The Duchess of Cambridge surprised us by appearing in a new gown yesterday, however, elsewhere in the British royal family plenty of re-wearing was going on.
The Countess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of Gloucester hosted a dinner for the St. John Ambulance organization at Windsor Castle earlier this week. All three are active in the organization, as was Princess Margaret back in the day.
The Countess, who is the Grand President of the organization, wore a repeated Galvan gown to the event. The silver-gray gown features translucent paillettes (ornamental spangles, for those of us who are less fancy schmancy) embroidered on metallic tulle, so it’s a lot of sparkle.
2022 St. John Ambulance Dinner
For the dinner, the Countess wore her hair loose and down, and kept her accessories simple. I think she may be carrying Sophie Habsburg clutch.
The Princess Royal, The Duke of Gloucester and The Countess of Wessex have hosted a dinner to celebrate the work of @stjohnambulance at Windsor Castle.
TRH are Commandant-in-Chief (Youth), Grand Prior of the Order of St John and Grand President of St John Ambulance respectively. pic.twitter.com/b672fM6akZ
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 19, 2022
A dinner was hosted by The Princess Royal, The Duke of Gloucester and The Countess of Wessex for St. John Ambulance yesterday evening. Sophie wore her Galvan ‘Estrella’ gown for the event. 📸 The Royal Family pic.twitter.com/ZnrhL41NJV
— Polka Popp (@polkadotpopp) May 19, 2022
Sophie has deep roots at St. John Ambulance.
2018 Visit to Latvia
In 2018, The Countess and Earl of Wessex paid an official visit to the Baltic states. For the evening gala in Latvia, Sophie paired the Galvan gown with a pair of “Brilliant” earrings by Heavenly Necklaces and wore her hair up.
Bonus Re-wear!
The Princess Royal is the Commandant-in-Chief (Youth) of the St. John Ambulance organization. She had a re-wear of her own going on (well, probably two, but we don’t have any information on the clothing part of the ensemble ; ).
Anne’s sapphire choker has a well-documented provenance. It was said to have been purchased by Queen Mary from the estate of the former Empress of Russia, Maria Feodorovna. It’s a versatile piece that can be broken down into two bracelets.
The current Queen inherited the choker and wore it in necklace and bracelet form a few times in the fifties. She doesn’t favor the “dog-collar” style, so she lent it (or gave it) to her daughter, Princess Anne.
Princess Anne has worn it as a necklace many times throughout the years. She dresses it up for formal occasions and “down” (as much as something like that can be dressed down) for less fancy outings. It’s a piece that pings “old-fashioned” to me, but Anne is Anne and she wears it like the royal she is.
I wonder where pieces like this will end up. I simply can’t see Zara wearing something in this style – or, frankly, having the occasion to wear it often. Let’s enjoy it while we can.