Royal Outfits of the Day: Máxima's Double Event Monday

Queen Máxima doubled up on her events on Monday. She also doubled up on her outfits, and doubled up on her experiments in balancing volume.

Queen Máxima opened the Theater De Blauwe Kei during a visit to CHV Noordkade.

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This dress has a little bit of interest on the one side, sort of a built-in shawl turning into a flowy ruffly thing (please try to keep up with my technical terminology). It's not a particularly voluminous dress, so it's well-matched to a bigger brimmed hat. There's balance here. Throw in a pair of swinging aquamarine earrings and you've got a winner.

She also attended the G20 Workshop of the Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion.

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On the other hand, pairing a voluminous floral blouse with a voluminous pair of culottes is...well. This one fell right off the balance beam, didn't it.

Royal Outfit of the Day: The Return of Queen Máxima

Queen Máxima's back from her summer vacation, and she has a big announcement for us:

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King Willem-Alexander presented the Military William Order on Friday, with Queen Máxima present.

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Her sleeves had a summer growth spurt! Bless. Welcome back, Máx.

Tuesday Tidbits for August 14: Engagements and Couture and More

Here we go:

--The engagement of Princess Ayako of Takamado, daughter of Princess Hisako and the late Prince Takamodo (a cousin of Emperor Akihito), with Kei Moriya is moving forward. The traditional official betrothal ceremony, called Nosai no Gi, was recently held. During the ceremony, a representative of the fiancé visited the Takamado residence and presented Ayako with traditional gifts including sea bream fish, sake, and rolls of silk. New photos of the couple were also released. [Japan Times, Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

Imperial Household Agency

--Meanwhile, I feel bad for Princess Mako. The status of the engagement between the Emperor's granddaughter and Kei Komuro is murky at best; after a delay reportedly caused by a financial dispute in his family, he's just left for law school in New York City and there are reports that the prospective groom has been told to present a "life plan" by Mako's parents. [Telegraph, Mainichi]

--Here's some cuteness: Princess Beatrix and wee King Willem-Alexander, pictured 50 years ago in the garden at Drakensteyn Castle.

A post shared by Koninklijk Huis (@koninklijkhuis) on Aug 9, 2018 at 2:49am PDT

--Ooh this is right up our alley, and an enjoyable read: "The Countess of Derby shows us her couture - and introduces us to her personal couturier." [Tatler]

--The picture in the article is the cherry on top of this hmm... sundae: "A French-born aristocrat is suing France for €351m (£313m) in damages, claiming it tricked his family out of inheriting the throne of Monaco." [Guardian]

--And finally, I very much dig this Garbo hat on Princess Beatrice, worn to accompany her grandmother to church this weekend. The Queen's brooch has been covered at the Jewel Vault, of course. [Sun]

Coming up this week: Mary gave us a couple things to discuss, at least...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy! 

Royal Dress of the Day: Princess Mabel's Wedding Gown, Revisited

Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau, wife of the late Prince Friso, one of King Willem-Alexander's brothers, celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday. Seems like a perfect time to revisit her first big royal sartorial splash: her wedding gown. I can't think of another one that so accurately introduced a royal bride's style, because not only the designers but also the main motif and the general sense of quirkiness all became her signatures. That main motif is, of course, BOWS.

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Mabel Wisse Smit married Prince Johan Friso on April 24, 2004 in a gown by Dutch couturiers Viktor & Rolf. She requested something memorable and was interested in a three-dimensional train detail. They came up with a dress that featured 248 handmade crepe georgette bows, a favorite detail of the design duo: 128 bows on the skirt, 85 on the bodice, and 35 on the train.

Blauw Bloed screencap

The bows are graduated in size, beginning with tiny bows at the shoulders and growing to massive bows at the end of the 3.15 meter (10'4") train.

Blauw Bloed screencap

The bateau neckline and belted waist give the dress a flattering shape and it's a true piece of couture art, very cleverly made so that the ribbon lattice pattern behind the bows covers the seams. The gown is crafted from snow white double-faced duchesse satin and took more than 600 hours to make.

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The bride kept her veil short (wouldn't want to cover up any of those bows!), and topped it with a diamond tiara that borrows its larger stones from the top of the Dutch Sapphire Tiara. The tiara has an intriguingly two-dimensional look in a photo, with a lot of sparkle when seen in action. It has remained Mabel's top tiara pick in the years since.

The wedding dress was just the beginning of Princess Mabel's quirky royal sartorial statements, most also by Viktor & Rolf (and often featuring those beloved bows), but there's a lot more behind the fashion. Mabel herself is an accomplished and committed activist and philanthropist who has worked with organizations like The Elders and Girls Not Brides. Her marriage to Prince Friso began with controversy; the marriage was not submitted for the official parliament consent required for Prince Friso to retain his place in line to the throne because the couple were not entirely forthcoming in response to government inquiries about past contact between Mabel and Klaas Bruinsma, a drug lord and organized crime figure. Friso gave up his spot in the line of succession as well as his title as a Prince of the Netherlands when they married. He retained the Orange-Nassau title.

Sadly, tragedy was ahead: Prince Friso was trapped in an avalanche while skiing in Austria in 2012. He remained in a coma until he passed away the following year. Princess Mabel now continues her activist work while raising the couple's two daughters and seems to have a great support system in the Dutch royal family. She appears to be particularly close to her mother-in-law, Princess Beatrix.

Princess Mabel's wedding gown is currently on display in Rotterdam as part of an exhibition celebrating 25 years of Viktor & Rolf. As a premiere client (and a friend; she recently attended Rolf Snoeren's wedding), she opened the exhibition. She shared in her opening speech that Prince Friso, who was an engineer, had been fascinated by the construction of the gown.

On the left, the dress Princess Mabel wore to Prince Friso's memorial
Blauw Bloed screencap

The wedding dress is poignantly displayed at the exhibition alongside a dress of mourning, first worn by Mabel in a long length to King Willem-Alexander's inauguration and then made shorter for Friso's memorial service. It is another Viktor & Rolf design, the white sleeve and bow echoing the wedding dress that started it all.

Viktor & Rolf: Fashion Artists 25 Years is at The Kunsthal museum in Rotterdam through September 30, 2018.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Seeing Double with Máxima and Mathilde

Our most consistent royal style twins are back at it again.

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Queen Mathilde and King Philippe paid a visit to Windsor Castle last weekend, where Mathilde sported a lovely, soft dress with a scattered print and a soft green purse. That dress, though, was a double take from one we'd already seen:

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Queen Máxima wore it for an engagement in Utrecht last month, also pulling some sage out for some of her accessories. Or she wore a version of the dress, I should say; the designer has differentiated between these twin queens by gathering Mathilde's print at the hem and Máxima's at the waist. The designer, of course, is Natan.

But don't make your judgement call on which version is best just yet. There's yet another option to consider:

Royal Palace

The Belgian monarchy released new official photos to mark five years of King Philippe's reign, and Mathilde's wearing the same dress - just with a whole different top. A collar, looks like a button down, plus straight sleeves. (Also making me see double: the Law & Order strut toward the camera pose, not unlike the one used by the Dutch royal family for the portraits they released for their own fifth anniversary earlier this year.)

Which collar? Which pattern arrangement? To hat or not to hat? One dress, so many options. Sometimes this twin act turns into grown up Fashion Plates. Maybe that's their master plan.

While we're at it, the rest of those fifth anniversary portraits:

Royal Palace

King Philippe, looking stately. Belgium, as always, trying to win my heart with their purple sashes. (It's the Order of Leopold.)

Royal Palace

Máxima owns this dress, too, plus another in the same fabric style.

Royal Palace

And finally, awwwww.

P.S.: Yes, I know some of you are unhappy that we have not had a Tiara Thursday feature in a while. The feature isn't dead, and your patience is appreciated.

Tuesday Tidbits for July 17: Summer Family Fun

Summer always brings quality royal family time. For example:

--The Danish crown princely family disappeared for a while there (summer vacation, I assumes), but now they're at Gråsten Palace, the royal family's summer residence. Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, and the kids popped out to the gates to greet riders participating in an equestrian event. [YouTube]

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--A family appearance for the Dutch royals too, as King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and the A-team did their annual summer photocall. I like this denim dress on Máx.

RVD/Albert Nieboer

--Over at the Jewel Vault: the long-awaited debut of one of QEII's newer brooches!

--And finally, the photos from Prince Louis' christening were released. You can check them out at Kensington Palace's Instagram page.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jul 16, 2018 at 2:00am PDT

Coming up this week: A birthday in Sweden, and more...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy! 

Monday Tidbits for July 9: Upcoming Sparkle and More

Let's go:

--A promising announcement from last week: King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will make a state visit to the United Kingdom, visiting the British royal family on October 23 and 24! Bring on the bling. Interested in what past Dutch/U.K. visits have brought in the sparkle department? Check out them out at the Jewel Vault: Britain visits the Netherlands in 1958, the Netherlands visits Britain in 1972 and again in 1982, and a couple official visits from Britain to the Netherlands.

--Crown Princess Victoria was named Öland Inhabitant of the Year in a ceremony at Solliden Palace, the Swedish royal family's summer home on the island. Victoria and her mother wore the folk dress of the area, which we also see them wear during Victoria's annual birthday celebrations.

Kungahuset.se

--Wimbledon is underway and the daily watch of the royal box is ongoing. Here's an interview with the Duchess of Kent, who presented the trophies for many years. Among the Wimbledon memories shared are her thoughts on the moment she famously comforted Jana Novotná in 1993.

For those of you who missed my exclusive interview with HRH The Duchess of Kent yesterday, here it is in full...#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/wW60fnaZjF

— Simon McCoy (@BBCSimonMcCoy) July 3, 2018

--Just a lovely picture of the Princess Royal at the Highland Theological College Graduation Ceremony and Foundation Day, that's all. Nice when one's robes work out to match one's dress.

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on Jul 6, 2018 at 7:25am PDT

--And finally, it was Holyrood Week over at the Jewel Vault. Highlights included a garden party, a lovely repeat outfit, and the splendor of the Order of the Thistle Service.

Coming up this week: Prince Louis' christening is today and you know we'll have coverage of that, plus other stuff...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy! 

Tuesday Tidbits: Beginnings and Endings and Puppies

 Here we go:

--ICYMI, we wrapped up Days 4 and 5 of Royal Ascot over at the Jewel Vault, with appearances by Princess Beatrice, Princess Haya, Autumn Phillips, and Lady Sarah Chatto. (Day 4 here, Day 5 here.) Also, there was polo and the return of the Duke of Edinburgh.

--Sadly, the Danish royal court announced that Princess Elisabeth passed away on June 19 at the age of 83. Princess Elisabeth was the daughter of Hereditary Prince Knud and Hereditary Princess Caroline-Mathilde. Unlike her brothers, who lost their places in the line of succession and their titles when they married without official consent, Elisabeth never married and retained her title and place in the line to the throne. The Princess was often seen at the annual New Year gala banquet and other family events. Her funeral was held yesterday, with first cousins Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne-Marie in attendance. She will be laid to rest next to her partner, Danish director Claus Hermansen, with whom she lived for many years until his death in 1997. [Hello, Instagram]

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Princess Elisabeth in 2004, wearing Princess Thyra's Sapphire Tiara

--Zara and Mike Tindall welcomed their second child on June 18, a baby girl. The new addition joins daughter Mia. [BBC]

--The Cambridges announced a date and time for the christening of Prince Louis: July 9, to be held at the Chapel Royal, St. James' Palace, at 4 pm.

--Speaking of the Cambridges, Prince William is currently on an official visit to Jordan, Israel, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. He was greeted in Jordan by Crown Prince Hussein, acting as regent while his parents are on a trip of their own, and the two hung out and watched England's World Cup match on delay. He is now in Israel, where his activities will include paying his respects at the grave of his great-grandmother, Princess Alice. [ITV]

Kensington Palace

--And finally: PUPPIES! Seven Labrador puppies were born at Villa Eikenhorst, home of King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, and their family. They announced on social media that the family's dog, Nala, had three females and four males. They'll keep one and find homes for the other six when the puppies get a bit older.

HM the King

Coming up this week: The Sussexes will be out and about today so we'll have that, and more...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy! 

Monday Tidbits for June 11: Birthdays and Anniversaries

ICYMI, on Saturday we covered Trooping the Colour and on Friday we covered Princess Adrienne's christening. This weekend was also packed with some big birthdays and anniversaries, but first, some sad news:

--I expect you have already heard this tragic news: Inés Zorreguieta, younger sister of Queen Máxima, passed away at the age of 33. A spokesperson for the Dutch government information service said it was likely a suicide. Inés Zorreguieta was one of her sister's bridesmaids and was godmother to Princess Ariane. Arriving last night for the Dutch royal couple's planned state visit to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania - which he will now undertake alone - King Willem-Alexander said: "The death has been a big shock to us and has very much taken us in. Inés was unique and deeply dear to us, so the grief is great." I hope the family gets the privacy they need at this sad time. [BBC, NOS]

--We're going to make a hard pivot now to a much happier subject: BOOKS. Crown Princess Mette-Marit was in her happy place last week on her annual literature train tour, riding through scenic Norway and talking about books. (So, living the dream.) She shared this lovely photo as she was getting ready. [Instagram]

Christian Lagaard, Det kongelige hoff

--One more Norway thing: Queen Sonja's next exhibit at the Queen Sonja Art Stable will include some of the royal family's bunads! The exhibition is called Tradition and Inspiration and includes traditional dress and other artworks. It opens June 20. [Kongehuset]

--As noted, there were a bunch of wedding anniversaries and birthdays marked this weekend. The Duke of Edinburgh, whose presence was truly missed at Trooping the Colour, celebrated his 97th birthday on Sunday. [Express]

--Princess Madeleine celebrated her 36th birthday on Sunday. The royal court released a beautiful new picture taken at Friday's christening. (A teaser for the official christening photos, which have now been added to the christening post.)

Erika Gerdemark, Kungahuset.se

--King Abdullah and Queen Rania celebrated their silver wedding anniversary on Sunday. Rania married in a Bruce Oldfield gown back in 1993, and it's quite a difference from her current style.

--Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako also celebrated their silver wedding anniversary this weekend, answering some questions from the press and releasing some new photos with their dog. The couple are set to become Emperor and Empress next year, following Emperor Akihito's abdication on April 30, 2019. [Mainichi]

--And finally, over at the Jewel Vault: A day out with Camilla and some doggos, another opportunity to snoop around the pictures in QEII's audience room, and a day out with Charles to see a cool new gallery.

Coming up this week: We'll cover Meghan's day with the Queen, and more...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!

Monday Tidbits for June 4: Last Weekend and Next Weekend

June means a whole lot of royal happenings on the horizon. Such as:

--Baby sash alert: Princess Adrienne of Sweden will be christened this Friday, June 8th, at noon (that's 6 am Eastern). We can usually stream those internationally, so we'll plan on an open post here. In advance of the big event, the little princess has been given her coat of arms and her monogram.

--Hat alert: Then the baton passes over to the British royal family, who will turn out en masse for Trooping the Colour on Saturday, June 9th.

--Before we get to next weekend, we need to catch up on this past weekend: The whole Swedish royal family turned out for the wedding of Louise Gottlieb and Gustav Thott. The bride, who is known as Lussan, is Princess Madeleine's best friend and her parents are friends of the King and Queen. I'd say Crown Princess Victoria's dress choice is one of her best for the year so far. [Svenskdam]

A post shared by Expressen Kungligt (@expressenkungligt) on Jun 2, 2018 at 9:13am PDT

--Over at the Jewel Vault, the Queen enjoyed a weekend trip to the races with Princess Alexandra. She also revealed a never-before-seen photograph of Harry and Meghan, spotted on her side table during one of her audiences.

--And finally, enjoy a gallery from Queen Máxima's very colorful working trip to India with the UN. [Hello]

Coming up this week: Some Yorks, some christening prep, and more...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!

Royal Fashion Awards: Crown Prince Frederik’s Birthday Banquet

The Danish royal family doesn’t usually mess around when they label something a “gala” dinner, and they did not disappoint for Crown Prince Frederik’s 50th birthday banquet at Christiansborg Palace: tiaras all around! Plus, plenty of foreign royal guests to up the tiara count. A gift of sparkle for us all.

Award time:

Finest in Fringe

Princess Benedikte

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This event could go down as one of my all-time favorites just based on the number of fringe tiaras alone. Even a fringe from Liechtenstein – not a country we usually see represented at big Danish gatherings – showed up: the Habsburg Fringe Tiara on Hereditary Princess Sophie. Countess Sussie of Rosenborg (not pictured) added a Danish fringe to the pile with Queen Alexandrine’s Fringe Tiara.

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Crown Princess Victoria threw in the Baden Fringe Tiara, a nice contrast to her floral Camilla Thulin ballgown. The dress has been changed since we saw it at the King’s Dinner for Nobel laureates in December; it has sleeves now and I like them.

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Much as I love a floral ballgown, my fringe queen of the evening has to be Princess Benedikte. The Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg Fringe Tiara is large and in charge and the dress seals the deal. She’s regal in her sleep, I’m pretty sure, so add in the built-in cape at the back of this and she soars off the charts.

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Probably the most notable fringe appearance of the night comes from Princess Maria-Olympia, in her very first tiara appearance. She’s wearing the fringe we usually see on her mother, Princess Marie-Chantal, but the story is that it was destined for Olympia all along. She had the biggest tiara of her grouping, followed there by Princess Theodora in the Antique Corsage Tiara.

Highest Achievement in Headbands

Princess Marie-Chantal

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What’s a mom to do when her daughter claims her tiara back? And when it’s not really a big gun occasion, leaving Queen Sophie’s Diamond Tiara off the table? While I don’t normally approve of teensy headbands at big tiara occasions, it would be Princess Marie-Chantal that would make it work. This piece pairs really well with the delicate necklace and the hair works around it to make it more than a headband.

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Unlike this one, which is Crown Princess Mette-Marit just totally giving in to her tendency to use the Diamond Daisy Tiara in the same way she'd use a plastic headband. Girl, I guess. (This dress is a repeat from King Harald and Queen Sonja’s birthday celebrations.)

Most Radiant in Red

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

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Queen Silvia added some red to her repeated magenta gown by wearing the Edward VII Ruby Tiara. Queen Mathilde’s red gown was accompanied by her Laurel Wreath Tiara and Queen Fabiola’s fringe brooch. The one shoulder on her dress was positioned so that it holds her sash, which is great except…

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...all the interest was happening on her sleeve and we don’t really get to see it on the parade into the banquet because she’s arm in arm with King Philippe. According to ModeKoningin Mathilde, the dress is by Esmeralda Ammoun and that sleeve detail is art by Belgian artist Paula Raiglot. Let’s see it again another time.

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All of that leaves me to crown Grand Duchess Maria Teresa the ruler of the reds. Playing catch up to Queen Máxima’s red caftan from earlier in the week suits her well. And she finally gave us a different tiara – but only because this one was already out of the vault from the state banquet, let’s not get too crazy. She’s wearing the Chaumet Diamond and Pearl Choker Tiara with the pearls back on top.

Most Satisfying Tiara Sightings

Countess Alexandra and the Duchess of Castro

We don’t get to see these two tiaras that often, three cheers for any appearance at all: the Alexandrine Drop Tiara on the Countess of Frederiksborg and the Ancona Tiara on the Duchess of Castro.

Most Intriguing Designer Introduction

Princess Marie

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Princess Marie’s sporty n' sparkly blue dress is from Elie Saab (per Laura). Elie Saab! Not a designer we see on Marie or really in the Danish royal house. So…more, please? From the department of no surprises at all, on the other hand, Marie wore her Diamond Floral Tiara. (Also: Prince Nikolai joined Princess Maria-Olympia and Prince Constantine-Alexios in making their gala debuts.)

Most Complicated Accessorizing

Queen Máxima

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Several of you have noted that Queen Máxima’s purple dress from King Willem-Alexander’s 50th birthday celebrations had been borrowed back from the ongoing Jan Taminiau exhibition, and were anxiously awaiting its appearance. Did she pick the right event for it, though? The dress has so much going on that I actually hate to see the sash over top of any of it. The Dutch Diamond Bandeau was probably her safest tiara choice.

Most Dubious Tiara Pairing

Queen Margrethe

Keld Navntoft/Kongehuset

Queen Margrethe had to plan ahead for the Naasut Tiara; it, along with Princess Benedikte’s Floral Tiara worn by Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg and the Khedive of Egypt Tiara worn by Queen Anne-Marie (neither pictured here) were on display in Koldinghus. And I can’t help but wonder…why? Looks-wise, I mean. That yellow gold doesn’t look its best with the settings on these diamonds. Oh well. It worked out alright with her new pink party dress. She still can’t resist a big sleeve, can she? Bless.

Prettiest in Pink, and Best of the Evening

Crown Princess Mary

Keld Navntoft/Kongehuset

 This dress. Crown Princess Mary's dress. Oh my. This is a piece of art by Lasse Spangenberg. Mary paired it perfectly with her Diamond, Ruby, and Spinel Necklace Tiara, the matching earrings, and even a brooch at the back of her hair. That brooch was a gift to her from the late Prince Henrik.

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Time to get out those future Best of 2018 lists and ink some things in, methinks.

Do you spy any Best of 2018 prospects here? 

Who takes home your best dressed awards for the night?

Breaking Tiara News: Queen Máxima Wears the Stuart Tiara

It's the moment many have been waiting for since King Willem-Alexander took the throne: Queen Máxima wore the Stuart Tiara for the state banquet in Luxembourg tonight!

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It's a smaller version of that elusive Dutch big gun, to be clear; the setting has been lowered, the namesake pear-shaped Stuart Diamond has been removed from the top center with a smaller substitute in its place and other large diamonds from the top have been removed. Which was predictable, really; it is a massive tiara that comes with smaller settings, so easing into it is logical. Queen Máxima is wearing two of the removed large diamonds as earrings.  Read the tiara's full story here.

The Stuart Tiara in its full setting, as worn by Queen Juliana

There's the full version, as worn by Queen Juliana. The tiara was created for Queen Wilhelmina in 1897 and was regularly worn by Juliana, her daughter. Once Juliana's daughter, Beatrix, took over the throne, the tiara went unworn. Unworn for more than 40 years. Until now!

Royal reporter Rick Evers shared a fantastic video of the occasion, with some drool-worthy close ups and oh so much sparkle:

There is also a set of mega diamond jewels, the Stuart or House Diamond jewels, that Juliana wore with the Stuart Tiara. Máxima debuted the necklace from that set last year. Here, she wears the large bow brooch from the set, which she's used before. Her dress is a Jan Taminiau repeat.

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Also, other people were there! Let's do a quick sash check (left to right): Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume in the Order of Orange-Nassau from the Netherlands, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, King Willem-Alexander in Luxembourg's Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau, Queen Máxima in the same, Grand Duke Henri in the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie in the Order of Orange-Nassau.

Blauw Bloed screencap. Click here for more sparkly video.

The Luxembourg ladies doubled up on their Elie Saab, Maria Teresa in a repeat and Stéphanie borrowing another dress from her mother-in-law's closet. The Hereditary Grand Duchess is giving us a double tiara appearance, technically, and a debut; she's wearing the Chaumet Diamond and Pearl Choker Tiara for the first time (without the pearls), and her sapphire and diamond necklace can also be used as a tiara.

Cour grand-ducale/Cyril Moreau

I must say, I'm a little disappointed in Maria Teresa when it comes to the tiara department. If there was ever a time for the Luxembourg Empire Tiara, right? Instead, the Grand Duchess stuck to her current favorite, the Belgian Scroll Tiara. Good thing her dress is divine, easily my favorite of the evening.

The Dutch arrived for their state visit to Luxembourg earlier today. The visit continues through Friday.

Royal Dresses of the Day: A Mathilde and Máxima Update

Three cute dresses from two members of the M-Team:

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima attended the Liberation Day concert this weekend.

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This dress is a sparkly dream ready for a twirl, I just sooooo wish this shade of tan wasn't the color of choice for the accessories. The dress is a customized Claes Iversen and it seems like the belt on the runway version was maybe a touch darker, which I like better.

Queen Mathilde attended the vocal semi-finals of the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition.

Belgian Monarchy

Asymmetrical navy, white, and bronze stripes? Yes please! I adore this. It's a new Belgian designer for her, Cédric Charlier, and this is a promisingly cute debut.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde attended the first session of the vocal finals for the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

Belgian Monarchy

Nothing says Is it time for my summer holiday yet? like a boldly printed one-shoulder dress with starfish earrings. And nothing says absolute dedication to matching accessories quite like a clutch in nearly right shade of tennis ball. (I am completely dying that she went for it with the hardest color to match in this whole dress, honestly. Bless.)

Cédric Charlier asymmetric striped metallic knitted midi dress, Dries van Noten Spring 2018 RTW print dress (per Modekoningin Mathilde)

Monday Tidbits for May 7: Little Ones of Today and Yesterday

A-tidbiting we will go:

--The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released two photographs of Prince Louis, one with Princess Charlotte that was taken on her third birthday. Charlotte's wearing a cardigan previously worn by Prince George and it looks like Louis is wearing the white outfit Charlotte wore in her first pics. [Photos: HRH The Duchess of Cambridge]

--There's a new exhibition at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht showcasing the work of Jan Taminiau - and it features some of Queen Máxima's Taminiau dresses! The video below (in Dutch) gives you a peek inside.

--Sister act: To mark their first time sailing together on the royal yacht in over 20 years, Queen Margrethe, Princess Benedikte, and Queen Anne-Marie recreated a picture they took on board as kids. CUTE. (Great outfits all around, too.) They opened the new jewelry exhibition at Koldinghus that features some of their own pieces; you can see that and several pictures of some of the tiaras on display on the Danish royal family's Instagram.

Kongehuset

--And finally, Luxembourg's grand ducal family gathered for the closing of the Octave this weekend. I am a wee bit concerned that Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie's hat is about to slide on down and turn itself into a necklace. [Luxarazzi]

Cour grand-ducale/Claude Piscitelli

Coming up this week: Mary in Seattle, a Mathilde and Máxima update, and more...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!

Tiara Watch of the Day: The Dutch Diplomatic Corps Gala Dinner

It's about time we saw some Máxima tiara action around here.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, with Princess Beatrix, Princess Margriet, and Pieter van Vollenhoven, hosted their annual gala dinner for the Diplomatic Corps yesterday.

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I've never been wild about the combination of textures and colors and shine on this old Natan outfit, so that's all the more reason to focus on the gems: the Dutch Aquamarine Tiara plus earrings and an aquamarine pendant on a diamond rivière necklace. Starting small to build up to larger things later on, like the state visit to Luxembourg next month, I hope.

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Princess Margriet also had an interesting combination going on with her dress, business at the top and party at the bottom. More classic is her use of the Pearl Button Tiara - her wedding tiara! - with a pearl necklace and diamond and pearl earrings.

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Princess Beatrix stuck to her trademark tiara, Queen Emma's Diamond Tiara. Forever a great match for her, since the shape works just right with her trademark 'do.

They were entertaining in the evening and entertaining during the day, yesterday; the King and Queen received the President and First Lady of Mexico for an official visit and hosted a luncheon.

Presidencia de la República

Just in case the tiaras weren't enough, Máxima offers you something else: the return of your #1 favorite day dress of 2017! Still glorious, do you think?

Royal Outfit of the Day: Máxima's Many Stripes

The Dutch royal family attended the Koningsdag concert last night.

Embed from Getty Images

Queen Máxima did not decide to get crafty with King Willem-Alexander's old ties, or maybe with some old Hogwarts banners she had lying around, believe it or not. This is a Mary Katrantzou dress - one she loves enough for a second outing.

It's a lot of dress and that's something I say often when it comes to Máxima but this is a lot a lot, if you know what I mean. It's like a marathon for the eyes, there's nowhere to rest. I'm exhausted just looking at it. Phew.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Accessories for Meghan and Máxima

A good statement accessory can make or break an outfit. Two case studies: 

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Belfast last week.

Kensington Palace

Meghan's pick of a delicious cinnamon velvet heel for this outfit totally makes the whole thing; it's unexpected without being random. Royal watchers who happen to also be Shoe People (that would be ME) rejoice! In fact, the shoes are really the only thing on this outfit that grabs me. Although I do understand that the Purse People are doing some rejoicing of their own, and I am happy for y'all.

Queen Máxima had an audience with the Chairwoman of the National Assembly of Vietnam last week.

A post shared by Queen Maxima (@queen.maxima) on Mar 26, 2018 at 11:49am PDT

On the other hand, Máxima has taken a perfectly preppy dress and added this collar/necklace/thingy on top and it is possibly ALIVE, so there's that. (It isn't part of the dress; she's worn both separately in the past.)

Tuesday Tidbits for March 27: Dynamic Duos and More

I love a royal family team:

--Princess Beatrix joined Princess Mabel for the presentation of the Prince Friso Engineering Prize, sporting an old Prinsjesdag dress, renovated. Clever! She doesn't attend the event since the abdication, might as well get some use out of those special purpose clothes. [ModekoninginMaxima]

--Speaking of mother/daughter-in-law duos, Crown Princess Mary joined Queen Margrethe recently for a visit to the Greve Museum. Love this old coat of Mary's. [SN]

A post shared by DET DANSKE KONGEHUS (@detdanskekongehus) on Mar 20, 2018 at 9:39am PDT

--Over at the Jewel Vault, a mother/son duo tackle a big ceremony for the Duke of York, a badge debut for the Duchess of Cornwall, and a Christmas outfit makes a Spring appearance.

--And finally, this is super interesting: "When a 21st-Century Family Moves Into a 12th-Century Castle," about Alice and Alfred Liechtenstein and the castle they call home. [NYTimes]

Schloss Hollenegg
Von Josef Moser - Selbst fotografiert, CC BY-SA 3.0

Coming up this week: Accessories galore, an exhibition approaches, and more...

Tidbits is your spot for royal topics we haven't covered separately on the blog, all week long. Please mind the comment policy, and enjoy!