it to the Pope to bless. She spent time in front of a statue of the Madonna at the Vatican’s children’s hospital and laid flowers at its feet.

Every woman in the U.S. delegation wore a veil, including Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter who converted to Judaism before marriage.

When she arrived in Saudi Arabia, the first lady wore a long-sleeved, high-necked, black pantsuit that mimicked the loose, black robes, or abayas, that Saudi women and female residents wear.

Most Western VIP women who visit Saudi Arabia don’t cover their heads, including British Prime Minister Theresa May and Merkel. In Israel, the Trumps visited the Western Wall. There, Trump wore no head covering. Many Orthodox Jewish women cover their hair as a sign of modesty.