EMILY PRESCOTT: Instagram snap of Sistine Chapel ceiling gets Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in hot water with Vatican
It appears that actress and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley must seek forgiveness from the Catholic Church – after apparently breaking the rules during a visit to the Vatican last week.
The 36-year-old took a tour of the Sistine Chapel and was so impressed by the beauty and grandeur of Michelangelo’s Renaissance artwork that she snapped a photo to share with her 18 million Instagram followers.
But photography and even the use of mobile phones is strictly forbidden in the 15th-century chapel, as many of her fans quickly noticed. Some suggested that the Marks & Spencer model might have used her celebrity status to bend the rules.
Her team told me she was given permission to create the artwork during a private tour of the chapel. However, a spokesman for the Vatican Museum tells me: ‘The visit took place during normal public opening hours. We confirm that photos and videos cannot be taken in the Chapel.’
It looks like actress and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has to ask the Catholic Church for forgiveness – after apparently breaking the rules during a visit to the Vatican last week
SNAP JUDGMENT: Rosie posted this unauthorized photo of Michelangelo’s Sistine fresco
Rosie was in Rome for the premiere of Fast X, starring her husband Jason Statham, when she visited the Vatican and took the photo of Michelangelo’s fresco, The Last Judgment, on the back wall behind the altar.
She’s not the first celebrity to break the rules. Actors Russell Crowe and Jason Momoa have also been criticized for doing the same thing after being given private tours of the building.
Aquaman star Momoa later apologized, saying, “If you ever felt I disrespected your culture, I didn’t mean to.”