30 June 2015

Royal Flashback of the Day: June 30

It's wedding anniversary time! July 1st marks twenty years of marriage for Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and Princess Marie-Chantal. We've talked about their wedding in the past, most recently last November, with a revisit of her ornate dress and wedding video - always a good rewatch, thanks to its plethora of royal guests. So today we're flashing back to the young couple at another wedding, that of Pavlos' cousin, Prince Joachim of Denmark, and Alexandra Manley in November 1995.
What we have here is basically a template for optimum royal glamour, I'd say. Tiara (the Antique Corsage Tiara, borrowed from Queen Anne-Marie): check. Evening coat: check. Pearls, big ones: check. Gloves: check. Prince in uniform (from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, where he served): check.
It's not a template we see these two replicate today, but the elegance hasn't gone anywhere. (Neither has the luxury - check the wrap below, at Joachim and Alexandra's pre-wedding dinner!)
Sidebar: I think she might be the best wearer of the Antique Corsage Tiara. We don't see her in it today - she's usually in the diamond fringe tiara, with a few exceptions - but these pictures are making me wish she'd take it for a spin again. You know, for old times' sake.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
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29 June 2015

Royal State Visit of the Day: June 29

The Belgians just finished a long state visit to China. Make that a loooong state visit to China, about eight days long. So many events and so many outfits, and so we'll just do a few highlights, in no particular order:

This dress was worn to the state banquet, so obviously no tiaras in sight. Instead, an abstract print in a silhouette that I quite like for her, by Haus Coudeyre (per ModeKoninginMathilde, which has the most comprehensive fashion coverage of this whole trip).

I think she likes it for her too, since she also brought this Natan printed number along with a similar slightly full skirt. (Not pictured: Philippe. He wore a suit.)

Another print, another silhouette she loves. And a seashell on her head.

It does feel like she made an effort to diversify her designer base for this trip. Mostly still Natan, but several other names were thrown into the mix. This tin man number is from Ann Demeulemeester, for example.

Also, I lied. There is an order to these, and the order is that I saved the best for last.
Again proving the power of some designer variation, this is by Bernard Depoorter, and it is twirly. I LOVE.

Photos: via Getty Images and Twitter as indicated
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28 June 2015

Sunday Tidbits for June 28: Sparkly Follow Ups and More

Last week was one for the sparkle record books, and today's tidbits begin by wrapping up a couple of those glittering occasions:

--I wrapped up the British state visit to Germany over at the Vault with some favorite moments. [Jewel Vault]

--Sometimes we don't even get pictures out the National Day gala in Luxembourg, and sometimes you just have to wait for the real treats. They posed for a family photo, and Luxarazzi also zeroed in on the tiaras in the reception line. Princess Claire is indeed wearing a new parure of red stones and diamonds, and I'm guessing the small bandeau tiara is a bracelet on a frame. Whether it belongs to her or came from the family stash, we don't know, but HUZZAH for new stuff! [Luxarazzi]
Photo: Grand Ducal Court/Christian Aschman

--Days of celebration for the coronation of Tonga's King Tupou VI have begun. [ABC]

--Infanta Elena got all fancied up to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Spanish Riding School in Austria. (This is an Oscar de la Renta dress, and a look repeated from 2010.) [Style.com, Hola]

--Here's a piece on the new film Fabergé: A Life of Its Own, which is in limited theaters beginning tomorrow (June 29). The trailer is below. [Maclean's]

--The Japanese imperial family gathered for a concert celebrating Empress Michiko's 80th birthday, which was in October. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

--And finally, a little bit of cute: The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, as Chaz and Cams are known when in Scotland, went on a four day visit to, well, Scotland. They brought Cams' two rescue dogs to the Dumfries Dog Show, and you know how events pairing royals and dogs always end up. (Delightful, in other words.) [People, Scotsman Picture Desk]

Next up: Traveling to China with Queen Mathilde and her plus one, a Spanish state visit, and more...
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26 June 2015

Royal Outfit Grab Bag of the Day: June 26

In which we explore some totally unrelated Things About Which I Have Thoughts for the week:

Queen Máxima attended a conference, June 22
See, when you overdo it with the accent color, you lose the delight of an accent color in the first place.

Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece (with the Marquess of Douro) at the Ralph Lauren & Vogue Wimbledon Party, June 22
M-C's got it down. The unexpected pink of the purse is the whole point.

Princess Beatrix at a sailing event, June 20
Visor Alert: Queen Princess Beatrix helms her own ship (De Groene Draeck, the Green Dragon) and her bouffant bends for no occasion. 

Queen Rania hosted women for iftar at Raghadan Palace, June 21
Oh, this Roksanda Ilincic frock is such a perfect dress-to-wearer match. I appreciate an Ilincic done simply even more after that recent Ascot episode.

Crown Princess Mary (with her plus one, Fred) attended the Reumert Awards honoring the Danish performing arts, June 21. Click here for a gallery.
I saw some clips of this show. I got the impression it wouldn't have made much more sense even if I did speak Danish, which I don't. But that makes it a great occasion for this outfit, which is a long dress with a long kimono on top (from Rabens Saloner).
It's the perfect outfit for swanning about one's lanai all day, before heading out for an evening of baffling theater. I'd take the whole ensemble home, no problem. And I'm not just saying that because I need those Portuguese gold filigree earrings in my life rightthissecond.

Photos: via Getty Images, Queen Rania Instagram, Liberty, DR screencap, Rabens Saloner, Alma e Coração
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25 June 2015

Tiara Thursday: Queen Victoria's Orange Blossom Wreath

Queen Elizabeth II is on a state visit to Germany - which is being covered in full at the Vault - and she's really working the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha angle with jewels courtesy of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria (including a particularly spectacular turn at the state banquet last night). Today's feature, however, is one Victoria and Albert jewel that she won't be wearing.

Sentimentality ran high in Victorian era jewelry, including in the collection of the monarch that gave the era its name. Queen Victoria placed special significance on the all the jewelry that her husband, Prince Albert, gave her and designed for her. This was a great portion of her jewel collection, as Albert's eye for design took charge of the royal gems during his life. We've admired several of the tiaras to which his name was attached - Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet, her Emerald and Diamond Tiara, and her Oriental Circlet, for example - but none of those headpieces were quite as personal as her Orange Blossom Wreath.
Queen Victoria's Orange Blossom Parure (headdress, two brooches, and earrings)
As a present for their sixth wedding anniversary in February 1846, Albert gave Victoria a wreath of white porcelain orange blossoms with gold leaves on a braided black velvet band with a silk ribbon tie at the back. The wreath includes four oranges made from green enamel to represent the four children they had at that time, but that wasn't the only meaningful touch.
The selection of orange blossom was filled with significance for the couple. The flower represented chastity in the language of flowers; it was also associated with betrothal, as emphasized when Albert sent Victoria a brooch designed as a white porcelain and gold sprig of orange blossom after their engagement. Victoria wore fresh orange blossoms on their wedding day, and just as her gown created a trend for white wedding dresses, she started a trend for orange blossom jewelry. Albert turned his engagement gift into a parure (matched set) by giving her another brooch and a pair of matching earrings in December 1845. The wreath, given a couple months later, was the last piece of the parure.
Victoria and Albert, 1854. She may be wearing this wreath.
Queen Victoria loved the gift, writing in her diary that "it is such a lovely wreath & such a dear kind thought of Albert's." She wore pieces of the parure for all of their wedding anniversaries until Albert's death in 1861. After he died, she had the set placed on display in the room where he died at Windsor Castle. The orange blossom parure was not meant to be worn by anyone else, and so the pieces have not been; they are in the Royal Collection and are solely for display.

You can see the parure on display right now, as a matter of fact: Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden at The Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace includes the orange blossom jewels and runs through October of this year. (Thank you to All That Glitters for the heads up!)

Photos: Royal Collection/Queen Elizabeth II / Wikimedia Commons
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Tiara Watch of the Day: June 25

The sneakiest tiara occasion of the Dutch year happened last night: the annual gala dinner for the Corps Diplomatique. Pictures from inside are not usually released, so glimpses from the steps as they enter (in regular day clothes) and leave (fully bedazzled) are as much of the splendor as they share. This year, on video:
Departures (including tiaras) begin at 1:18.
Queen Máxima and Princess Beatrix swapped wedding tiaras, because they are the cutest, with the Württemberg Ornate Pearl Tiara for Máxima and the Pearl Button Tiara (Diamond Star Version) for Beatrix. Princess Margriet was also present, wearing the pearl version of the Emerald Parure Tiara. (Click here for a few photos.)

Máx brought back one of her greatest gala gowns, an orange lace number she wore to her pre-wedding dinner. She also repeated it for the 2002 wedding of Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Ari Behn, just a few months later: 
A whole lot more elegant than you'd think it would be from the orange lace description, right? That's what happens when you get your orange lace from Valentino, I guess.

Photo: via Getty Images
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24 June 2015

Royal National Day (and Tiara Watch!) of the Day: June 24

Let's spend a little quality time with the Luxembourg grand ducal clan. They've been celebrating National Day with big hats (lucky us) and plentiful tiaras (even luckier us). The festivities kicked off the day before with a surprise balcony appearance and some visits, including the traditional trip for Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie to Esch-sur-Alzette.
Their outfits were pretty tame (as usual) but also they were pretty cute (as usual).

The whole family - the Grand Duke, Grand Duchess, and all five kids plus assorted spouses - kicked National Day itself off with a ceremony at the Philharmonie Luxembourg.
@CourGrandDucale
Some basic outfits here, but I think they were saving themselves up for the Te Deum.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess
Maria Teresa elevated her Armani suit with a sculptural black topper, and Henri clearly approved of the addition (speaking of cute, ahem).

 Prince Sébastien and Princess Alexandra
I did not know that there was such a thing as a costume Te Deum, but I'm here for Alexandra's flapper flair.

Prince Louis and Princess Tessy
Tessy got the memo, apparently, carrying us forward in time to the glamour of the 30s and 40s with her red lip and saucy 'do.

Prince Félix and Princess Claire
A big hat and swinging earrings and polka dots and a Dolce & Gabbana dress with a flippy skirt? That's, like, 75% of my favorite things. Don't distract me, Claire, I'm determined to give my jumpy claps to someone else this time.

The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess
Jumpy claps for Stéphanie! Finally, finally, I have some jumpy claps for Stéphanie, and they are long overdue. A truly classic appearance with a cheery color to keep it interesting and a little personality courtesy of the hat. Fab-u-lous.

And just to add an extra fabulous cap to the day: the National Day gala, featuring more tiaras in one shot than some countries pull together in a whole year.
Palais grand ducal/Tageblatt
Maria Teresa in the Belgian Scroll Tiara, Stéphanie in Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde's Tiara, Claire in what I believe is a new little bandeau piece (with an impressive set of ruby or red stone earrings and necklace to go with, and an elegant red dress), Tessy in what looks like the amethyst and pearl bandeau, and Alexandra (wearing, if I'm not mistaken, the Elie Saab that Stéphanie wore to Princess Madeleine's pre-wedding dinner) in the Topaz/Citrine and Pearl Tiara. And that's how you do a tiara appearance, folks.

For more on National Day, here's a huge gallery including a few more gala pics, and you can always turn to Luxarazzi.
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23 June 2015

Big Royal Hats of the Week: June 23

Ascot doesn't have a monopoly on the big hats, you know.

The Duchess of Cornwall took time out from Ascot to toss a mop on her head and head out with the Prince of Wales to continue the work they started in Belgium, leading the royal party at a St. Paul's Cathedral service to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Cams is wearing her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Small Diamond Clasp and a badge from the Rifles, by the way.)

A big group of royals and other dignitaries gathered in Belgium to do the same, including the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the King and Queen of the Belgians, the King and Queen of the Netherlands, and the Duke of Kent.
'Twas a standard appearance for two of the Ms - Maria Teresa and Máxima, though I am a little concerned that Máx had an altercation with a road line painter on the way to Belgium - and a gorgeous appearance for their royal hostess.
This is the second time in a week I've looked at Mathilde and thought nothing more than she looks goooood. So let's keep that up.

I like to imagine that Queen Máxima realized she missed an opportunity for a big hat there, because she returned home and promptly donned this monster, to open the Design Derby Netherlands:
It takes a lot to overshadow a chapeau like this, but my attention was diverted by what I genuinely thought might be a lobster slung 'round her neck. (She would wear one too, you know she would.)
Honestly, I'm a little disappointed to find out that wasn't the case.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
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22 June 2015

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2015, Days 4 & 5

The last two days of Royal Ascot did taper off in terms of royal attendance, but they also gave us the most Ascot-y of our royal Ascot hats this year, so it's a trade off. Let's finish this party up: 

Best in Coordination
The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh (Day 5)
Check that tie-to-outfit coordination. Not too matchy-matchy, just right. Awww. (You can of course see Her Maj on Day 4 as well as all brooch info at the Vault.)

Best Comeback
Zara Phillips (Day 4)
Bouncing right back from a yellow number that made people ask all the wrong questions earlier in the week, this is simple but just the right silhouette for Zara. Lovely. Also, bonus grandmother/granddaughter hang out time:

Worst Step Back
Princess Beatrice (Day 4)
And she was doing so very well on Day 3. Alas, Beatrice - here with her mum and sister - stepped right back in that pile of tooooo muchhhhh that she got stuck in on Day 1, overdoing this skirt (which is already patterned and flared and wrinkled) with a fussy top and ankle straps and koosh ball flowers on her head. Princess Eugenie did it better on Day 3, and is doing it better retro-style here too.

Best Ascot Spirit
Lady Helen Taylor
Let it be known that I do not like bugs on my hats anymore than I like them on my jewelry. But it's Ascot! Someone has to have a little millinery fun. We've seen some big royal hats this year, but I think this is the only one that's really brought the whimsy that one can pull off at the biggest hat parade of the year.

Now that we've reached the end of the Ascot fun, it's time for the final question:

What was your favorite Ascot outfit for 2015?
(Voting for the Yorks on Day 3, myself.)

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
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21 June 2015

Sunday Tidbits for June 21: Baby Updates and Things to See

A weekend without a royal wedding just doesn't feel right. But Sweden did their part to make sure there was no lull in the royal news this week, and they lead your weekly tidbits:

--King Carl Gustaf announced the name and title of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill's new son at a Cabinet meeting this week: HRH Prince Nicolas Paul Gustaf, Duke of Ångermanland. Paul and Gustaf are after the baby's grandfathers (Chris' middle name is also Paul), and Nicolas is an older Bernadotte family name. Chris told Svenska Dagbladet that the couple liked the name, and he was named Nicolas for about a day when he was born before his father changed it. [Svenska Dagbladet]
Prince Nicolas. Photo: Kungahuset.se

--Most of the Swedish royal family (minus Princess Madeleine, obviously, and Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, who are on their honeymoon) attended a Te Deum service to celebrate Prince Nicolas' birth on Thursday. [Expressen]
Photo: Kungahuset.se

--Not even my well-documented weakness for a fine white dress can endear me to the military styling on the top half of Princess Charlene at a cocktail party for the Monte Carlo Television Festival. [Hello]

--Thing to See #1: PBS is airing Tales from the Royal Wardrobe tonight (Sunday), with Dr. Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces. At 7 pm CST/8 EST but you know the drill, check your local listings and all that. [PBS]

--Thing to See #2: The V&A in London just opened an exhibit called Shoes: Pleasure and Pain, running through January 31, 2016. And that's why the V&A is my favorite museum in the world. [V&A]

--Thing to See #3: The British Museum in London has just opened a new gallery for the Waddesdon Bequest, a collection of nearly 300 Renaissance treasures from Baron Ferdinand Rothschild MP (1839-1898). Some fascinating jewels in here. [British Museum, with thanks to Joyce]
Video: Some of the treasures in the new gallery

--And finally, I have fallen in love with this antique conch pearl, pearl, and diamond tiara, recently auctioned by Dupuis in Canada. Pink gems get me every time. [MSN and Dupuis, with thanks to Jean]

This week, stick around for the rest of the Ascot fashion parade, a return to the Battle of Waterloo commemorations, and more...
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19 June 2015

Royal Fashion Awards: Royal Ascot 2015, Days 2 & 3

We took a day off from our Ascot coverage, so let's play catch up with a big roundup of royal racegoers:

Best in Gents
The Duke of Edinburgh (Days 2 and 3)
Ascot is my annual time to give the dapper Duke his due. His top hats are "antique", as the Royal Hats Blog explains, which in this case means they're his from fifty years ago. (Princess Anne: "SEE?") For her part, the Queen delighted me with another amazing brooch from Queen Victoria, Prince Albert's Sapphire, and then did an abrupt 180 the next day in a probably modern and hardly as lavish piece, the Shamrock Brooch. I like to think she just wanted us to save up our jumpy claps, knowing that the Duchess of Cornwall was about to pile on pounds of diamonds that evening. Her Maj is gracious like that. (Oh yes, Camilla had a BIG tiara appearance and it is covered at the Vault!)

Best in Comebacks
Princess Beatrice (Day 3) and the Princess Royal (Day 2)
We might as well call this the Triumph of the White Dresses category, because both of these ladies used that simplicity for accessory success after accessory semi-disasters on Day 1. Beatrice continued to play with color - and with handbags - and I adore it. I also adore Anne with a scarf draped gracefully over her shoulders.
Beatrice's dress from Beulah London, hat from Laura Apsit Livens

Biggest Statements in Patterns
Princess Alexandra (Day 2) and The Princess Royal (Day 3)
Alexandra will win you over to her festival of paisley with her cheery smile and her festive hat trim; Anne will simply dare you compare her to a luxury carpet with her steely gaze. But they both come out pretty well in the end.

Biggest Statement in Feathers
Princess Michael (Day 2) and The Countess of Wessex (Day 3)
Positively swashbuckling, these two - in other words, perfect for Ascot. Well done. (The Countess of Wessex Blog explains that Sophie's Jane Taylor hat looks like a slight remix from a previous Ascot appearance, with some extra stuff added. Can't ever get enough extra stuff to stick on your Ascot hat.)

Best in Couture
Princess Haya (Day 2) and Princess Marie-Chantal (Day 3)
Princess Haya continued her couture Ascot run in Chanel Couture with a Philip Treacy hat, and on Ladies' Day, Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece joined in the fun also in Chanel Couture and Philip Treacy. I have to say, it's a good combo.
Haya's suit modified from Spring 2015; Marie-Chantal's jacket from Spring 2011

Best in Forehead-Bolters
The Countess of Wessex (Day 2), Autumn Phillips (Day 2), and Princess Eugenie (Day 3)
I was expecting to like this latest batch of Ascot fashions so much. (It is Friday, perhaps I'm feeling generous.) I don't even mind a round of my least favorite sort of hat, the one that doesn't cover much of your head except for maybe parts of your vision because hey who needs that. I like all these three! Sophie's all stripey, Autumn's all springy, and Eugenie's all swingy.
Emilia Wickstead for Sophie; Hobbs for Autumn (h/t Countess of Wessex Blog); Peter Pilotto dress and Helmut Lang blazer for Eugenie
Bonus points to Eugenie for picking just the right shape of blazer to add to that dress. I think this is my favorite Eugenie outfit in a long time, which makes the York sisters my day 2 and 3 faves, which is also something that hasn't happened in a long time. Stranger things have happened at sea...

Who's your Ascot Best Dressed for Days 2 & 3?

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated / Beulah London / Laura Apsit Livens / Style.com / Instagram / ModaOperandi / Hobbs / Saks
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Event Roundup: Prince Carl Philip and Sofia's Wedding

Mattias Edwall/Kungahuset.se

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden and Sofia Hellqvist
June 13, 2015
Royal Chapel, Royal Palace, Stockholm


Wedding Posts

The wedding gown by Ida Sjöstedt and the bridal party

Princess Sofia's Emerald and Diamond Tiara
The new tiara worn by the bride

The King, Queen, Crown Princess, Prince Daniel, Princess Madeleine and family, and the groom's aunts
Germany, Norway, and Denmark

Japan, Britain, Belgium, Greece, and the Netherlands

Tidbits remaining after the wedding coverage

Links to watch the broadcast (some with a limited timeframe)

Live chat from the wedding broadcast


Pre-Wedding Posts

The bride in Zuhair Murad and her royal guests

Service for the marriage banns, with the Swedish royal family

Guesses for the wedding gown designer

Guesses for the tiaras of the bride and family
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18 June 2015

Tiara Thursday: Princess Sofia's Emerald & Diamond Palmette Tiara

Princess Sofia's Emerald and Diamond Palmette Tiara

There were plenty of rumors flying around that Sofia Hellqvist would get a new tiara for her wedding to Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. Those types of rumors are not uncommon before a big event, but it is uncommon that they turned out to be true. Sofia joined the ranks of brides in colorful tiaras as she walked down the aisle wearing a diamond and emerald tiara never before seen on the Swedish royal scene. Designed in the Art Deco style, it includes a series of graduated diamond palmette motifs topped by a set of graduated pear-shaped emeralds.

Sofia on her wedding day

The royal court stated that the tiara was a gift from King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia to Princess Sofia at the time of the wedding. In 2016, Svensk Damtidning reported that the necklace was a private gift from a Thai prince to Queen Silvia, and that it was sent to a Thai jeweler for conversion to a tiara (so that the gift would remain a secret) before being gifted to Sofia.

A new tiara for a royal bride is an unusual thing these days, but this acquisition made a lot of sense in the context of the Swedish royal family’s tiara collection. In addition to the tiaras that belong to the family foundation and are available to borrow, most of the ladies in the family have tiaras of their own, whether they were eighteenth birthday gifts, inheritances, or pieces given to or designated for them otherwise. Sofia now has the same. And even though the court's statement indicates that it belongs to Sofia and not the family foundation, this is now the only emerald tiara in the family – something that was a notable omission for such a large collection. The family does have other emerald pieces, including an emerald demi-parure, which seems to be a piece only selectively loaned out, and a few sets of modern emerald jewels in Queen Silvia's collection (such as this one).

The original emerald format (left), with the emeralds removed (center), and with pearls in place of the emeralds (right)

After wearing the tiara for her first few post-wedding tiara occasions in its original form, the tiara was altered. In November 2017, Princess Sofia wore the tiara for the first time with the frame opened up and the emeralds removed, creating an all-diamond format that fit her head in a more natural shape. At the Nobel Prize Awards ceremony the next month, she demonstrated even more of the tiara's flexibility when she replaced the emeralds with pearls.

Embed from Getty Images

At the Nobel Prize Awards ceremony in 2019, Sofia surprised once again by debuting turquoise stones on top of the tiara. She wore the new arrangement with natural turquoise and diamond earrings custom made for her by LWL Jewelry. Princess Sofia continues to use the original emerald toppers as well.

Switching out stone options has turned this tiara into one of the most flexible diadems around. With this many options, it will be interesting to see how her use of the tiara develops in the years to come.

This entry has been updated multiple times with additional information. It was originally called the Emerald and Diamond Tiara, and is also often called Sofia's Palmette Tiara.

Photos: via Getty Images, SVT, Kungahuset
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Royal Gathering of the Day: June 18

Various royals were among the dignitaries gathered in Belgium yesterday for a part of the events marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, a day that included a stop to meet with the King and Queen of the Belgians for some of them. The photos from the meeting are titled in part, "King Philippe and Queen Mathilde Receive Warlord Descendants," and you know something, I really think we don't do enough talking about warlords around here.
You can scroll over the photo for the line up of said warlord descendants, but what I'm concerned with is Mathilde's white dress. How excellent is this?! I'll always love a great white dress, but the little splash of embellishment on one side is really doing me in. A daywear highlight for her for the year so far.

Our friends the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg were there too.This is not the best angle on Stéphanie's suit, but she's got a little purple going on, and she's trying.
The tall one in this photo is the Prince Napoléon (go figure).

Charles and Camilla traveled to Belgium as well, attending the reopening of Hougoumont Farm. They also visited the site of the battle with the current Duke and Duchess of Wellington (here's a video).
That's Princess Astrid of Belgium, King Philippe's sister, rocking the fedora and colored shoes. Her outfit may have had more personality, but Cams was class personified in - believe it or not - Christian Dior Couture, with a Philip Treacy hat.
She took an official tour of the French atelier when she made a solo working visit to Paris in 2013, and she's popped up in a couple of couture Dior outfits since then. This cream coat was specially made for her trip to the D-Day commemorations last year in France, and it's no mistake that she chose it for a trip to Belgium - Dior designer Raf Simons is Belgian. She paired it with a triple strand of pearls from the Queen Mother and a badge representing the regiment of her late father, a World War II veteran.

A good day for cream outfits all around, I'd say.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
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