Pope Leo XIV’s Conclave Election Had a Surprising Spectator: Harry Styles!

The ‘As It Was’ singer had a unique excursion to the Vatican on May 8

Harry Styles poses with his GRAMMY awards for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for Harrys House in the Press Room at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Crypto.com Arena on February 5, 2023.Credit : 

Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty

Even Harry Styles knows that nothing is the same “As It Was” after the 2025 papal conclave.

Styles, 31, was spotted by fans in the crowd gathered in Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican on Thursday, May 8, when Pope Leo XIV was elected as the late Pope Francis’ successor. Pope Francis died in April at 88.

The Grammy winner was seen sporting a blue jacket, sunglasses, and a grey baseball cap emblazoned with “Techno is My Boyfriend.” The hat, sold by IDEA, is now sold out.

The photo of Styles among the crowd in Vatican City went viral. One fan wrote on X next to an image of Pope Leo XIV, “little did the pope know he was waving to harry styles.”

“One thing about harry styles, he’s always going to accidentally serve cinema somewhere in europe,” another wrote on X.

Harry Styles.BACKGRID

Styles concluded his record-breaking Love on Tour in 2023, which included a 15-show residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City and a sold-out performance at Slane Castle in County Meath, Ireland. The tour followed the release of the One Direction alum’s 2022 album Harry’s House, which took home a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2023.

Since the conclusion of the lengthy tour, Styles has traveled the world. In March, he was spotted participating in a marathon in Tokyo, where he beat more than 20,000 runners with his sub-3:30 finishing time. Also in March, a ride-share driver who goes by Pink London Taxi on Instagram went viral for sharing her encounter with the singer.

“Picked up this young fella on my way home tonight,” they captioned the post. “We got chatting and I said ‘You really sound like Harry Styles’ He said ‘That’s because I am Harry Styles’ 🤣🤣🤣 He was such a friendly young chap!”

In April, the “Carolina” singer popped up at a London run club, wearing jeans and loafers.

Styles was most recently present for the beginning of a new era. Pope Leo XIV, 69, is the first American pontiff in the history of the Catholic Church. The pope, born Robert Francis Prevost, hails from Chicago and once attended Villanova University.

Pope Leo XIV is a member of the Augustinian Order of the clergy. The Augustinian Order was founded in 1244 in Italy. The order is largely dedicated to serving the poor and has served as missionaries throughout history, per its official website.