Royal Outfits of the Day: Festive Skirts with Mary and Kate

'Tis the season for tartans and tweeds.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted a party for families of military personnel deployed in Cyprus this week.

Kensington Palace

'Tis especially the season for red skirt versions and 'tis the trend to make them midi length.

Emilia Wickstead skirt, worn with a Brora cardigan

Pair them with a cashmere cardi and some boots for a little casual Christmas party fun...

Crown Princess Mary marked the UN's International Day Of Persons With Disabilities this week.

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Or dress them up with a belted blazer and pumps...

Alexander McQueen Frayed Tweed Midi Skirt

Any way you want to do it, it's festive perfection. Well played to them both.

Breaking Tiara News of the Day: Queen Letizia Debuts Another Tiara

Making breaking tiara news twice in one year! Way to go, Letizia.

The King and Queen of Spain hosted a state banquet today for the President and first lady of China during their state visit to Spain.

House of HM the King

On the heels of her debut of the Cartier Diamond and Pearl Tiara earlier this year, Queen Letizia has worn for the first time the other large diamond and pearl tiara lurking in the vaults: Queen Maria Christina’s Cartier Loop Tiara, last worn by Queen Sofia. (As always, click the tiara name for more on its history.)

House of HM the King

Letizia repeated the superb black velvet Felipe Varela dress she wore when debuting the big Fleur de Lys Tiara, and once again it proves to be the perfect backdrop for a mega tiara and a smattering of other major diamonds: the earrings and twin bracelets from the joyas de pasar.

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Also much like her debut of the big Fleur de Lys Tiara? This major diadem WORKS for her. She carries it - and styles it (did I tell you how much I love this dress?) - just right. And needless to say, she's welcome to keep up this string of debuts as long as she likes.

The Queen accompanied the first lady for events earlier in the day.

House of HM the King

Earlier in the day, the Queen made some headlines for a less fancy choice: an ASOS dress with floral and bird embroidery that costs just $119.

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It's cute!

The previous day, the King and Queen hosted the presidential couple for a private dinner.

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While we're catching up on the state visit, one of those delectable diamond bracelets appeared yesterday with another repeated Felipe Varela dress. Wear 'em as often as possible, Queen L. As often as possible.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia and Mathilde

Just a couple of queens, going about their queenly business.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia started a state visit to Peru yesterday.

House of HM the King

Unfortunately for Letizia, that queenly business isn't quite as glam on this state visit as it would be back home; they didn't have a big fancy state banquet. (And when I say unfortunately for Letizia, I mean unfortunately for us.) Letizia has a new Carolina Herrera dress and it is fine. Stripes! What's not to like?

The King and Queen attended the Valencian Economy Night last week.

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I'll get some jewels in here somehow, don't you worry. Letizia's black diamond earrings and the bracelets from the joyas de pasar spiced up her repeated Hugo Boss jumpsuit at this previous event. That's how you do it.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde commemorated the centenary of the armistice with events including a special Last Post ceremony and a concert with the Canadian Governor General as a guest.

Belgian Monarchy

Belgian Monarchy

Queen Mathilde's always going to look sharp when she needs to, she's got this down pat. Her green concert outfit is a repeat, but I'm here for any time she wants to throw in some accent accessories. The blush pink shoes and bag make the look for me.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Earrings & Lace with Mary & Kate

Finishing the week with two ladies who unknowingly coordinated on the same fabulous theme: mega earrings with lotsa lace.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Tusk Conservation Awards last night.

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It's baaaaaack! Kate finally repeated the Jenny Packham teal dress that's been a fan favorite ever since she wore it in 2012. Still a fan favorite?

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The first appearance, at the Team GB gala in 2012.

I'm gonna say yes, with the caveat that I miss the updo. She gave it a MAJOR earring upgrade this time, going from faux stones to Diamond Chandelier Earrings on loan from the Queen - but you can only see them in select pictures from the night. (Also, remember the back? Crime to cover that up, really.)

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary attended a dinner as their tour of Italy continued this week.

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Mary's right in step, making her contribution with a Dolce & Gabbana basic black lace dress. (Italian designers for an Italian trip, see. She also wore some Armani.) And she's still doing her part to further the Purple Is The New Black cause, bless.

Shabana Earrings by Amrita Singh

Also doing her part for today's mega earring theme! Not mega in value, perhaps, but about as mega in scale as you can get. Maybe would've preferred something with a silver tone to go with the purple, though? 

During their trip, the crown princely couple had an audience with the Pope.

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This one works with our theme too. Mary stuck to the traditional choices when visiting the Vatican, black with a veil. Traditional jewelry, even, adding a brooch and wearing pearl and diamond earrings. I detect a collar clash between her coat and shirt, but the rest of this is pretty solid.

Royal Dress of the Day: Princess Beatrice's Sparkly Bow

Always good to start the week with something sparkly n' glam.

Princess Beatrice attended the 9th Annual Global Gift Gala on Friday.

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Gucci's been doing these trompe l'oeil bows for a while now, with varying degrees of success. The dress Beatrice picked is absolutely one of the better deployments of the faux bow design - the sequin embellishment brings all the interest to what would otherwise be a very boring gown. Well chosen, I think.

Gucci contrast bow-tied maxi dress from the Pre-Fall 2018 collection

Royal Outfits of the Day: Letizia Also Brought the Jewels

While we were busy in tiaraland, Queen Letizia threw out a notable jewel appearance of her own.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia welcomed the President of Germany to Spain last week.

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This strand of large pearls with a big diamond clasp is another piece from the joyas de pasar; the Russian set of pearls was given by Alfonso XII to his bride, Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, as a wedding present in 1878. Queen Letizia paired the historic pearls with an outfit from Hugo Boss. (Boss, in addition to being one of Letizia's regulars, is a German company, so a bit of a nod to the guests.)

House of HM the King

Huzzah for Letizia with the big time jewels and all. It's just that I don't really think this works for her. Nothing against a strand of pearls, but this ensemble is a stuffy combination. Doesn't feel very...Letizia.

The King and Queen also attended the Francisco Cerecedo Journalism Awards.

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We need to close out with something back on the sleeker side, like so. This is night and day in every way from the German event above. Note the white heel on the shoes to coordinate with the black and white Carolina Herrera dress, a great styling choice.

Tiara Watch of the Day: And Now for Norway

Tiara Week continues! The Norwegian royal family hosted their annual gala dinner for parliament last night, and it might actually be the best showing of Norwegian tiaras in quite some time?! I mean, when it comes to my personal favorites for each lady, at least.

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Queen Josephine's Diamond Tiara is my favorite of the tiaras worn by Queen Sonja, and she delivered it with a whole bunch of extra diamonds for good measure. (Even a piece out of another tiara: the brooch I believe is one of the crosses from the Malteser Tiara.) With a soft and swishy pink skirt, this look's a winner.

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Princess Astrid wore the Vasa Tiara, an absolute classic that's maybe my fave from her eclectic collection. (I do have a certain affection for Queen Maud's Turquoise Tiara, though.) After many years of what felt like nothin' but the Diamond Daisy Tiara, I'm really enjoying Crown Princess Mette-Marit's newfound affection for the Amethyst Necklace Tiara and its parure. This dress is her best gala one in a while, too - a sophisticated spin on her beloved ruffles.

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It is also just nice to see her, plain and simple, after the news the Crown Princess shared this week. After years of health issues, she and Crown Prince Haakon went public with her diagnosis of chronic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. They chose to share because it will sometimes affect her workload. Haakon, Mette-Marit, and Mette-Marit's doctor discussed her condition; they said that the cause is unknown, that she was diagnosed early, and that they're optimistic about her prognosis. We definitely wish her all the best.

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: Swedish Royals at Parliament & More

It was Sweden's turn to open parliament this week, with the Swedish royal family present as always.

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The ladies do a black and white (and shades thereof, in this case) dress code, which is reminiscent of the black and white court dress worn decades ago. This year that led to Crown Princess Victoria wearing a Paule Ka top she's worn previously to this same event. I'm half wishing Princess Sofia's jacket had a beige bottom, thereby completing the fake out crop top effect. Just for kicks.

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The looks were likewise tame for the evening's concert. Feels a little more day attire than it usually does, really just shiny fabrics here to differentiate. Except for Victoria's metallic Escada dress, which has been worn multiple times in the past.

Kungl. Hovstaterna

While we're in Sweden: Princess Sofia attended a board meeting for Sophiahemmet yesterday and this look might have caught my eye more than the parliament stuff did. Nothing says cozy like a giant smocked velvet turtleneck, amirite? Cozy or claustrophobic, depending on your turtleneck tolerance. You be the judge.

Top by Rodebjer, per UFO No More

Royal Outfit of the Day: Meghan Flies Solo at the Royal Academy

The Duchess of Sussex opened the "Oceania" exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts last night, her first solo engagement.

Kensington Palace

I must confess, when I first saw this outfit on the Duchess' arrival via some Twitter videos, I wrote it off with a yawn. Yet another black outfit. Moving on.

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But I must also confess that I wrote it off way too soon. (One of the downsides of the rush for first looks on social media, really.) This is one that gets more interesting with a closer look.

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The contrasting fabric makes this Givenchy look: a velvet panel, the belt, and the sheer sleeves. Her favorite Aquazzura pumps and Birks diamond earrings are solid choices too. Might not be a look I'll remember, but it's getting the job done nicely. I formally retract my yawn and replace it with a satisfied nod.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Swedish Royals Host the Sweden Dinner

King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, and Princess Sofia were on hand Friday to host the annual "Sweden Dinner" at the palace. The dinner honors guests making contributions in different areas from all around the country.

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My hands-down fave here: Victoria. Looooooove this off the shoulder look for her. Sure, I'd ditch the watch and go with some strappy sandals - there's always room for a quibble or two - but it's very pretty. It's a fairly inexpensive choice for her too, $273 from By Malina.

By Malina Othelia dress

I realize some may find this a little too informal when there are men in tuxes. For that, though, you must consider the context of the event:

Henrik Garlöv/Kungahuset.se

Guests wear business suits, tuxedos, short dresses, long dresses, traditional dresses, and so on. A lot of different walks of life represented here. So it works for me.

Henrik Garlöv/Kungahuset.se

In that context, then, it appears that Queen Silvia's motto for the evening was simply to be seen. Print on print, texture on texture, color on color. It's...a look, alright.

Henrik Garlöv/Kungahuset.se

In comparison, Princess Sofia's shimmering pink seems incredibly tame. We previously saw this Stylein dress all tiara'd up; is it missing something without the extra sparkle? I vote yes.

Royal Style Twins of the Day: Meghan and Letizia's Tuxedo Dresses

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a gala performance of Hamilton in London last night, benefiting Sentebale.

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The Sussexes returned to the scene with a rare royal engagement that I would actually volunteer for: a special Hamilton performance! (Harry even got the crowd going by singing a bit of King George III's part in his speech after the show.)

Judith & Charles Digital dress

It was a tuxedo dress from Canadian label Judith & Charles for Meghan. That's a classic choice but an overall look that was missing some sort of finishing touch for me. (Don't ask me what finishing touch, I'm not a helpful person. Just...something? Yeah. That's clear.)

Never fear, though, we have another royal stab at the tuxedo dress just waiting in the archives for this comparison opportunity:

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Back in 2013, still in her Princess of Asturias days, Queen Letizia donned a dress much the same, which is no surprise at all since a tuxedo dress is an idea that's been done a million times. Letizia added some earring and shoe shine - maybe that's the elusive finishing touch - to pick up the shinier lapel of her Felipe Varela version.

What's interesting to me is that both designers used a similar length. I suppose Meghan's look will cause a bit of pearl-clutching for finishing above the knee, but I have to agree with the designers: this look really does need a shorter length. I'm no big fan of these dresses to start with because they give me late 80s/early 90s flashbacks (and, yes, Diana comparisons), so the shortness is key to keeping it fresh.

Breaking Jewel News: A New Tiara for Princess Marie

Fall state visit season kicked off with a surprise! And from one of the people who needed some additional tiara variety the most, doubling the good news at hand here.

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That's right, tiaras were out in Denmark this evening as the Danish royal family hosted a state banquet for the President and First Lady of France during their state visit, and Princess Marie - French herself, you know - used it as an occasion to debut a NEW TIARA!!!! (Caps and exclamation points entirely necessary.) The tiara appears to be an intricate floral design with a central blue stone, looks like sapphire. I don't place it as one from the Danish vaults; perhaps it is a new acquisition (just speculation). Princess Marie and Prince Joachim did celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary earlier this year.

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Marie almost always wears her Diamond Floral Tiara, so a little variety is great news for her. (She supposedly has use of the Flora Danica Tiara as well, but she's only worn it once.) This is a winner of an appearance all around - that's the best gala dress she's worn in a long time, definitely best of the year level. Heaven at Princess Marie's Closet confirms it is from Rikke Gudnitz.

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No one else was slacking in the gem department for this state visit from the late Prince Henrik's home country, either. Queen Margrethe chose the Pearl Poire Tiara and picked up the red sash of France's Legion of Honor with a set of diamonds, rubies, and pearls (necklace, earrings, brooch) from the Danish crown jewels.

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Crown Princess Mary wore the Danish Ruby Parure Tiara, which is still a rare choice for her for a state visit, although she's been using it more frequently. Her dress is a revamped repeat; she added an over the shoulder sash to an existing Lasse Spagenberg dress. I love the tiara and I loved that dress the first time around, but together...this is not working for me. Combined with the blue of the French National Order of Merit, there's just too much going on.

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And finally, a floaty floral Princess Benedikte added her two sparkly cents with her own largest tiara option, the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara. You know I never say no to a good fringe.

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Here's the arrival. Always such a comedown when I stick that after the gowns n' sparkle. Sorry, arrival looks. It's not your fault. This is interesting, though: Mary's dress is also owned by Crown Princess Mette-Marit. And maybe some more once word gets out, I can think of a number of royal ladies who go for this style right now.


UPDATE: Princess Marie's new tiara is a mystery no more! Heaven at Princess Marie's Closet discovered the details. Called the "Nuits Claires" Tiara, it was a collaboration between French jeweler Mauboussin, who wanted to make a royal tiara, and Princess Marie, who was a part of the design process. The tiara is made of palladium white gold and features a floral background of diamonds and sapphires, with a central pear-shaped 6.82 carat sapphire. Mauboussin owns the tiara and will loan it to Marie for gala occasions, similar to the arrangement behind the Midnight Tiara worn by Crown Princess Mary. Princess Marie also wore a matching ring on loan from Mauboussin. Her earrings are not part of the set; she has been wearing them for a few years now.

Check out full details and pictures from Princess Marie's Closet here!

EXCLUSIVE: Mauboussin sent me a photo of Princess Marie’s ‘Nuits Claires’ tiara (Lyse Nœtter Diademet) with a press release pic.twitter.com/BpweSXDM2d

— HeavenLM (@HeavenQRF) August 30, 2018

Royal Outfit of the Day: Meghan's Wedding Birthday

The Duchess of Sussex celebrated her birthday over the weekend by attending the wedding of Charlie van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks with Prince Harry.

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That'll do! I know some people love to clutch those pearls about a darker color at a wedding, but...meh. This dress seems so lightweight - at least it has great movement through the pleated skirt in all the pictures - it's 100% summer to me. The color blocking does enough to keep the color light. Anyway, any day Harry leaves the butter yellow waistcoat behind is a good day.

Club Monaco

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank were also there.

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And...that'll also do, I guess! Pretty basic there. I see we've got plenty of members of #TeamShades, that's always a plus. Even #TeamFunkyShades for Eugenie. (Funky only on a royal scale, mind you.)

Royal Event of the Day: National Day in Belgium

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The Belgian royal family was front and center this weekend to celebrate Belgium's National Day, which also marked the fifth anniversary of King Philippe taking the throne. (We covered the new portraits they released for the occasion last week.) They marked the event with a fair bit of family coordination and a fair few prints.

Royal Palace

But we'll start with Queen Mathilde's single color entry to the weekend's sartorial lineup, a Natan dress with Fabienne Delvigne hat. It's a pretty solid addition to her file of National Day looks. Although I do think the hat seems precariously perched in many shots. A tilt too far.

Princess Eléonore, Prince Gabriel, Princess Elisabeth, and Prince Emmanuel
Royal Palace

Combined with their mother, Princesses Elisabeth and Eléonore very nearly form a royal rendition of the black, yellow, and red Belgian flag. Which makes me extra glad for the lovely floral embellishment on Elisabeth's dress, just to keep things from being too literal.

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Prince Lorenz, Princess Astrid, Prince Laurent, Princess Claire

Princess Claire's commitment to red and white matched her sister-in-law Mathilde's commitment to the color, though I think Claire's look might have benefited from a solid color hat.

Royal Palace

One quick outfit change later, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde headed to the park for more National Day fun. I said it wouldn't be shocking if this green dress turned up in another royal closet, and here it is! We first saw this L.K.Bennett print on Princess Sofia.

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Mathilde was also mad for print at two pre-National Day activities. Yes, that's a jumpsuit up there, and...

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...yes, that's unmistakably an Erdem up there. Ruffles and shine and flowers and a high neckline, not unlike the divisive Erdem evening dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge in Sweden in January. I don't know if this one is better or if I've just accepted this trend as our new reality, but I'm not minding Mathilde's version. I'm sure you'll set me straight in the comments.