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.

Royal Palace

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.

Royal Outfits of the Day: The Duchesses at Wimbledon

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The royals grabbed their spots for the Wimbledon finals this weekend, kicking it off with a double duchess act on Saturday for the ladies' final. The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex donned their own versions of tennis whites and headed out for their first engagement together without their husbands.

Wimbledon

They both stayed in their respective wheelhouses, basically. A new bespoke Jenny Packham dress for Kate, with a print one could liken to tennis balls if one was feeling in the themed mood, plus a new Dolce & Gabbana purse.

Wimbledon

Meghan went crisp and classic with long trousers and a striped shirt from Ralph Lauren. The trousers did go a little overboard with an extra wide leg and long length, but I'm just pretending that's not there, because I love the rest of this look. Right down to the white hat she carried with her. More Panama style hats!

Wimbledon

Kate was back for Sunday's final for the men, with William as her date this time.

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More Dolce & Gabbana was on tap, doubling up on the Italian label for the weekend with a new yellow dress. Yellow's the royal color of the summer, huh? Two examples is absolute proof of a trend, I'm pretty sure that's how the math works.

Royal Outfit of the Day: The Duchess of Sussex Opts for Sunshine

As noted on Monday, we aren't having a full week of posts due to the holiday. There's nothing like a much-awaited for occasion to bring us back.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a Commonwealth Youth reception at Marlborough House yesterday.

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That occasion being the Duchess of Sussex in a bright color! A moment many have been waiting for. (Not all, I'm sure several of you will need noted.) As one who has been waiting for such a moment, I don't think it disappoints.

The couple with Tijani Christian, Chair of the Commonwealth Youth Council
Commonwealth Secretariat Flickr via CC BY-NC 2.0

Interestingly, Meghan's use of a bold, bright color has cancelled out her usual interesting accessories; she seems to have left the purses at home and the shoes are a basic beige suede.

The couple were welcomed by Secretary-General Patricia Scotland
Commonwealth Secretariat Flickr via CC BY-NC 2.0

But if you're going to let a dress stand on its own, best you make it one in a color like this. This brightness doesn't need much more than the simple line this Brandon Maxwell sheath dress provides. That color is enough. (Though I, being card-carrying member of the Interesting Shoe Club, think it certainly could have handled a more in that department. Maybe a touch of metallic.)

Brandon Maxwell crepe midi dress, retail and runway

Royal Dresses of the Day: Sofia and Mathilde go Retro

Princess Sofia attended the Sophiahemmet University's graduation ceremony yesterday.

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I daresay Sofia's come up with one of her best outfits for the year. It's described as a "modern take on a Forties tea dress," and I'm loving that little bit of retro flair on her. Plus, of course, the vibrant green. So bright and fresh.

Dress by L.K.Bennett

That's a winner. I won't be shocked if it turns up in another royal closet or two later on, plenty of them wear L.K.Bennett.

Some have likened Sofia's dress to the green Dolce & Gabbana worn in Canada in 2016 by the Duchess of Cambridge. It reminded me of another dress we saw just last week on another royal:

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde attended a concert for the Queen Elisabeth Competition on June 4.
Belgian Monarchy

This repeated Dries Van Noten dress from Mathilde definitely shares the same sleeve feel and a similar hint of retro, no? I can't help but love this on her. Even though it stole its color scheme from a bee. And even though that floral print is definitely trying to Rorschach test us all.

Royal Outfits of the Day: National Day in Sweden

Programming Note: Tomorrow we will have an open post for Princess Adrienne's christening. The christening starts at 12 noon (6 am Eastern). Then stay tuned later in the day for the full fashion rundown. Today, in lieu of our usual Thursday business, we're getting in the Swedish mood...

Linda Broström/Kungahuset.se

Sweden's National Day was yesterday and the royal family sent everyone their greetings with a new pic of Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, as has become their tradition.

Kungahuset.se

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel started the day with a trip to the Hallstahammar Municipality for them and - appropriately enough - a trip down christening memory lane for us. Victoria repeated the By Malina dress she wore for Prince Oscar's christening in 2016.

Anna-Lena Ahlström, Kungahuset.se

Given this frock's sporty feel, the removal of the hat feels just right. It might be better the second time around.

The day was capped with some family photos and the National Day concert, which means it's time for...

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...more of Prince Oscar's classic scowl of skepticism! (I love that he always looks like he's just Not Sure About This Whole Thing. Keep questioning, kid.) No, really, it's time to bust out the rest of those national costumes.

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Yellow and blue for the whole family! Except for the men, as always. They don't play that.

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)

Royal Event of the Day: Koningsdag 2018, and New Portraits

King Willem-Alexander celebrated his 51st birthday on Friday, heading to Groningen with the extended family for the annual Koningsdag (King's Day) festivities.

The King and Queen with daughters Amalia, Ariane, and Alexia
RVD

Queen Máxima decided to throw things back to 2004, when they visited the same town for Queen's Day (as it was at the time), by repeating her red beret and pairing it with a new Natan outfit.

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2004

Her jean jacket from Groningen in 2004 also made a return this year, worn by Princess Alexia. The red beret doesn't seem nearly as kicky without it, I must say.

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I'm not really sold on the hat-to-outfit pairing this year, I suppose. I liked it better without the coat, but then the dress revealed made me wish there was more of a pattern to it. I might be giving this year a meh.

Lucky us, we've got some new portraits to pep things up! A whole bunch of new official photos were released to celebrate Willem-Alexander's 5th anniversary on the throne. The formal shots feature Queen Máxima in her repeated Jan Taminiau gown and the Dutch Sapphire Tiara. [Portraits: RVD - Erwin Olaf]

They're straight from the credits of Law & Order: Amsterdam. I'd watch.

Royal Visit of the Day: Máxima and Rania Collide in the Netherlands

A state visit from Jordan to the Netherlands was scheduled for 2017, then it was cancelled/postponed, and then it was rescheduled for this week - but downgraded to an official visit. Still, at long last, the fashion forces of Queen Máxima and Queen Rania have collided as promised!

Instagram/queenrania

The official welcome ended up being a pretty tidy summation of both ladies' styles: one with all the cape and hat action you can stand, the other sleek and simple with a twist (that twist, in this instance, being a button configuration that leaves me permanently searching for the fictional missing pair). Obviously I love the cape on Máxima's Claes Iversen coat, although I can't help but feel like the whole thing smothers her in tan. Rania's fresh light blue is a welcome relief for the first day of Spring.

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At the official dinner: Prince Constantijn, Princess Margriet, Queen Rania, King Abdullah, King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, Princess Beatrix

We have another textbook definition of her personal style from Queen Máxima in the evening, because oh YES, this is a ruffled formal banana frock and I kinda love it and that's Máx Magic for you.

Instagram/queenrania

Rania, on the other hand, is pretty tame compared to her usual and actually went with a traditional choice. She thanked the women of the Basmet Al-Khair Charitable Society for her traditional Jordanian dress on her Instagram. I love the sleeve details.

The switch to an official visit meant a formal, white tie state banquet was replaced with an official dinner. So no tiaras this time around. But Máxima wouldn't let a visit from fellow monarchs go entirely un-bedazzled, now would she?

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Of course she wouldn't. She adorned her Claes Iversen dress with the Stuart (House Diamond) Necklace with the pendants removed. It's the second time she's worn it; it's been shortened by a few links or worn back a bit so that it matches up with the neckline of the dress and as a result, these two things work together against all odds. Bless her, trying to soothe our tiara loss by wearing a serious royal necklace with her ruffled formal banana frock.

Royal Trip of the Day: The Cambridges in Sweden, Day 1

Right, well, let's get this out of the way first:

On the evening of the first full day of their official visit to Sweden, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a dinner at the British Ambassador's residence with Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.

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LOL. Okay, giggles out of the way...listen, I think there are people who could pull off this ruffled floral mustard Erdem gown; it's just that Kate, bless her, isn't one of that particular group of chosen ones. You need some attitude to pull off something that's ruffled and floral and mustard all at once. (This is where some of you will jump in and argue with me that it's not mustard, as though calling it some other color name could save the whole thing, and I shall giggle once more.)

Erdem Stephanie floral-print silk crepe de Chine gown for Kate, Stylein dress for Victoria (per Heaven)
Lyst/Fashionweek.se

I'm not that wild about Victoria's choice either, mostly because I keep thinking she left half her dressing gown on. But any port in a storm, I suppose.

Earlier, the Cambridges had lunch at the Royal Palace with King Carl Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, and Prince Daniel.

Raphael Stecksén/Kungahuset.se

Maybe I have ~issues~ with all of Victoria's neckline choices yesterday. The bow on this Ida Sjöstedt dress is strangling her, majorly distracting from what might otherwise have had potential. This Catherine Walker ensemble on Kate is pretty basic...

The Cambridges and the Crown Princess Couple walked to the Nobel Museum after lunch.

Kensington Palace

...and it looks a lovely picture when all bundled up. Victoria improved with the addition of a coat, too (the addition of SHOOTIES and all).

Before meeting the royal family, the Duke and Duchess attended a bandy hockey event at Vasaparken.

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Maybe they just should have stayed bundled up from start to finish, guys. This was a really cute way to start the day.

Royal Outfits of the Day: Catching Up with Mathilde and Máxima

Psst: Tiaras were out in London last night, plus a major new necklace loan for Kate! That's all been covered at the Jewel Vault, so hop right over here for that discussion.

It's been a minute since we hit up these two M&Ms. HIGHLIGHTS:

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde visited the province of Flemish Brabant.

Belgian Royal Palace

This is a COAT right here. Mathilde loves some pattern and Mathilde loves some orange and this is maybe Mathilde's best combo of the two. 10/10 for coziness.

Queen Mathilde visited the Academy of Arts in Mons.

Belgian Royal Palace

Speaking of Mathilde loving some pattern, this is lovely, no? Like a holdover from her India trip she couldn't wait to put to use.

Queen Máxima presented the Prince Bernhard Culture Foundation Award.

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It's her strangely fluffy-trimmed outfit from a few weeks ago, take two! Luckily, the second time's a charm. Make it a winter dress instead of sleeveless and make it a rich tapestry-looking fabric, and you tip the scale from silly to swanky. This is also the rare occasion on which I am super into her shoes.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima visited Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten.

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From winter to summer, and who can blame her? A sunshine ensemble for a sunshine stroll - and the one thing buoying up a mixed bag of ensembles from the rest of the trip. So we'll end it here.

Royal Collection of the Day: Erdem x H&M for Victoria and Mary

You knew that the Erdem x H&M collection was going to be big on the royal scene, right? Erdem = popular with several royal regulars, H&M = popular with several royal regulars, you did the math. We could also deduce that Crown Princess Victoria was likely to be its biggest fan, because she's H&M's biggest royal fan: she's personal friends with the Persson family that runs H&M, she and Prince Daniel paired up with the chain for their GEN-PEP initiative, she's the one that wore an H&M dress to a gala royal wedding. This was expected.

I did not, however, expect quite this level of enthusiasm. Here's what she's worn from the collection so far, all in the last few weeks:

Kungahuset.se

Kungahuset.se

Kungahuset.se

Crown princess Victoria today-8 november 2017 #victoriaofsweden #crownprincessvictoria

A post shared by news about royal family (@newsroyal2) on Nov 8, 2017 at 11:42am PST

Erdem x H&M

This is the royal equivalent of running through the store screaming, MINE! MINE! Victoria, calm down.

Crown Princess Mary, another H&M and Erdem aficionado, managed to wrangle one piece for herself:

#New Crown Princess Mary attended the opening of renoved Skærbæk Power Station in Fredericia (25th October) 💛 #danishroyals #danishroyalfamily #crownprincessmary #instaroyals #royalnews

A post shared by Royal Addicted (@royaladdicted2) on Oct 25, 2017 at 11:51am PDT

Erdem x H&M

Probably the most successful Erdem x H&M showing so far, no? Really just because Mary picked the piece that requires the least styling to be successful.

The question is, what's next? Who's next? Time to get your royal wish lists prepared... (Here's the complete collection and lookbook.)

Erdem x H&M

Some of these coats are very appealing to me. Not gonna lie, I kinda want someone to go for the leopard one.

Royal Outfits of the Day: The Adventures of Mathilde and Máxima

Queens M&M here, reporting for their sartorial duty, which is obviously to give us some STUFF to talk about:

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 Queen Mathilde and King Philippe attended the reopening of the La Monnaie/De Munt Opera House last week.

Sweet Queen Mathilde. She lulls you into a soothingly oblivious state with her frequent calm and unobjectionable outfits. Yes, yes, more soft pink, that's fine. Carry on. And then, when your guard is down, she blinds you (literally) with a pair of Gold! Velvet! Trousers!

Belgian Monarchy

Clearly we must remain in a state of constant vigilance with this one. On the plus side, now we know what happened to all those sofas tossed when the 70s died.

With her Benelux BFF Máxima, on the other hand, we've already learned our lesson in vigilance. You never know what she'll turn up in. Her bathrobe and shower shoes, even.

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Queen Máxima attended the LOEY Awards 2017 yesterday.

Honestly, though, the way people were talking about this outfit, I expected...more. More Máx-ness. I think it's pretty tame. Sometimes a girl just needs a day in flats, eh? I wouldn't want to see this with a pair of her matching pumps, I know that.

Zeus + Dione maxi dress of textured silk with velvet details (h/t ModeKoninginMaxima)

Royal Outfits of the Day: Queen Letizia's Recents

The Spanish royal family's annual summer residency in Palma de Mallorca has begun, and you know what that means: family photocall time! The King, Queen, and daughters Leonor and Sofia posed at Marivent Palace on Monday.

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Given the number of meticulously color-coordinated royal family appearances we've seen in the past few weeks, I'm glad the Spains took a more relaxed approach. And I'm extra glad for the patch of vibrant yellow on Letizia's Mango shirt, just to wake things up a bit.

Anyway, we're overdue for a Letizia update. Just a couple of her more colorful recent selections, I think:

Queen Letizia met with directors of the Cervantes Institute last week.

CasaReal

Letizia loves red and red loves Letizia, but even a seasoned pro in the fiery color department can overdo it. Red shoes + a red purse + this repeated Nina Ricci red dress = a little too much. Even if she did match the organization's color.

Queen Letizia opened the summer courses of the International Music School the week before last.

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She's nearly there with this one, too, with the green bag and green earrings - but the nude shoes saves the day, which is not a thing you really think you'll say, ever. Otherwise? It's a crisply perfect outfit for summer queening.

Royal Outfit of the Day: Queen Margrethe and her Raincoat at the Danish Summer Photocall

The Danish royal family holds an annual summer photocall in the gardens at Gråsten Palace, their summer residence. This year's photocall took a little different format, featuring just Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, and their four kids watching the Ringsted Horse Ceremony outside the palace. It was a rainy, dreary day, and any potential sartorial triumphs (oh how I usually love Crown Princess Mary in her boho maxi skirts) were fairly foiled by the need for coats.

This is not a problem, however, when your raincoat is designed to be the star of the show.

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Queen Margrethe loooooooves her floral coat with its cheery yellow trim and its matching yellow Sou'wester-style hat. Most raincoats are boring and this Danish sovereign is anything but, so she wears what she calls the "happy" raincoat. It's always an unexpectedly exuberant statement, standing out in a sea of sedate royal rain gear or on a parade field surrounded by military uniforms. It's a true signature Margrethe piece. The raincoat even has a backstory, because you know she didn't just happen upon this creation in a shop somewhere one day.

On display in 2015
Photo courtesy of and with thanks to Scarfie on Twitter

The coat is made from a tablecloth-type wax cloth fabric purchased by the Queen in London at the Peter Jones department store. (She makes at least one London trip a year, for her Christmas shopping. She's said to call in on her friends at Buckingham Palace while she's in town.) (And while we may joke about people wearing curtains or tablecloths sometimes, never forget that when it comes to Queen Margrethe, there's a solid chance it's true.)

She took her festive fabric purchase to Jørgen Bender - the couturier responsible for multiple royal wedding gowns, epic royal gala looks, and...the occasional royal foul weather gear - to have it fashioned into a raincoat, which of course she had a hand in designing. It was made in 1995 and has been a famous part of the Queen's wardrobe ever since. The coat and hat were even included in an exhibition of Margrethe's wardrobe staged in honor of her 75th birthday.

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Things like this really show how much fun Queen Margrethe has with her often over-the-top wardrobe. There's a sense of humor here, too. You get the feeling that she actually does a little bounce of joy when she sees the rain begin to fall, for she'll have another chance to sport the jolliest raincoat in all the land. It's just so perfectly Daisy, no?

Royal State Visit of the Week: Spain in the U.K.

Letizia...*puts on sunglasses*...has arrived.

Arrival

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The long-awaited state visit from Spain to the United Kingdom has begun! King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived on Tuesday, a day ahead of the visit's official start. Letizia traveled in this repeated Hugo Boss white outfit, which is totally what I wear to travel, you know, just minus the heels and the skirt and the crisp white color and...oh, never mind.

Official Welcome Ceremony

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The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall met the Spanish royal couple at the hotel on Wednesday and escorted them to Horse Guards Parade, where they were officially welcomed with full pomp and circumstance by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.

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The Spanish royal family doesn’t do the hat-n’-gloves thing in their regular business, but Queen Letizia is always game to pop on a chapeau when the occasion calls for it. Like her mother-in-law in 1986, Letizia recognized that a British state visit is the very definition of a hat occasion.

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She’ll never meet Camilla’s levels of hat froof (NO ONE POSSIBLY COULD), but she was admirably game to try in the Maria Nieto hat she wore to match her Felipe Varela outfit.

House of HM the King

The yellow was an interesting selection – feels an unusual choice for her, right? – and ended up coordinating her nicely with the yellow flowers on Queen Elizabeth’s hat. South of the hat, though, things started to get a bit awkward. And by the hem, it started to get regrettable. The lower hem detail is a play on two yellows gone too far.

Buckingham Palace Luncheon

Royal Family

Once inside Buckingham Palace, the royal party enjoyed a luncheon and then reviewed a special exhibition of items from the Royal Collection related to Spain. And at this point, more members of the Windsor clan begin to show up...

Royal Family

Hello, Countess of Wessex! You know, Sophie's really mastered the "oooh, look how interesting!" pose.

Royal Family

Multiple dukes have also joined the party: Cambridge! York! Gloucester (even though he's not in this shot)! Swimming with royals, this place is - and we actually get to see it, for a change. I'm already loving this increased coverage.

Clarence House Visit

Clarence House

OUTFIT CHANGE! Felipe and Letizia headed next to Clarence House for some quality time with Charles and Camilla. We've got red...

House of HM the King

...we've got a saucy belted coat...we've got ruby earrings. She's also doing a bit of "diplomatic dressing" here, because this coat is Burberry. Sign. Me. Up.

State Banquet

Oh boy oh boy oh boy - I'm working on a new post for the state banquet because it deserves one! In the mean time, just a few quick screengrabs...

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Because this visit has been so hotly anticipated, we're going to do this open post-style. You may want to stay in touch, because because this post will continue to be updated.


And over at the Jewel Vault:

• Detailed look at the jewels of the Welcome Ceremony for the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall is right here.

Stay tuned...