This habit of waking up Monday with a party hangover has to stop! Another week of celebrations, including Ascot and a small get-together for Princess Ingrid-Alexandra’s 18th birthday, was almost too much royal goodness for this Hofdame. I’m drinking coffee and clearing my head for the week. Let’s look back at a few things we missed while big stuff had us mesmerized.
Getty
Royal Ascot dominates the Getty coverage this week, but you can also catch up on Queen Maxima’s last few days in Senegal. See it all here.
Tiara Talk
Oh, what the heck, let’s just look at these tiara debuts one more time.
The Belgians threw us for a loop with that tiara on Elisabeth. Speculation about the provenance has settled on the Vestey tiara as the best possible source. Hat Tip and kudos to Baguette MarthaE for bringing this to our attention! Here is a link to the original blog post by russian_treasure on Instagram, laying the case for the tiara and providing background on its provenance.
You can look at Evelyn Vestey and the Duchess of Brabant below. Tell us what you think.
Here is Lady Saffron Vestey wearing what appears to be the tiara to her wedding in the 1990s.
(H/Ts to Baguettes Penguin84 and Gloria Mundi for the following intel). Saffron’s father, Lord Vestey, died in 2021, and his wife died the year before. Initially, it was speculated that the tiara was sold at that time to cover estate taxes, however, the Belgian Royal Palace has said it was purchased in 2019 – so we may never know much more.
🇧🇪 Belgian Princess Elisabeth’s tiara (worn in Oslo last Friday) is a gift from her parents, the Royal Palace in Brussels just informed me.
👸 It’s an antique piece that King Philippe and Queen Mathilde bought for her 18th birthday in 2019.
👑 “This tiara remain in the family.” pic.twitter.com/OPld3FIFQL
— [Wim Dehandschutter] (@WDehandschutter) June 19, 2022
As far as our tiara brackets go, this was a tough event to call. In addition to the surprise Belgian tiara, Crown Princess Mary, Princess Amalia, and Queen Max came up with unexpected choices. Our Baguette ellendiane got six correct, so she is getting a gold Handbag star today!
Norway
Given that a lot was going on during the Gala, it’s inevitable we missed a few things in our coverage. Apologies for misidentifying the Behn sisters, who were all in attendance at Ingrid-Alexandra’s celebrations and all wearing repeats from royal closets. UFONoMore has correctly identified them!
From youngest to oldest: Emma (in blue) wore a gown from Queen Sonja’s closet (unfortunately, we don’t have photos of Sonja wearing it, but we have it on “good authority”). Leah (in white) re-wore Martha-Louise’s pre-wedding gown and Maud (in pale pink) donned a gown Queen Sonja wore in 1986.
Hat Tip to our Baguette “the fishing frog” who identified Auntie Astrid’s re-wear! It was the last piece in our Norwegian re-wear puzzle. Astrid re-wore a gown from Harald’s 70th birthday celebrations.
Monaco
Princess Charlene has returned to a limited role in public life, and last week she and Prince Albert appeared at the 61st Monte Carlo TV Festival. The Princess wore a Grecian-style Lanvin gown. I know the hem is bothersome to some of you (I think it moves pretty darn well on Charlene’s tall frame!) so focus instead on her Van Cleef & Arpels dangling sparklers. They should distract you!
The Royal Couple will visit Oslo this week to attend the exhibit “Sailing the Sea of Science”. There will be a lunch at Bygdø Royal Farm hosted by King Harald and Queen Sonja, with Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Märtha Louise in attendance.
Sweden
Remember Min Stora Dag? Princess Madeleine is the patron of this organization, which provides support to children with debilitating illnesses. She was back in Sweden and appeared at one of their most recent events. This year children were invited for horseback/carriage riding and tea in Hovstallet. No tiara in evidence (alas) but Madeleine did appear in a Princess-approved pink LoveShackFancy dress.
Luxembourg
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the municipality of Colmar-Berg to open the gardens at Château de Berg. MT complimented the floral festivities with her Mes Demoiselles Howa Dress. Or caftan, if you prefer.
#NationalFeierdag – L’aubade de la commune de Colmar-Berg a fait hier soir son grand retour au Château de Berg après 2 annulations dues à la Covid. Le Couple grand-ducal a ainsi eu la joie d’accueillir dans les jardins du château les habitants venus en cortège. ©MGD/S.Margue pic.twitter.com/yFKQu68fpM
— Cour Grand-Ducale (@CourGrandDucale) June 19, 2022
Britain
Vogue has profiled The Duchess of Cornwall for her 75th birthday. Camilla talks about her role, her life, and her book club (@DuchessOfCornwallsReadingRoom). For our purposes, the portraits are the best part. She seems to be favoring blue for these sittings, and the lace gown is particularly flattering.
Read the article here.
Denmark
I just saw the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit this weekend, so the artist’s Almond Blossom painting is the first thing I thought of when I saw Daisy in this dress again. I wonder if she thinks the same thing when she puts it on? Daisy attended a ballet edition of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Pig Boy”. The Queen designed both the sets and costumes for the production.
Let’s just enjoy Benedikte, doing what she does best.
Weddings in the Wild
Royal-adjacent, actually. I love the channeling of the sixties here and I think some of you will too. I know you will ask so here is my only explanation: Princess Charlotte is a direct descendant of the French royal family: the Capetian house of Bourbons who ruled the country and parts of Europe for nine centuries.
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