“This morning we all dressed in black, but I had my blue suit on, and we went to the Vatican to have a private audience with the Pope. We had our photographs taken outside the hotel before we left. Then we drove to the Vatican, & when we passed thru the gates that lead to where the Pope lives, all the guards saluted us. Mr. Galeazzi met us & took us up in the lift & then he brought us into a room where we took off our coats & gloves. There were about 10 men in this room that were all dressed in red, red shoes, breeches & coats & they all tried to help us. Then we went thru a hall and there were a lot of Swiss guards in a line & they were dressed in orange, red & blue striped uniforms. They were very big, straight men & they stood ‘at attention’ when we went by. Then we went thru 3 or 4 rooms & then we came to a big room where the Pope’s throne was, so we all took out all our rosaries, pictures & medals & put them on a tray. Some of us kept a few rosaries over our arm. The throne was gold & red. We waited here for a while, because Daddy was in another room talking with the Pope. Soon we were told to go in & we marched in a line & all knelt on one knee before the Pope. Then each one went up & knelt down & kissed Pope Pius’ ring. He was dressed all in white. When everybody had kissed his ring, he talked to us a few minutes. He gave us each a rosary & he gave mother one in a large white box. Mother said that we were going to have a marble slab put near the place where he sat when he visited us in Bronxville when he was Cardinal Pacelli. He smiled, & he said he would like to see us all again & asked if we were happy in London. He blessed us about 7 times. Soon it was time to go, so we all walked out of the door backwards, because Mr. Galeazzi said you should never turn your back to the Pope. After we went out, Mr. Gowan brought all our holiest things into be blessed. Then we went downstairs & in one long corridor we had our pictures taken, & then Mr. Galeazzi brought us to see the Sixtine [sic] Chapel. There was a large painting at one end by Michaelangelo [sic] & the ceiling had a lot of paintings on it. Then we went into a room & met the Sec. of State who was a Cardinal. Then we went out into the yard & we took some movies & then came home & had lunch…”

EXCERPT FROM TEDDY’S DIARY, MARCH 13, 1939