Year in Review: 2018's Honorable Mentions

Did you fall in love with a 2018 royal outfit from someone not yet featured? Here, my friends, is the place to proclaim your love. The honorable mentions begin...

...right after this programming note: Our next post will be the Christmas round up, probably on the 26th, and then you'll want to stay tuned to cast your votes for your 2018 favorites!

Princess Eugenie in Zac Posen at her Wedding Reception

Alex Bramall/Royal Family

Our one limited glimpse of this gown in action is all I need to call it one of the most interesting - and intricately made - dresses of this royal year.

Princess Beatrice in Ralph & Russo at Princess Eugenie's Wedding

MOD Crown copyright 2018

Satisfying my need for more royal Ralph & Russo, this was a stunning turn for Princess Beatrice. Another contender for the year's best was her faux bow Gucci dress.

Lady Sarah Chatto in Jasper Conran at Princess Eugenie's Wedding

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Eugenie's wedding offered a few bests for the year. Sarah broke from her usual color schemes in a big way, to delightful effect. Another nod from the event goes to Lady Gabriella Windsor, who combined her blues in a fun way.

Princess Charlene in Oscar de la Renta at the Ocean Gala

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What, like a sparkly caped thing wasn't making this list?

Princess Sofia in Zetterberg Couture at the Nobel Prize Ceremony

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This high-impact gown won my heart at the Nobels. Sofia also impressed earlier in the year with her green halter top dress at the Polar Music Prize.

Princess Madeleine in Giambattista Valli at Princess Adrienne's Christening

Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se

Did this floral really win me over, or was it just the fact that Madeleine wore pieces of the Cameo parure for the first time? Probably the latter, but hey, whatever makes it memorable.

Charlotte Casiraghi in Saint Laurent at the Rose Ball

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Listen, I just love the fact that what was arguably the most fun evening ensemble of the year came from Charlotte. Feathers for everybody!

Beatrice Borromeo at...a Bunch of Events

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I think I loved everything we covered Beatrice wedding this year, which is some kind of record: black velvet maternity from Alberta Ferretti at the Rose Ball, fur and fringe at the Ocean Gala, the delicious Armani Privé ensemble above from National Day, and the liquid gold number she wore to the National Day gala. 

What other royal outfits made your list of 2018 favorites?

Year in Review: Queen Mathilde, Queen Letizia, and the Duchess of Sussex's 2018 Bests

We did a little Readers' Favorite Outfits vote(s) last year and we're planning on doing it again this year! This week, I'm picking my personal best outfits of the royal year for some of our regulars, plus others. I take your faves into consideration when deciding what we'll vote on, too, so make sure you comment with your personal favorite outfits on the appropriate post!

My picks for the best outfits of the year begin with the Ladies in Velvet.

Queen Mathilde in Armani Privé at the French State Banquet

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I called it when this event happened and I'm sticking to my guns: nothing else even comes close to topping my list of Mathilde's best outfits of 2018. That color! That shape! That fabric! *chef's kiss*

Runners up:

• I enjoyed the red Dior Mathilde wore at the start of the French state visit, though many of you disagreed with me.
• We sense we would have had a much better consensus on the caped dress with purple/magenta accessories on Day 2 of the French state visit, although we did not get to cover it here.

Queen Letizia in Felipe Varela at the Chinese State Banquet

House of HM the King

This is a 2017 repeat but it really shines for me in 2018. It's sleek, luxurious, and the perfect modern way to showcase some of Spain's biggest gems.

Runners up:

• How is a swishy Carolina Herrera polka dot dress not going to make my list?
• We simply CAN'T have a Letizia best of the year list without a bit of red; her new favorite daytime special occasion Carolina Herrera dress will meet that requirement nicely.

The Duchess of Sussex in Givenchy at the British Fashion Awards

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I honestly didn't know what I was going to pick for our newest regular in her first full royal year - until THIS happened. Wouldn't have objected to a dangly earring here, but otherwise: SOLD.

Runner up:

• That black Emilia Wickstead in Ireland stands out on a second glance for me.

What were your favorite outfits from 2018 for these three women? 

Royal Outfits of the Day: Monaco National Day & Sussex Royal Variety Round Up

Time to clear the decks from Monday's big events, because there's another state visit happening and a holiday coming up. Let's do this snap judgement style. (Psst: Tomorrow is a US holiday but we will likely have a state visit post up, so do check in.)

Monaco's princely family celebrated National Day, starting with a Te Deum, review at the palace, and some window balcony appearances.

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Princess Charlene, in Akris: The hat can stay. So, that's something.

Princess Caroline, in Chanel: This hat can go. Or at least the lace band can go.

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Princess Stephanie: Red! Color suits her.

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Tatiana Santo Domingo: She could nearly pass for a Windsor with her solid navy coat and Philip Treacy headpiece. It's the interesting shoes that give her away.

Princess Alexandra: Her mother's daughter in that suit, that's for sure.

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Beatrice Borromeo, in Armani Privé: Chocolate velvet accents? YES PLEASE. Winter neutrals done right.

Monaco Info

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The Babies: Grandma Caroline quite literally has her hands full these days. Two out of three 2018 family additions made their debuts: Francesco (son of Pierre and Beatrice) and Maximilian (son of Andrea and Tatiana).

The family also attended the evening gala.

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Princess Charlene, in Akris: To be impressed by her commitment to lining up her Order of St. Charles sash with the color division in her gown, or to be confused that it now looks like a racing stripe...that is the question.

Princess Caroline, in Stella McCartney: Queen Letizia's sublime appearance in a version of this dress is a hard act to follow. Not really advisable to try, honestly.

Beatrice Borromeo, in Armani Privé: Once again taking the prize. 

Elsewhere, on Monday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Royal Variety Performance.

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Duchess of Sussex, in Safiyaa: Nope. To all of it. Sorry. Blame it on that added halter strap (which is tacked on there like it was a hasty decision, which it probably wasn't, which makes it worse).

Tiara Watch of the Day: The Belgian/French State Visit

Lots of royal events yesterday. I'm going to start with a woman that I think really hit it out of the park all day: Queen Mathilde.

The Belgians welcomed France for a state visit, and as you might expect when an important neighbor comes to visit, it warranted something a little special. Queen Mathilde went full couture and turned to custom designs from the two labels that dress her best: Dior and Armani.

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For the day, Mathilde wore Christian Dior. She started wearing couture pieces from the legendary maison when Belgian designer Raf Simons was at the helm. I think this is her first Dior since he left, and it maintains the same high level. Beautifully cut and crafted. This is one of her best outfits of the year.

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I might have called her day outfit the best of the year - but then the state banquet happened. And just look...

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Armani, man. Recalling the magnificent off the shoulder black velvet gown from a few years back, this burgundy velvet is classic glam at its very best. The only problem here is not Mathilde's problem, really; had she been wearing a thinner sash, she could have gotten away with this placement. The wider version that belongs to France's Legion of Honor, however, doesn't make the turn at the shoulder as well. (Not all orders offer a thinner sash for women.) It's the only mark against what is otherwise perfection.

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Don't miss the sparkle on the sleeves. Oh, and the tiara: the bandeau portion of the Nine Provinces Tiara. Fits right in with how Mathilde has been using the tiaras at her disposal since becoming queen: an important tiara for an important state visit, but not the full thing as a big European monarchy-to-monarchy visit might warrant.

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Squint through this slightly awkward double row group pose, and you'll find Prince Lorenz, Princess Astrid, Prince Laurent, and Princess Claire. Princess Astrid wore the Savoy-Aosta Tiara; Princess Claire wore her Pearl and Diamond Tiara. We do always appreciate a couple bonus diadems.

Tiara Watch of the Day: Queen Mathilde in Portugal

It's a multi-tiara event week, buckle your seat belts. (Speaking of which, don't forget that you can find our quickest coverage of the British/Dutch state visit over at the Jewel Vault, before it is covered here.)

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde began a state visit to Portugal yesterday.

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First up in this week's state visits are the Belgians in Portugal. Queen Mathilde arrived in a repeated Armani outfit with a delicate lace coat and satiny dress, topped by a Philip Treacy hat. This outfit was debuted last year during events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.

With the President of the Portuguese Republic
Belgian Royal Palace

Mathilde originally wore this for the Last Post ceremony, an event that went into evening. I think maybe that suited it better - although it's certainly easy to see why she categorized it as an outfit special enough for a state visit. That lace is like gossamer. (Also, she should wear more Philip Treacy hats.)

Belgian Royal Palace

The Queen rolled that gossamer feel right into the state banquet, wearing a new gown in a soft shade of sparkle blergh. The sash situation here is tricky. Making both the Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator and a sash look neat and tidy is a feat that's eluded two queens in a row now.

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Anyway, this state banquet managed to provide multiple tiaras for us. Firstly, the Queen wore her Laurel Wreath Tiara. It was a wedding gift and her primary tiara for years and years; it's now one she's used for other visits like this one, to a republic.

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The Duke and Duchess of Braganza are also regulars at these banquets. (The Duke is a claimant to the defunct Portuguese throne.) The pink-clad Duchess still has a few tiara options at her disposal; this one is a lovely necklace piece.

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Also present (and kindly sharing on her Instagram) was Princess Diana d'Orléans, Duchess of Cadaval, with her husband Prince Charles-Philippe d'Orléans. The Portuguese noblewoman wore the Cadaval Tiara, a tiara of diamonds and pearls she wore on her wedding day.

Qualifies as an A+ tiara turnout, I'd say! That's a good start to the week.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia at the Princess of Asturias Awards

For Queen Letizia's dress at year's Princess of Asturias Awards, Felipe Varela took last year's theme of intricate embroidery and turned it up to 11.

King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Queen Sofia attended the Princess of Asturias Awards on Friday.
House of HM the King

Letizia wore a brocade patchwork midi length dress featuring hand embroidery completed in thread with crystal and metal, using shades of dark blue, cerulean, slate, and nude.

House of HM the King

It almost has the look of embellished boiled leather, a dress of armor to give the fanciest costumes from Game of Thrones a run for their money. (It is not, however, a terribly stiff thing. You can see it in movement here; the skirt sways nicely.)

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There's not a single simple thing about this. Not even the hair, which is deceptively more complicated than a plain tucked behind the ears look; not even the earrings, nicely loaded with history as part of the joyas de pasar. One thing's undeniable, though: this is ART. Hundreds of hours of hand embroidery! She's wearing a museum piece.

Letizia also usually wears Varela to the concert that's held before the awards. She broke with that tradition this year, opting for an Emporio Armani dress.

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 It is black; it has a ruffle; it will not be remembered. (By me.) No matter, though.

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Because when you're rocking not only the big earrings from the joyas de pasar but the twin diamond bracelets, I'm not going to focus on much else anyway.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Meghan and Kate Also Go Green

Look at all these people clamoring to get in on green week around here, sheesh.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited 
Sussex yesterday.

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I like the concept of a green top + pencil skirt combo for Meghan and apparently she does, too, since she also used it for their trip to Ireland. The color difference between the shirt (from & Other Stories, a Swedish brand we've seen on Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Sofia) and the skirt (Hugo Boss) will probably get some twitchiness going for some of you I'm guessing, but I'll deal with it because I appreciate what a good texture contrast brings to the whole shebang.

The Duchess of Cambridge visited Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden yesterday.
Kensington Palace

Kate's back too, in her own combo of forest-y shades. Not a lot to talk about on the sartorial side of things - outdoor engagements with kids and all - but I know many of you have been waiting for her return from maternity leave with baited breath, so we won't omit her here.

Year in Review: The Duchess of Cambridge and Queen Máxima's Bests of 2017

I'm picking my best 2017 outfits from our most frequently featured royal ladies in a series of posts this week and next. I'll also have a post of favorites from other royal women. Make sure you hop down to the comments as we go along to share your own personal favorites - I'm paying attention, and maybe we'll do a thing...

These two ladies have two bests with one thing in common: NECKLACES, baby. The bigger the diamonds, the better.

The Duchess of Cambridge at the Diplomatic Reception

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I wouldn't normally consider something like this for my yearly best list. We can't even see the dress properly! (Though the lovely Heaven did receive confirmation that, as many suspected, it was a bespoke Jenny Packham gown.) But here's the thing: the best bit about Kate's sartorial output in 2017 was, for me, the new things she got to borrow from the Queen's jewel vault. And none gave me the jumpy claps more than her use of a basic diamond collet necklace - the height of opulence, while not overwhelming the design of any outfit. So I'll just stick my blue ribbon right on that car window and that'll be that.

Runners up:

• An Armani Collezioni suit made for one of her sleekest and most professional appearances of the year.
• Another blue sparkly Jenny Packham at the Royal Variety Performance was my favorite of her evening dresses this year - of those we could legit see, that is.

Queen Máxima at the State Banquet for the President and First Lady of Argentina

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Now this dress, on the other hand, is likely to make my best list every single time it appears. And Máxima topping her repeated Jan Taminiau princess dress with the ULTIMATE necklace from the family collection vaults it right into the top spot. Wearing the Stuart or House Diamond Necklace feels like one step towards a possible reappearance of that Stuart Tiara, though it's staggering all on its own. (Her jewel digging also unearthed the necklace of the Ruby Peacock Parure this year, for bonus points.)

Runners up:

• Her bold Taminiau caped dress on the second night of the state visit to Portugal actually beats out her tiara appearance on the first night for me, in hindsight.
• Wouldn't be a Máxima list without some serious sleeve-age, right? So obviously her turn at that popular Roksanda Ilincic dress nabs another spot.
• And...a jumpsuit?! Can it be? Honestly, black and white from Roland Mouret might have been her sleekest appearance of the year.

What were your favorite Catherine and Máxima outfits in 2017?

Royal Outfit Grab Bag of the Day: Kate and Victoria Take Requests

Ask, and we shall receive. (Sort of. Sometimes. Okay, practically none of the times.)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry opened The Global Academy yesterday.

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If you've ever wished that more royal ladies would dress like characters from The Good Wife (well, I've heard a lot of cries for more suits anyway), has Kate got a treat for you! This Armani Collezioni red skirt suit is very smart, very professional. She suited up when the royal men did not, how's that for a change of pace?

Crown Princess Victoria undertook an official trip to Japan this week.

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While we're answering requests, my hope that this generation of Swedish princesses would do a little more digging in Queen Silvia's closet has paid off in a most unexpected fashion. As The Royals and I pointed out, this polka dot dress was originally worn by Silvia in 1980 and could easily pass for a current design on Victoria today (in fact, as Sarah also noted, it's pretty similar this current Gucci design. The 1980s version is a fresher look than the new one, even...). What's old really is new again.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Máxima and Letizia's Extra Frills

Because there's always room for a little something extra, right?

For example, why just go with a simple sheath dress when you can throw on a feather duster?

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Queen Máxima opened the StudyPortals headquarters on Friday.

Bring one of these with you, and you never worry about discreetly brushing off the chair before you sit again! Handy.

And while we're at it, why go with a plain black velvet ensemble when you could toss a fan on top?

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King Felipe and Queen Letizia attended a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Japan during their state visit last week.

Queen Letizia hasn't reached Queen Silvia levels of tablecloth attachment - yet - though she is approaching placemat territory. This top and skirt is from Armani Privé Fall 2011, which is surprising on a couple levels, and it's obviously from a Japan-inspired collection. She also wore a pair of ruby and diamond earrings she's worn before (for her fabulous pre-princess appearance in Denmark, for one).

Armani Privé Fall 2011

Unnecessary frills? Yes. Are they both pulling them off? Also a YES from me.

Royal Dresses of the Day: July 26

Charlene's been getting her glam on. (Again! Keep it up, Char. We need the gowns now more than ever.)

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Prince Albert and Princess Charlene attended the annual Red Cross Ball

in Monaco on Saturday.

Purplish floaty glam is probably the best sort of glam, scientifically speaking. Just a bit gravity defying at the top and simple enough everywhere else to let that shine. Also, HELLO, take a pause for those earrings. Adding a couple of diamond waterfalls to your outfit can never be a bad thing.

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I feel, though, that the diamonds aren't the story here. (I KNOW.) It's the dress - or, more specifically, the dress designer, because Armani Privé is back! This is a bespoke design based on the Spring 2016 couture collection; you may remember the general idea from Queen Mathilde's debut of another such dress back at King Carl Gustaf's birthday bash.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene also attended the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation 3rd Annual Saint-Tropez Gala last week.

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And this is another recent Armani Privé look, a bespoke number from the Fall 2016 Couture collection, something a little more along the clean lines I usually expect to see Charlene wear.

Armani was Charlene's constant go-to for special events in the run up to her 2011 wedding and for that stupendous wedding gown. But then she took a sharp turn, swapping in Akris as the favorite, while Armani was nowhere to be found. This has always intrigued me. Were there just several collections in a row that she didn't care for, or did something else go down? It's a mystery. As long as Armani's back in play, I don't really care. It's just a good fit.

Royal Outfits of the Day: May 10

What's Queen Mathilde been up to since her practically tie-dyed appearance at Sweden's birthday bash?  More prints, pretty much.

May 2: Attending the Queen Elisabeth Competition for piano
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This is quite fun. Although if you told me this was the emblem of her favorite tropical resort where she's decided to take up a summer job at the front desk, I might believe you.

Dries van Noten, spotted by ModeKoningin Mathilde

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May 9: Again at the Queen Elisabeth Competition, this time with Princess Eleonore along

Having handed the pink print baton over to her youngest, Mathilde opted for a scenic view of her beloved tropical paradise. I see the logic in ending the print before ending the dress, but viewing from the top down is a bit like turning the last page in a book and finding it blank.

April 28: Christening a new ship for the Jan De Nul Group
Royal Palace

Prints and some texture, just for variety. (This was actually before leaving for Sweden.) This is precisely what I meant when I said her dress is Sweden was lacking a bit of the structure we usually see in her Armani Privé outfits, by the way. This one could double as a Star Trek uniform - in the sleekest and coolest possible way. Chic.

Royal Fashion Awards: King Carl Gustaf's Birthday Banquet, Part 2

We're looping back to King Carl Gustaf's big 70th birthday tiara bash this weekend, to take a closer look at a few of the guests we didn't spend much time with on the day itself. Big tiaras and bright dresses deserve proper attention, after all. Our Royal Fashion Awards, continued:

Swirliest Purple Dream

Queen Mathilde

Photo: Sofia Svanholm, used with permission

I am not surprised that Mathilde has stuck to new Armani Privé outfits for big royal events, yet I am also surprised that this was the result. It's lacking in a bit of the structure we usually see from her Armani ensembles, and I kind of want a belt of some sort in there. It's a swirly purple princess dream of a dress anyway, and this is an excellent use of the Wolfers Necklace Tiara. If there was ever a tiara made for wearing with your hair down, this is it.

Armani Privé Spring 2016 runway (Vogue)

(I'm not sure the designer has officially been confirmed, but as ModeKoningin Mathilde also points out, the same fabric was used on the Armani Privé Spring 2016 runway. Mathilde's creation would have been bespoke.)

Best in Yacht Wear

Princess Benedikte

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We saw this dress at Queen Margrethe's own birthday banquet last year, when I declared it Best in Beach Cover-Up Gravitas. Takes on a whole new meaning when one is descending from one's royal yacht on the way to the Royal Palace, doesn't it?

In 2015, for Queen Margrethe's birthday (DR)

For the Swedish birthday banquet, Benedikte wore Queen Sophia's Star and Pearl Tiara. I love this tiara, but it occurs to me that this is really a testament to Benedikte's tiara-wearing skillz. It's spiky and spaced out, and that's no easy combo to pull off. She's a pro.

Brightest Change of Pace

Princess Hisako of Takamado

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Freed from the range of pastels often mandated for important tiara events at home, Hisako didn't just pick a color, she picked a COLOR. I don't know who else would pick acid green, and I don't know how else could pull it off quite so well. Bless her, she really committed to her bright palette for the whole day.

Photo: Sofia Svanholm, used with permission

Curious tiara though, right? It's like your standard wreath tiara in bandeau form, but then it has ears. Huh.

Best in Tiara Power, Part 1

Hereditary Princess Sophie

Photo: Sofia Svanholm, used with permission

I love Liechtenstein's Habsburg Fringe Tiara (it is indeed the fringiest fringe that ever fringed), and I love Sophie's commitment to wearing it (it's not the only tiara she's ever worn, but it is the one we've seen her wear to every recent big royal event). She also has a commitment to wearing this dress, apparently - she wore it to the dinner before King Willem-Alexander's inauguration, which I think was the last big international tiara event she attended.

Best in Tiara Power, Part 2

Princess Beatrix

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Also BRINGING IT: Beatrix in the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara! I'm ever so glad to know that her "retirement" doesn't mean that she's hung up the big guns for good. I wouldn't mind if she hung up this dress for good, but as long as I can convince myself that those are mini pizzas marching up the trim, it can stay.

Many thanks to Sofia for allowing use of her lovely photos! Check out her recap of the day here, and more photos here.

Royal Flashback of the Day: April 22

Birthday week - month! - continues with the second part of our flashback to the glorious royal-filled white tie banquet celebrating the King of Sweden's 60th birthday in 2006. We tackled the monarch generation; now we tackle the heir generation. The then-heir generation, actually, because a lot has changed in ten years.

The heir couples of the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, and the Crown Princess of Denmark with Prince Carl Philip, Princess Madeleine, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden
Photo: The Royal Court

For the Swedish family, this was a perfect time capsule of this era in their royal style (right down to Queen Silvia's green shoulder scrunchie). 

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Especially Victoria, who loved those dresses with this type of fitted top, spaghetti or skinny strap, and a train. The styles have changed, but the tiaras haven't: Princess Madeleine's favorite is still the Modern Fringe Tiara, and Crown Princess Victoria's signature is still the Baden Fringe Tiara.

Earlier this year, we flashed back to King Harald's birthday celebrations in 2007, where Princess Mathilde took over a similar group shot with her confetti skirt. One year earlier, it was her twin Máxima doing just the same, arising from a pouf of red tulle by Benito Fernandez to showcase the Mellerio Ruby Tiara.

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Crown Princess Mary, attending without her Fred, borrowed Máxima's date. She also should have borrowed a bit of her pizzazz, because this dress is the blerghiest of blerghs, a non-color that doesn't do her own coloring any favors. Her Wedding Tiara is practically invisible, but her aquamarine jewels remain a highlight.

Outside of the group photo, I do adore Princess Marie-Chantal and her diamond fringe tiara, which is one of the best fringes around in the classic style. I also have a soft spot for her style overall...

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...although I do think there should be limits on the amount of bodice clutter allowed when a sash is in play.

There are more guests to be spotted in the brief video below, including Princess Lilian, the King's sisters, and representatives from Jordan.

And with that bit of royal spotting, we wrap up our King CG 60th flashbacks! We're ready to go for this year's events in a week. The Norwegian and Danish courts have confirmed that most of their members will attend (Harald, Sonja, Haakon, Mette-Marit, Märtha Louise, Ari, Margrethe, Frederik, Mary, Benedikte), Mathilde and Philippe will reportedly attend again, a Spanish rep, the Romanians, and maybe more. Attendance is still being confirmed.

Royal Fashion Awards: National Day in Monaco

That Monaco bunch, they sure know how to give us some stuff to talk about on National Day. It's their big annual day in the sartorial sun, and they make it worth our while. Just a few awards of note from the day events (which includes a cathedral service followed by appearances at the palace):

Best in Time Travel

Princess Charlene in Akris

View image | gettyimages.com

You know how sometimes you go to your closet in the morning and you find yourself torn between sleekness of your Star Trek uniforms and the flair of your 1920s throwbacks? Happens all the time. Well guess what, kids: PROBLEM SOLVED.

View image | gettyimages.com

Also: What to do when National Day just can't handle your new pixie cut? HAIR PRISON, that's what. This ensemble is a problem solver all around. And unexpectedly caps lock-y, too.

On the balcony with Jacques and Gabriella, who will celebrate their first birthdays soon.
See a video here.

Most Froof

Princess Caroline in Chanel

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And you thought Valentino was the only one with a dust ruffle fetish. The fabric gives this one the gravitas it needs, ruffles and all. (Also, the anti-froof: Princess Stephanie! A surprise front runner in simple but bold red.)

Best Play on My Weaknesses

Beatrice Borromeo

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With Pierre Casiraghi, a thrown together Charlotte Casiraghi, and a lovely Princess Alexandra

Granted, I have major weaknesses for Beatrice's style and for recent royal brides and for pink earrings, but I think she wins the day regardless. This is a chic ensemble (which I suspect is Armani, and which amusingly sports a dust ruffle of its own), nicely done without being overly done. It leaves the flash to the Köchert earrings Beatrice wore for her civil wedding, which were reported to have been a gift from Princess Caroline. Magnificent.

The earrings in morganite, diamonds, and white gold, by Köchert. If they were mine, I'd wear them everywhere too...

Click here for a gallery of the day's events, including the Duchess of Castro solving the age-old problem of which black and white pattern is best by opting for all of them. 

Photos: via Getty Images, Bunte video, Köchert