The Windsors are keeping the big events coming this week, and we're just trying to keep up. Right after attending the events for the RAF's centenary, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex hit the road (er, the skies, I guess) for their first international trip together: two days in Ireland.
Kensington Palace
Green Givenchy separates marked the start of the trip, and would be the closest to a non-neutral this trip got. I am not showing her bag here because if I look at it any longer, my wallet might get itself into trouble. I trust you understand my plight.
Kensington Palace
For a summer garden party at the British Ambassador's residence, Meghan wore a FAB black dress by Emilia Wickstead! I'm so glad she returned to the designer. Meghan's shown great support for women designers, and this makes two great Wickstead looks.
Kensington Palace
Speaking of FAB: that hair.
Kensington Palace
On day 2, the couple had a very important meeting with Ireland's First Dogs, Bród and Síoda. Also they met with President Higgins and his spouse, Sabina Coyne.
The couple squeezed in a bunch of other stops before they wrapped it up, which meant that this last outfit had to do everything from hanging out with kids on an athletic field to visiting the Famine Memorial. I don't love the boxier style of this black Givenchy suit, but I find myself leaning towards a well played simply for being a solution that looked at home in each situation.
And that's it! A tiny tour handled, like a warm up for their tour this autumn.
We're sticking with the British royal goings on today, with highlights from Ascot yesterday plus a taste of what the York sisters have been up to in their non-Ascot time this week. (Spoiler alert: it's good.)
So we've got ruffles at the collar, ruffles on the sleeves, a tie at the waist, a whole lot of pattern, and a hat with an ornament stolen from an aquarium...and it's a success?! The hat's got just enough solid color space and clean enough lines to balance the print on this Beulah London dress. Autumn always makes it work.
At least once an Ascot, Sophie will give us something worthy of a My Fair Lady remake. She's good like that. Her first attempt for 2018 comes from Jane Taylor (of course) and is paired with a new jumpsuit from Emilia Wickstead (of course). Yes, I said jumpsuit. Those are allowed in the strict Ascot dress code and she's taking advantage. For better or for worse. It's hard to tell that it's a jumpsuit, and with that glorious millinery distraction in place, you can just glaze on over that fact, if you like. Like me.
Emilia Wickstead Vida Jumpsuit
Now we'll steer away from Ascot for a sec. When the York sisters left the racecourse on Monday, their day wasn't over. Nor was their streak of sartorial excellence. They hit up the annual Serpentine Summer Party at The Serpentine Gallery and let their hair down (and up) in two outfits perfect for the arty occasion.
As ever, I recommend abandoning all jackets slung across the shoulders - especially leather jackets, which don't have the drape to do it right anyway - but the rest of this is divine. The dress is feathers but the top makes me think of mermaid scales and I would be entirely here for Princess Beatrice deciding to go into mermaid mode. A+.
Mary Katrantzou Talon feather-jacquard midi dress
Princess Eugenie brought her fiancé, Jack, who frankly could use something more interesting than a business suit to wear when his date is going to be so sassy.
SASSY. Oh, I like it. This top is gorgeous. I'd scoop one up for myself, had I a spare thousand bucks and a Serpentine party to go to. But do me a favor next time, Eug, and Just Say No to Barbie feet.
Roland Mouret Iris one-shoulder asymmetric fil coupé organza top
Princess Beatrice is soaking up all the arty summer parties she can - can't blame her for that - by attending the V&A Summer Party last night. GIMME THOSE SHOES. She's wearing a dress too. But gimme. those. shoes.
Ascot has arrived! A five day festival of royal hats and more. Was the royal wedding the best of the Windsor chapeaux for the year, or were they just getting started? We are about to find out. To the awards! (For the Queen and the Princess Royal, hit up the Jewel Vault.)
The Givenchy dress may not be much more than a shrug for me, but the hat's a strong YES. Ascot is precisely the place to go to get your Dynasty on, so this sculptural number from Philip Treacy is *chef's kiss*. My favorite from the royal crew on Day 1.
Sophie's outfit gets a meh-but-YES from me, too. The dress, a new one from Emilia Wickstead, is okay; I think the variation between the heavy black trim on the dress and the light trim on the Jane Taylor hat is what's giving me the mehs. (Two days in a row I want her to go all black with the accessories, maybe? At least I'm consistent.) (Until tomorrow, probably.) Her brooch, on the other hand, is a debut and it is a delicate diamond rose and it is soooo lovely. It's similar to a few in the Queen's collection, although I don't recognize it as one we've seen on Her Maj. Get a lot of use out of that one, Sophie. Pretty please.
I do so love it when the York sisters turn up in a pair of winning outfits. Both taking the monochrome approach to hats n' dresses (plus neutrals for the accessories) paid off here. Beatrice's Claire Mischevani dress is a rich jacquard, paired with a matching hat from Juliette Botterill. Eugenie brought a modern feel to the racecourse in a coat from Osman and hat by Emily London. Somehow even the rogue graduation tassel on Eugenie's hat works, this is some kind of sorcery.
Claire Mischevani pale blue jacquard pleat dress, Osman Fleur tie-waist cotton-blend coat, Emily London Alcor hat
Am I a big fan of this pale gold on Camilla? I am not. I don't think it's her best shade. Would the shape and details of this dress and hat be divine in another color? They surely would. (The dress is by Dior.) She also could have taken a bigger version of her trademark pearl choker here, I think; she's opted for a standard pick, her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Small Diamond Clasp and her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings.
Princess Haya, here with husband Sheikh Mohammed and kids Sheikh Zayed and Sheikha Jalila, combined the York color strategies. The Philip Treacy hat's the standout here, with a large flower on top and flowers underneath in the back. Interesting enough for Ascot without going overboard. My second fave chapeau for Day 1.
Speaking of going overboard, this hat seems ready to jump right out of the carriage at any time. I feel like she needs a chinstrap just to be safe. Well, Ascot is as much a place for hats with a mind of their own as it is for Dynasty throwbacks.
Who's taking home your awards for Day 1?
We'll be following Ascot throughout the week here and at the Vault, so stay tuned for Days 2 through 5...
Of course the Queen (and her brooch) have already been covered in full at the Vault. Joining her on the pearl brigade was the Duchess of Cambridge, with a repeated brooch. Now that we've seen in her a few more brooches, I can't help but wish this faux-looking one would go away. The repeated brown Catherine Walker coat can stay, though! Elegant as it was the first time.
There's a lot to love from the rest of this bunch. The Princess Royal's crowd represented very well, from Anne's jolly feather explosion to Autumn Phillips' sleek Suzannah coat and Zara Tindall's coordinated blues.
Also a great show from the Wessex ladies here. I don't think anyone in this fam particularly needs another navy blue coat, but adding some sleeve interest à la Sophie and her Roland Mouret coat is a way to make it interesting. I assume she took that off before tucking into whatever form of very posh cheesy potatoes you get at an Easter lunch at Windsor Castle.
The York sisters might be my favorites of this whole crew. Princess Beatrice has adopted these boater hats worn at a jaunty angle; with her success at last year's Trooping the Colour and this Easter combo (with a Suzannah coat), I gotta say it really works for her.
Princess Eugenie did some splendid hat work here, too. An Easter service that can double as a wedding venue scouting trip must be more fun than it is most years, so why not throw a party at the bottom of your coat? (This party's by Oscar de la Renta.) Carrying the party all the way to the top of the look with a pink hat was just right.
A good show all around, right? Well done, Windsors.
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
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.
I wasn't expecting it to be this much of a Máxima week, but if this is how she's warming up for Prinsjesdag next week...I am here for it. She had a two outfit day yesterday and it was a good two outfit day, so good that she might have even found the first jumpsuit I've ever been delighted to see on the royal scene. I KNOW.
Queen Máxima attended the opening of the new season of the Concertgebouw orchestra in Amsterdam on Thursday evening.
See what I mean?! It's sleek and chic and a perfect fit for the occasion. Roland Mouret is not one of her regular labels, but after this, I'm ready for more.
Opening the Asian Library of the University Leiden.
And Carolina Herrera racks up another royal win and further solidifies her spot as one of my favorite royal-ready designers right now. This isn't the first time we've seen her wear Herrera; you may recall this splendid blue print gown. Is it too much to hope that her summer included a particularly well-advised shopping spree, from which more treasures await??
The Prince and Princess of Monaco welcomed guests from the 56th International Television Festival of Monte-Carlo to the Prince's Palace for a cocktail party Gaetan Luci/Palace
Pulling more than a few surprises out of her bag of tricks, that's what. This isn't the first time in the past weeks she's surprised me, either. I suppose you could say she's a touch overdressed when the dress code is "dudes in suits" - but hey, I'm 100% down with the top princely lady showing everybody else up. It's practically in her job description. This is a big event for Monaco and she's right to turn it up several notches.
Her jewelry game is getting good, too. (Okay, her earring game has always been good, so let's say it's getting even better.) These earrings from Graff feature 3.37 carats of diamonds and 65.47 carats of orange sapphires. Oh, and she's also worn this design in the aquamarine version.
Attending the opening of the Festival Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo, see video here
This comes on the heels of her wearing a Cartier necklace in white and yellow diamonds with matching earrings and a Roland Mouret gown to open the festival. We've seen a fair bit of Roland Mouret from her recently; the necklace, on the other hand, was a total surprise.
Roland Mouret gown
A Charlene with a few surprises and a whole lot of diamonds at the ready is a Charlene that I am HERE FOR. More, please.
It's going to be a Very British Week around here, there's no two ways about it. It's a Very British Month, actually, and some pretty dresses were worn last week that we have not had a chance to cover. THIS WILL NOT STAND.
The Duke of Edinburgh and the Earl and Countess of Wessex attended the "Diamonds are Forever" Gala for the 60th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award @RoyalFamily
Sophie may have more interesting gowns in her wardrobe, but the basic shape of this Bruce Oldfield dress is so flattering on her. And it's purple. (Okay, it looks periwinkle or maybe even a bit blue in other shots, but you color pedants are just going to have to give me this one.)
The Duchess of Cambridge hosted a dinner for SportsAid
I was also opining yesterday that I'd be perfectly happy if Kate stuck to modern cuts in bold colors, and HELLO, this is what I'm talking about. The race for her Best of 2016 just got interesting.
Princess Charlene launched the American branch of the Princess Charlene Foundation in California last week.
Is this why Charlene wears the neutrals all the time, so that when she does bust out a bright color, it will knock you right over? Because this stopped me in my tracks. Orange! What a fabulous color for her, and the sleek cut of the dress is right up her alley.
The dress is another surprise, a Roland Mouret design instead of one of her regular labels. Her Los Angeles trip was pretty much all RM ensembles, actually (see galleries here and here), which prompted me to spend no less than 20 seconds googling (#research) whether they're a sponsor of the charity. No matter - I want to see more.
Elsewhere around the globe, Crown Princess Mary seemed to be wearing a basic blue dress, not too remarkable but a great strong, bright color anyway. Or so I thought...
Sofia was there! Prince Carl Philip's fiancée made her parliament debut, which is GREAT because MORE OUTFITS. Her black suit has a pleated detail on the skirt and a pleated peplum on the jacket to tie it in. Theoretically that should be adding interest to an otherwise dull suit, but I think most of that pleating ends up being pretty superfluous. Which is okay because I have just decided that Superfluous Pleating is totally the name of my next band.
Victoria repeated a Paule Ka black and white dress (yeah, it's a dress, not separates) with a bow, and matched it with a black and white bow in her hair. I don't know who she thinks she is, stealing Estelle's hair moves.
Following the opening of parliament, the royal family attended the annual concert held to close the Riksdagen pic.twitter.com/o7JE5szZ5A
— Royaltyspeaking (@Royal_talk) October 1, 2014
Later, they attended a concert where Sofia wore sleek green and Victoria wore a sequined top that is either really modern and fun or is a total Cosby sweater (or both?), depending on your perspective.
Sofia's green Mouret, Victoria's black and white By Malene Birger
And one final bit of Swedish news: the Swedish court released official photos of the engaged couple this week.
A special update is in order for some special news: Prince Carl Philip of Sweden is engaged to his longtime girlfriend Sofia Hellqvist! Carl Philip, 35, and Sofia, 29, will marry in the summer of 2015.
The newly engaged couple with the King and Queen following the announcement. Photo: kungahuset.se
The news was announced in a hastily called press conference on Friday and the couple said the engagement had happened that morning (although they were already having what was reported as an engagement party on Friday night, as you can see in the Expressen tweet below, so maybe there was a bit of advance planning? Not that it really matters...). The timing of the announcement was a surprise, but the news really wasn't for those that follow the family; Sofia's been a fixture in Carl Philip's life for several years, and they share a home. The happy couple was joined by the King and Queen at the press conference, and Queen Silvia couldn't help but note that they had been waiting for this news just like the rest of us.
Sofia wore a red Roland Mouret dress and showed off her engagement ring, a round diamond with a diamond surround and a diamond-set split shank band.
As seems to be the time-honored tradition of a royal engagement, the new family member is welcomed by a rousing round of criticism using anything the press and the public can get their hands on. In this case, Sofia comes rife with material, since her pre-CP days included some modeling (of the scantily-clad and, uh, occasionally un-clad varieties) and a turn on a reality show. The backlash won't be anything new for her, since the rumblings have been there since her relationship with Carl Philip was first disclosed back in 2010. There were the obligatory initial reports of family disapproval (how right or wrong those were, we'll never know), but in the past few years she seems to have been accepted by the royal family, including attending public family events. She's put an emphasis on her charity work during her relationship with the prince.
I know there are mixed reactions out there to the engagement, but we can all unite on the superficial level - that's what we're here for, folks, as far as this particular blog is concerned - and look forward to another tiara-filled Scandinavian wedding. Right?
Again, they've announced that the wedding will be next summer, dates and all the rest to come. As far as attendance and scope, my personal guess is we're in for something like what Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill had, but we'll just have to see what happens.
Video: William and Kate attend the London premiere of "Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom"
Look, I find this outfit rather baffling, but the whole thing takes on an extra unimportant tone considering the death of the great Nelson Mandela was announced while they were at this premiere. William's short statement when they left is included in the video above. (Kate also paid a visit to a children's hospice, smartly wearing trousers to avoid any precarious situations when crouching to kid level. Click here for some video cuteness.)
HMM.
Queen Máxima
Attending a concert given in Princess Beatrix's honor
Well, the outfit above is nothing compared to the level of bafflement this brings. From the unflattering bands to the messy skirt to the overly dark stockings - I just can't.
Best of the Rest
Crown Princess Mette-Marit
Mathilde visits Hong Kong (this was my favorite from the trip - click here for a nice video featuring more), Haakon and Mette-Marit at a meeting, Victoria pays a visit to discuss bioenergy, Mary hosts a holiday reception for her foundation
Some lovely business happening here, but the winner has to be Mette-Marit - she's alive! (She's been out of commission for weeks due to a neck problem that required surgery, if you haven't been following your Norwegian royal news.)
Who was your best dressed last week?
Photos: Raad van State/RTL/Kronprinsparet Fond/Lehtikuva/Maryfonden
Yesterday, the British royal family gathered to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation with a service at Westminster Abbey. For video, click here (for Part 1) - don't miss the fantastic entrance music - and for more stuff, click here. Ready? Let's chat:
Best in All The Things
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh
I'm not entirely sold on the Queen's outfit here, but no matter: this is her party, she can be randomly pleated and flowered if she wants to. And she wins brooch points too for her significant selection - see, as always, the Jewel Vault for full details. The dapper Duke of Edinburgh gets our sole male recognition for the day for simply showing up, since he's been unwell lately.
Best in Pale
The Duchess of Cambridge
Left to Right: The Countess of Wessex, Autumn Phillips, the Duchess of Cambridge, the Princess Royal, Lady Louise Windsor
Apparently there was a pale pink/beige/peach/whatever memo of some sort, because these subdued outfits were all over the place. And since I'm loving pale pink of late, I'm on board. I like the shape of Kate's Jenny Packham number and her diamond earrings and bracelet (more casual diamond usage, please, always), so she wins the prize. The anti-prize must go to Sophie, I'm afraid, whose Bruce Oldfield is not quite doing what she wanted it to do, methinks.
Nearest Miss in Statements
These Three
L to R: Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, Zara Phillips
Well, you can always count on a few members of the younger generation going edgy...or should we say trying to go edgy, with varying degrees of success and varying degrees of, you know, actual edge. I like the contrast of Eugenie's hat and simultaneously think it looks like she didn't have the right one in the closet; I like Beatrice's embellishment and also think it's a little heavy for her; I like Zara's fresh color and print but am not sold on the fit. It's a three way tie in the maybe? but no. category.
Best of the Rest
The Duchess of Cornwall
L to R: Princess Michael of Kent, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess of Gloucester
I love the way Camilla lightly echoes the Queen's color palette without copying, and I love her own aquamarine brooch, so she gets plenty of love from me. (Also, I think the Duchess of Gloucester might be trying to teach anyone that mentions repeated outfits on anybody else a lesson - just how many major events will this neck ruffle see?)
Who was your best dressed yesterday?
Photos: Reuters/PacificCoastNews/Getty Images/WPA Pool
I hope you all had a good Easter! (Or just a relaxing Sunday, if you're not the Easter sort. Good excuse to eat chocolate, either way.) The Spanish and British royal families were out and about for Easter services, and we got some prints (!) and some color (!!) to chat about, huzzah.
Most Entertaining in Prints
Infanta Elena
Left to Right: Infanta Elena, Queen Sofia with Infanta Sofia and Infanta Leonor in front, Prince Felipe, Princess Letizia
Look at this happy printed family, right down to Felipe's tie! And look at Elena, my oh my. Every year, I hope someone will literally dress up like an Easter egg - you know, because of giggles - and my waiting has paid off.
Best in Color
The Countess of Wessex
The Countess of Wessex and Princess Beatrice
I love that Beatrice's hat is a little yellow. I'm all for an interesting color pairing. But that coat's a bit sack-y, so this one goes to the Countess of Wessex on account of the jumpy claps. Really! That fab electric blue sculpted Roland Mouret paired with a hat leftover from Ascot (oh, I do lurve a little peacock) - Sophie, Countess of Benjamin Button Moves, just keeps getting better.
Best in Typical
A Tie
The Queen, Lady Louise Windsor, and Princess Eugenie
This is pretty much what I'd expect from any of these three ladies, and it's all just fine. (I can't help but think that if you mushed together the better shape of Eugenie's coat with the better colors of Beatrice's outfit, you'd really be in business.) The Queen, as always, is covered on the Jewel Vault, where you can also find a flashback to Easters and Maundy Thursdays past.
Royal trips a-go-go! Seems like everybody's traveling everywhere lately, and I love it. Trip wardrobes are the best, even when they're a little on the low key side. So let's check in with some of our royal wanderers, shall we?
Frederik and Mary in Chile, days 1-3
First up: Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary went on an official visit to Chile. This was actually supposed to be a state visit made by Queen Margrethe, but on doctor's advice she cancelled and the crown princely couple stepped up. And as you might expect for a substitute visit, this is mainly a trip of repeats. Actually, I think the new item getting the most attention here seems to be Fred's new hairdo...and you thought the royal men didn't get enough frivolous attention.
Days 4 & 5
I think my favorite outfit might be the new dress shown above on the far left, from Elise Gug, blergh and all. And I will be forever grateful that she stopped short of a full jumpsuit with that print on the far right above. We've been there, and it wasn't pretty.
Elsewhere, Prince Albert and Princess Charlene made an official visit to Palau.
Video: in Palau
Seems to have been a pretty short and casual island-appropriate trip, as you might expect.
The Windsors are out and about too, starting with the Earl and Countess of Wessex in the Czech Republic to present Duke of Edinburgh Award certificates as well as other engagements.
These were my two favorite Sophie outfits from the trip: Sophie does McQueen, and more Roland Mouret. I'm not entirely sold on the head-to-toe cream, but the continual Benjamin Button-esque evolution of Sophie's style gets two thumbs up from me. And I think we always need more Roland Mouret.
Speaking of things we need more of, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall started a trip to the Middle East in Jordan with a visit to King Abdullah and Queen Rania, wearing Antonio Berardi. We could use more Berardi on the royal scene, I say. Good match for Kate or Beatrice maybe (or, hey, Sophie while we're at it).
Video: Charles and Camilla's official welcome in Jordan
They're on a multi-country tour which also includes Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. And it's been your basic Charles and Camilla show, you know, no real surprises or outliers in the fashion realm as far as I'm concerned. I will say this: the Qatar leg was disappointingly low on sightings of my girl crush, Sheikha Mozah - only one meeting with Charles, I think. And I will also say this: I can't wait for the release of this year's royal gift list. Will Cams pick up another ruby breastplate? The suspense is killing me.
We have last week's round up and a mini trip report (two, actually) to get to, but first a note: my Ultimate Tiara Collection returns on Wednesday - for now, we have tiara sightings coming our way! The Nobel Prizes are awarded today in Sweden (where the tiaras are) and Norway, and we'll have a fashion run down later. Until then, back to our regular business...
Best in Trips
Crown Princess Mary
Visiting Hong Kong and Beijing
Mary and Frederik made a quick visit to China last week, and Mary brought some repeats and some new stuff too. I'm a sucker for a simple but bright blue dress, so sign me up for the Malene Birger number on the left there. (I'll pass on the Elise Gug on the far right, though - what's supposed to read as detailed is coming off muddy to me.)
Best in Winter
Princess Letizia
Princess Letizia at an Antena Foundation 3 meeting and the National
Sports Awards; Crown Princess Mette-Marit visiting Vennesla; Crown
Princess Victoria opening an exhibition at the Royal Palace
Why so glum, ladies? Why so dark and dreary? Oh that's right, it's December. Curses. Well, I once again find myself admiring Leti's nude shoes, so I'll give her some love for that.
Best in Twins
Princess Mathilde
At a UNICEF conference in Brussels; on a UNICEF mission to Haiti
Déjà vu for you? Yes, Máxima also has the electric blue number Mathilde started her week with. In the battle of Who wore it best? I'll give it to Mathilde, but it's six of one, really. Still, it's my favorite of the week for her - a week which also included a colorful little trip of her own, to Haiti.
Best in Giggles
Princess Máxima
Visiting the My School project; celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Oranje Fonds; naming a new gas tanker
The gas tanker Máx was naming is an environmentally friendly model, so naturally the Princess opted for an environmentally friendly ensemble for herself: she's used the arm covers from my grandmother's 1971 gold velvet sofa as a hat. Oh Máx, whatever will you stick on your head next?! Thanks for the giggles.
And an Honorable Mention to...
The Countess of Wessex
At ICAP Charity Day
Bonus blue dress points if it's a blue dress from Roland Mouret. Nicely played, Sophie!
A landmark celebration for the Diamond Jubilee today: a flotilla of 1,000 boats on the Thames in a magnificent parade for Her Majesty. It was cold and rainy, but do you think that stopped our fair royals from turning out in style? No!
Best Diamond Girl
Queen Elizabeth
A one of a kind outfit for a one of a kind event! Made of course by Angela Kelly (and reported to have taken a year to plan and create), this is one impressive description: white bouclé with a silk organza frill, threaded with silk ribbon and embroidered with gold, silver and ivory paillettes with Swarovski crystal embellishment. The hat, including hand dyed feathers, sweeps up to make sure everyone can see Her Majesty’s smiling face – and to echo the waves of the Thames. And to top it off, she pinned the Jardine Star Brooch on her shoulder. I thought she looked gorgeous.
Best Queen Mum Impression
The Duchess of Cornwall
What do you get when you let Philip Treacy's brain run wild in the late Queen Mother's hat collection? This, methinks. Her long Anna Valentine coat in cream with lovely detailing is just a touch more elegant, though.
Best Use of Red
The Duchess of Cambridge
Taking full advantage of the one day in the year when red is actually the wallflower color choice (seriously, did you see that boat?), Catherine rocked her crimson McQueen. Bonus points for the Strathearn tartan scarf in her hand (she’s the Countess of Strathearn) and for the seafaring brooch with twin silver dolphins given to her by the Royal Navy Submarine Service, of which her hubby is Commodore in Chief. (So now we have polar bears and dolphins…what will be next in the Duch’s zoo-themed brooch collection? Crossing my fingers for a sloth.)
Best Spirit
All These Ladies
Left to right: the Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, Princess
Eugenie, and the Duchess of Gloucester (Bea and Eug appeared at a street party, then donned coats for
the boat)
These ladies just looked like they were having the most fun of all on their boat, waving like maniacs with flags included and capturing everything with their mobiles. (Precisely what I would do and so would you - don't lie.) Must be good to draw the party boat assignment. So we’ll reward that, since a lot of what I see here is more worthy of a worst dressed list, I’m afraid.
Best in Bundled Up
Princess Michael of Kent
Can’t knock a girl for dressing for the cold and wet weather! You go on, Marie Christine.
Best in Kids
Lady Louise Windsor
L to R: Lady Louise Windsor, Viscount Severn(children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex)
Flags and Union Jack colors? Perfect!
Best in Uniform
Everybody!
L to R: the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, the Earl of Wessex
L to R: the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, Prince Michael of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester
I can’t be forced to pick a favorite today, you know what shiny things do to my attention span and LOOK at all those medals. I was especially delighted to see William back in his RAF uniform after several appearances in his Irish Guards uniforms, though I can’t help but wish he would have made it an occasion for his Navy uniform (my favorite of them all).
Newbury Races
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*The Queen attended the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials Weekend at Newbury
Racecourse.*
Embed from Getty Images
You might think this outfit would provide a n...
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