Britain · Denmark · Monaco · Netherlands · Russia · Spain

Hofdame Bits and Bobs

This is a special edition of Hofdame Bits and Bobs for the holiday week. We are kicking off Romanov week, courtesy of our contributor Royal Warren(t). Please enjoy her series on the “Lost Magnificence” of the Russians. It’s a tour of some fabulous jewels, and we know you will savor it as much as we have. The hofdames also have some additional tiara quizzes to add to the experience. Kick back and get ready for some fun (and education!).

The Bolsheviks auditing the Romanov jewels, Public Domain

Let's start off by testing your Romanov knowledge.

The Romanov dynasty lasted from:

Catherine the Great was born a:

Prince Philip is descended from the Romanovs in _____ way(s):

Spain

We covered most of the other Christmas addresses in this post, but King Felipe gave a moving speech that is a record breaker. Given the issues the monarchy faces in Spain, this is notable good news.

Year’s Best by Season

Since so little is going on this week, we are taking the opportunity to dip back into the very different, very strange year and give you our bests of each season of the year – since it’s such a different year, your “best of” might be a best sartorial outing, a best room, or a best visit. Please post your choice in the comments!

Winter

I am reaching waaaayyyy back to the beginning of last year, to the last royal event tiara appearance I can think of. Princess Benedikte, arriving at the Danish New Year’s levees in glorious, royal purple, is my sartorial best for winter, and really, for all of last year.

Spring

The Dutch royals celebrated Koningsdag (Kingsday) 2020 at home, which for a gaggle of extroverts must have been hard indeed. I am giving them the spring sartorial award – despite the appearance of a jumpsuit – because they are all just so very ….. springy.

Embed from Getty Images

Summer

Beatrice was married in July, in the Queen’s altered vintage Hartnell. It was a romantic choice for a bride who had to “make do” in a lot of ways, and did it in style.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Autumn

Let’s give it to the entire Casiraghi crew (plus little sister Princess Alex), who nailed Monaco’s 2020 National Day in November. Prada and Dior, be still my heart. Caro and Char (and the kiddos) didn’t do so badly for themselves, either.

Embed from Getty Images

Comments

As always, we are so glad you’re here! Please leave your contributions in the comments all week long!