For a while now, “Watermelon Sugar” singer Harry Styles has been staying out of the public eye. He was last seen attending ex One Direction bandmate Liam Payne’s funeral in November 2024. So it came out of left field that his first public sighting in months is at the Vatican, during the unveiling of the new Pope Leo XIV at that.
The “As It Was” hitmaker was spotted among the crowd at the St Peter’s Square on Thursday. That was when white smoke finally billowed from the chimney atop the Basilica, signaling the election of a new pope, later revealed to be American cardinal Robert Francis Prevost a.k.a. Pope Leo XIV henceforth. He appeared incognito, decked in a gray cap, blue tracksuit and black sunglasses. The 31-year-old singer appears to have grown a full beard too.
The random appearance immediately sent the internet into a frenzy.
“Harry styles is so random, one day he’s at the grammys winning album of the year, then he’s running a marathon in japan…But he could also be in Rome waiting for the announcement of the new pope,” quipped one user.
“I love being his fan,” they added.
“Can’t believe the new pope got a glimpse of Harry styles on his first day of the new job,” joked another user on X, proving that despite his lengthy hiatus since 2022’s Grammy-winning album “Harry’s House”, Styles hasn’t gone out of style.