If there was a theme to the visiting royal garb, it was that I got my wish and saw a lot of netting on hats and a good sprinkling of gorgeous national dress. Also, lots and lots of matching shoes. Let’s knuckle down and check all this out.
Belgium
Pink was a popular color for the day. Well, it definitely “pops” as they say. Queen Mathilde wore an Armani Prive pink caped dress (designer at this point unknown) and a hat by Philip Treacy. She treated us to another outing of her beautiful diamond butterfly brooch, too.
Luxembourg and Liechtenstein
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa has been leaning hard into wearing the royal lady trousers lately, and this event was no different. I’m looking for photos of her standing still, since in movement there is a lot of fabric flowing around this suit and it’s distracting. In the meantime, you can look at Grand Duke Henri, looking handsome in his uniform. (Brooch babes, you also have a lovely piece to admire!)
It was a brooch kind of day, Hereditary Princess Sophie of Liechtenstein brought a massive bow brooch to the party. It really does show up well against that deep lilac. Hereditary Prince Alois is a handsome man who wears a morning suit as it should be worn – with confidence and panache.
Spain
The Queen wore a custom Carolina Herrera and a very interesting hat from Balel (with netting!). When Letizia goes for hats, she goes for them! This is a big occasion, so the diamond cluster earrings from the Joyas de Pasar made an appearance.
Denmark
Crown Princess Mary heeded the call for netting, too. Her hat is by JT Millinery, and her dress is by one of her favorite designers, Soren Le Schmidt. She accessorized her blue dress with her birthday gift from Daisy, the turquoise earrings and brooch with quite the historical provenance. They are said to be from the collection of Catherine the Great, and also once in the possession of Princess Margaret of Connaught.
Greece
It was a blue coordination day for the Greek royals. Marie Chantal’s dress is a bespoke Mary Katrantzou and her hat is by Philip Treacy. We don’t have an identification on Queen Anne Marie’s dress, but she, too, brooched it up to make Baguettes happy.
The Netherlands
It’s not often that the King and Queen of the Netherlands are hard to spot, but in this case, they were the restrained duo of the day. Well, as restrained as you can be when the Queen is wearing gob-stopping earrings from the Stuart parure! She also sports a cleverly camouflaged brooch at the waist (H/T to Baguette Bweaves!) The Queen’s dress is by Jan Taminiau.
Lesotho
It took me forever to find this photo, but King Letsie III and Masenate Mohato Seeisio of Lesotho were worth it. The Queen got the “blue” memo and swept in this long, lovely gown with its nod to traditional Basotho clothing. The subtle coordination between the couple? Chef’s kiss!
Jordan
Queen Rania and King Abdullah have sandwiched this big event in between two family weddings. The Queen wore a pale yellow dress with a hat some call interesting, but I actually like. Nice and small and easy to see around in the Abbey!
Sweden
The Swedish father daughter show made a strong appearance. I love these two together – there was lots of chatter and grins from the normally reticent King. Crown Princess Victoria was all in blue, head to toe, topped with a pillbox hat (netting-free in this case). Her dress has been confirmed to be by her wedding dress designer, Par Engsheden.
The Crown Princess also brought some discreet diamond sparkle in the form of the necklace around her neck.
Norway
Oh, be still my heart! The Crown Princess brought a handsome husband, a pink dress and a chapeau with netting to the party. Mette-Marit’s Peter Dundas dress is a custom number as is her Jane Taylor pillbox (with netting, did I mention that?) She added Paula Rowan Montserrat gloves and a VBH Manila clutch in pink crocodile.
Serbia and Romania
Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia had a little bit of coordination going on, but in a tasteful way. Margareta, the Custodian of the Crown, and Prince Radu of Romania did not coordinate, but I appreciate the fine matching of all Margareta’s accessories, from her hat to shoes.
Japan, Thailand, Bhutan, and Tonga
We were treated to some elegant and beautiful national dress from these four countries. Crown Princess Kiko wore a kimono in gentle tones, Jetsun Pema chose Bhutanese national dress in lavender, and the beautiful Queen Suthida treated us by wearing Queen Sirikit’s sapphire necklace and earrings. We don’t often get the chance to see Tonga’s royals, King Tupou VI and his wife Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho, so it was a nice surprise that the cameras caught them.
Morocco, Malaysia, and Qatar
Darn it! Poor Lalla Meryem of Morroco was cold and her wrap covered up what is probably a gorgeous caftan. If anyone can find a good photo of her, I will pay you back in Handbag currency ; ). Those earrings are wowza, though.
A huge thank you to our Baguette Ellendiane for finding the photos of the royals below, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al-Thani of Qatar and His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Her Majesty Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah of Malaysia. I am in love with both of the women’s ensembles. The soft grey shimmering embroidery from Qatar and the brilliant yellow from Malaysia speak to me in different tones, both wonderful.
Eswatini
Mswati III, King of Eswatini, and his senior wife LaMbikiza. I don’t think she was prepared for British weather; however, I appreciate the colorful and vibrant dress.
Monaco
A late edition! I knew I would forget someone! After all the joking about Prince Albert going everywhere, and doing everything! HSH Princess Charlene’s theme this weekend has been drama, and she continued it with this beige suit! I don’t have a designer ID, although I am guessing it’s Akris.
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