Here's Queen Mathilde, with King Philippe, paying a visit to the Vatican and Pope Francis on Monday and exercising her privilège du blanc for the first time. Queen Robocop used a combination of crutches and a wheelchair to get around due to her knee injury, as she has been doing of late, but still managed to look incredibly elegant. Respect. I'm such a sucker for simple designs in white.
I love that she chose a veil - because when don't I love a veil? - but this one was rather in your face. And I mean that literally, because it was obstructing one side of her face in several photos. Maybe she's just really getting into her Robocop groove, and can only show one side of her face at a time.
Here's Queen Máxima kicking off the Week of Money for schools on Monday. She really likes this swing coat, and I really like it when it's open, at least. Anyway, the beige base left space for her statement jewelry:
Here's Mary opening Grønningen's 100th anniversary exhibition this weekend, and her skirt is also alive, amoeba-style. Actually it's a paisley pattern, and it's from Joseph.
. I mean, what can you say? Typically elegant. Totally Mary. Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Farfetch
I'm busy mourning the loss of a precious hour to daylight saving time, so let's get right to it. Your tidbits for the week:
--Monaco's baby twinshave a christening date: May 10, 2015. The ceremony will be broadcast, so I assume all interested in watching will at least be able to stream it online somewhere. [Monaco Matin]
--CNN will run a feature on the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall next Saturday featuring an interview with the Prince, just prior to their visit to the States. Catch if you can. Or don't, fine, be that way. [CNN]
--A new logo and new picture have been released for the upcoming celebration of Queen Margrethe II's 75th birthday [Kongehuset]:
--And here's the model herself: Queen Mathilde made a short visit to Washington, D.C. for a "Girls Impacted by Conflict and Civil Unrest" symposium. Still hobbling around with the aid of crutches and occasionally a wheelchair after injuring her knee, she was overheard explaining that her kids now call her maman Robocop. [7sur7]
--The Duke of Cambridgewrapped up his Asian tour in China this week, and not a moment too soon. The length of the trip clearly left him unable to tell the real penguins from the fakes, and unable to remember that you can't make conversation with either. [Kensington Palace Storify]
--Over at the Jewel Vault, we covered not just the state visit from Mexico this week, but also the newly updated portrait of QEII that will adorn coins in the U.K. [Jewel Vault]
--And finally: A carriage made for King William IV was sold at auction this week. Was it you? Did you buy it? Can I borrow it? My work commute really could use a little pepping up, you know. [ITV]
I would not have picked Mathilde, that's for sure. I suppose she is one of the ones capable of taking these materials (which on description alone sound like a reject from the Pretty Woman wardrobe department) and making them queenly, so there's that. (Here's a gallery with photos from this and other appearances.)
While we're catching up on our Benelux queens, Máxima opened the Máxima Channel yesterday (namesake aquatic transportation routes: just another perk of being royal) wearing a patterned Natan dress with beige accessories.
An injured knee (apparently suffered during the family's recent ski vacation) can't keep Queen Mathilde down, and it certainly can't keep her from playing the Natan style twin game. She's giving us flashbacks to Máxima's ensemble from last week, and I think she's coming out on top, because 1) she's restricted her orange accessories to a small pair of earrings, and 2) those are some kicky little flats. I'm not usually a fan of her footwear, but in accommodating her injury, she's managed to up her game.
Since we're hanging out with Mathilde, here's an audience she held earlier in the week (before things got tricky with her knee, I guess):
Honestly, it's a little sad how happy I am just to see a hat with a crown and a brim on display. Such a simple thing, yet so often refreshing in a world of fascinators and other such things. So my sincere thanks to the Belgian royal family for a better than average showing last week:
Attending an annual mass in remembrance of deceased family members.
I don't know if Queen Mathilde has been watching as much Downton Abbey or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries as I have, but her cloche is right on point and extremely cute. We have a brimless nod to Princess Margaretha and her classic pillbox, just behind Mathilde above, and Princess Claire tossed in a navy number. I can't even be mad at Princess Astrid's pairing of her large black hat with a coat in...khaki mustard? I don't even know.
Prins Lorenz en prinses Astrid gaan ook binnen. Ze wachten op Claire. Laurent is nog steeds ziek en is er niet bij. pic.twitter.com/gaf2sTeClc — Royalty (@VTMRoyalty) February 12, 2015
Just a crown and a brim, and I'm good to go. (Until there's one of those that I don't care for, in which case never mind.) Anyway, back to the cloche: sooo much potential for an unflattering look with that style, but this gets a well played from me. For a gallery from this event, click here.
Photos: Dirk Waem/AFP via Getty Images, @VTMRoyalty
Queen Mathilde attended an opera in Brussels on February 3.
Consider me sincerely disappointed that Mathilde didn't get a white version so we could finally get that royal production of Swan Lake I've been hoping for, featuring Queen Odette and Queen Odile.
Despite my ballet disappointments, I rather like this on Mathilde. Feathers are always good for a giggle, but this is a nice neckline for her and the intricate updos she favors. Also, her chosen color is the perfect reason to bust out these earrings:
--While others were working on their spelling, King Philippe and Queen Mathilde were hosting diplomats and Queen Mathilde was making sure that you'll never miss her in the photo. [@Monarchie_Be Twitter]
--Two big birthdays at the Danish royal court this week: Princess Marie turned 39, and here's a gallery in celebration... [Royalista]
--...and Crown Princess Mary turned 43. Some new poses from the photoshoot for the couple's 10th wedding anniversary were released as official pictures: [Daily Mail]
--And finally, I am duly informing you of the following Princess Alexandra of Kent sighting: She attended a memorial for Sir Jocelyn Stevens, with her brother, the Duke of Kent, at her side. [Getty]
--Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, daughter of Princess Benedikte of Denmark and Prince Richard of Sayn-W(etc., you know), and husband Alexander Johannsmann welcomed a baby girl named Louisa on January 28. The couple also have a son, Konstantin, born in 2010. [Kongehuset, Ridehesten]
--Princess Alexandra of Hanover, competitive figure skater and the 15-year-old daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco and the Prince of Hanover, represented Monaco in the European Youth Olympic Festival in Austria this week. Prince Albert joined his sister to cheer her on, and Alexandra gave an interview for the occasion (video below, in French). [PurePeople]
--Queen Update #1: Queen Silvia looked very elegant in her tone on tone suit this week, helping hand out medals. [Kungahuset]
--Queen Update #3: Do I detect a bit of a flapper wave on Queen Paola here? [RTLPlaceRoyale Twitter]
Albert et Paola ont assisté à l’inauguration de la nouvelle Aile de Launoit de la Chapelle Musicale Reine Elisabeth pic.twitter.com/E7y5HxI5v5 — Place Royale (@RTLPlaceRoyale) January 28, 2015
--Queen Update #4 (it counts, don't argue): Dame Helen Mirrenrode the subway. [Gothamist]
--Vanity Fairoffers a peek inside Dudley House in London which has been restored to its former life as a grand society home by the Qatari ruling family and Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani. [Vanity Fair]
--And one joyous scarf wave to send us across the finish line: Prince Carl Philip made an official visit to Lyon, France this week, where he celebrated the Bucose d'Or chef competition with gusto. This gallery includes some from his trip plus Victoria, Daniel, and Estelle watching the European Figure Skating Championships. [Purepeople]
Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a day which is also honored as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day was marked with a service at Auschwitz in Poland and in events around the world, and royals from many countries joined in the commemorations. This is not the lighter stuff that we usually (and purposefully) stick to around here; this is really nothing to do with the sartorial side of things. But sometimes it's important just to take a moment and remember.
Among the royal contingent paying their respects in Poland were the King and Queen of the Netherlands and the King and Queen of the Belgians. Willem-Alexander wore a kippah (yarmulke), which was a touching gesture.
The Crown Princes of Denmark and Norway were also in attendance, as was the Crown Princess of Sweden and the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Many others not shown here also participated in various events at home, including the King and Queen of Sweden, Prince Daniel, and the King of Spain. The attendance of this particular set of people is not the point of these events, of course, but I can't help but find it lovely to see so many in our frame of reference united, from whatever location, to commemorate and to remember this important moment in history.
If you would like to watch the entire ceremony from Auschwitz, you may do so below.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia gave out the National Research Awards last week
I've always liked this Felipe Varela suit, with its delicate scalloped detailing, and red is definitely Letizia's color. Both she and Felipe were wearing bracelets from ARHOE, an organization that promotes more rational working hours and a better balance between work and life in Spain. The group was included in one of the couple's recent palace audiences, and they've apparently won some royal support. A yellow bracelet with a red suit is certainly an effective way to draw attention.
Let's catch up with Queen Mathilde, shall we? She and King Philippe have had a couple engagements in the new year so far. There was this, a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk, to start:
This was a New Year's reception for the Diplomatic Corps, which might have been a court dress occasion in certain other countries (Britain and the Netherlands even have gala receptions for diplomats, at other times of the year). Not in Belgium though, they don't play that game.
But this whole voluminous, uh, situation makes me wish they did. Court dress or gala, either way. Because this looks like Mathilde started growing out what would have been a cape or train capable of such epic proportion it could even teach Máxima a thing or two...and instead just gave up half way and called it good.
Photos: Laurie Dieffembacq/AFP via Getty Images, @MonarchieBe, @RTLPlaceRoyale
Queen Elizabeth II's annual Christmas broadcast is pretty well known around the world, but many of her sovereign colleagues have a similar speech to offer this time of the year. I've thrown several of them together in today's tidbits, because they're quite interesting in comparison. Just a snippet tells you something about that monarch, I think, from their levels of expression down to their choices of teleprompters and editing vs. none of that fancy business. Also included below are other greetings for the new year and random news bits, so read on...
--King Philippe does a version of his message for the season in each of Belgium's three official languages, and this year he started off with a tribute to the late Queen Fabiola. Here's an article with some highlights in English and a video. [Deredactie]
Deredactie video
The Belgian royal family also published some new family photos for the holiday:
--Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas message was covered at the Jewel Vault along with the jewels she wore to deliver it. Also covered over there in the past week was my annual round up of her year in jewels, where we recall what was new (a ton!) and count up what was worn most often (did you know that QEII wore close to 70 brooches this year? True story). [Jewel Vault]
--Grand Duke Henri was one of many to make note of this year of commemoration in his Christmas speech. Here's video and English text. [Wort]
Wort video
--Prince Albert II highlighted the birth of the new twins in his New Year message, video below and English translation here. [YouTube, Royal Correspondent]
--King Harald V gets points from me for a New Year's Eve speech delivered in a tux, though reading note cards while standing does give me some unpleasant flashbacks to high school speech class. You can view the speech here, or read excerpts in English here. [Kongehuset YouTube, The Norway Post]
Kongehuset video
--King Carl XVI Gustaf is bit of a hand talker, compared to his colleagues, isn't he? Formulate your own deep thoughts on the matter by viewing his Christmas message or reading it (in Swedish) here. [Kungahuset]
--King Felipe VI's first Christmas message as king was a bit more political than most, dealing with some of the big issues on his plate right now (corruption, Catalonian separation). Made for an interesting contrast, the informal family photos displayed beside him and a serious message, I thought. You can see it here or read an article in English here. [CasarealTV YouTube, BBC]
...and the tidbits this week are jam-packed with holiday treats guaranteed to give you a warm fuzzy feeling. Cute kids! Uniforms! Miniature horses! Scandinavian interiors! We've got something for everyone:
--The Swedish royal court announced that Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill are expecting their second baby, due in Summer 2015. Congrats! [Kungahuset]
--And it's also not Christmas until we get an adorable little video greeting from Haga Palace and Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, and Princess Estelle: Cuteness and another look at Haga's interiors, which I find to be the perfect mix of palace chic and modern comfort.[Kungahuset YouTube]
--They also released a few new Estelle pictures. She's wearing a Ralph Lauren dress and Livly shoes, I know you needed to know that. [Svenskdam]
Kate Gabor/kungahuset.se
--And in even moreEstelle news, she joined her mom to accept the Christmas trees for their home this week. [Kungahuset]
--I know how much some of you love King Felipe with his beard, and apparently so does the Spanish court - they've provided an early holiday present in the form of new official pics in uniform. (The portraits with Letizia and in a suit are older.) [Patrimonio Nacional]
--The Swedish royal family (they've had a busy week, man) were out in force for the Swedish Academy's formal gathering, another one of those white tie/no tiara events. I am intrigued by Victoria's jacket/skirt combo. [Expressen]
The Swedish Royal Family attending the Annual meeting of the Swedish Academy in Stockholm tonight. pic.twitter.com/M7cK1EV04h — Scandinavian Royals. (@crownprincely) December 20, 2014
--The Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandra teamed up for a reception for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Have to love an Alexandra sighting. [Clarence House Twitter]
--Here's a short clip of an interview withQueen Margrethe, card-carrying member of the Mutual Admiration Society for Queens Regnant (which I just made up but should be an actual thing), talking about the summer she met Princess Beatrix and her love for her old friend. (Starts at 3:48.) [NPO]
It was wonderful to begin our visit to Belgium by having dinner with TRH King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. #GGBelpic.twitter.com/646KzGNQcq — David Johnston (@GGDavidJohnston) October 28, 2014
Mathilde's luscious velvet number, worn to a dinner for the visiting Governor-General of Canada, is easily one of the most agreed upon dresses we've featured here and an easy pick for my favorite Mathilde outfit all year long. So much a favorite, actually, I'm having trouble even remembering anything else.
Her sublime white proclamation ensemble was instantly memorable and historical and all that jazz, but in the end, this Carolina Herrera gown with a perfect tiara pairing worn to the first state banquet of Felipe's reign easily surpassed it in my book (and maybe only in my book; opinions were pretty well split on this initial outing). If my patience ran low with the multitude of other lace ensembles we've seen in the past weeks, it's because my heart already belonged to this one. This was the year that Letizia got to know Carolina Herrera's designs, and I'm hoping for more of that (and less drawstring casual pants - easily my vote for her worst of the year) in 2015.
I'm in it for the tiaras, I think my stance on that is pretty clear. So it wouldn't be a Year in Review without a look at the tiara appearances we covered here and at the Jewel Vault in 2014 (and minus the ones that I forgot, because you know that's inevitable). You can click the links below or scroll through the posts on this blog by clicking here.
It won't surprise you to learn that I am officially crowning Máxima the Tiara Queen of 2014, with not only a large number of tiara events but also a large variety of tiaras worn for those events. Elsewhere, we saw a couple new pieces debuted, and a couple debuts of old pieces on new people. But perhaps the most important thing we saw in 2014 was the return of full state banquets (and thus tiaras) in Spain and Belgium, both countries having taken a few years off in the midst of economy and government problems. Grand returns ended up being the theme of my favorite tiara moments for the year.
And we must not forget, April also brought us what seemed like a genuine Tiara Miracle: Charlene finally wore her Ocean Tiara. For a magazine shoot, but we'll take what we can get.
May
May brought several tiara appearances: a look at the Diplomatic Corps reception in the Netherlands, new formal pictures marking Frederik and Mary's 10th wedding anniversary (again with the rubies), a state visit from Israel to Norway, and a state visit from Luxembourg to Poland.
.
