The State Visit between Norway and Jordan is both historic and sartorially notable. It is the first state visit to the Middle East for King Harald and Queen Sonja, and there were some very intriguing ensembles on display.
It was good to see Harald looking so well during the Welcome Ceremony, and I find both of the Queens ensembles interesting. I really like brown with light blue accents, so Sonja’s dress is in my wheelhouse entirely, and any outing of those massive beads of hers makes my day. I am less enchanted with the length of Rania’s dress, but the front foldover detail is a nice touch, and no one can ever say she doesn’t shine in white. Rania’s dre ss is by Izeta and the shoes are Dior Cruise.
There were two seminars, a business and trade seminar where Sonja did some speechifying while wearing spiffy red, and a secondary seminar on supporting greater freedom and participation in the workforce for women. It always gratifies me to see how Rania supports the endeavors of Jordanian woman, and it’s also a topic close to Sonja’s heart.
Alas, the banquet was bereft of tiaras, somewhat expected in today’s climate. However, both Sonja and Rania represented well. Rania wore a sumptuous blue and liquid gold embroidered gown, and Sonja glowed in white, as she does.
The couples visted the baptism site of al-Maghtas, on the Jordan river. In Christian belief, this is the site where John the Baptist baptised Jesus. The Royal Couturier has identified Rania’s outfit as Michael Kors.
From Norway to Sweden, South Korea is making its way through Scandinavia, and there are TIARAS a foot!
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook are in Sweden for a two-day state visit. The purpose of the state visit is to promote the 60 year diplomatic relationship between Sweden and the Republic of Korea.
Vickan and Daniel were on hand to greet the President and First Lady, along with C-P and Sofia. Maddie and Chris weren’t there, but did attend the State Dinner later in the evening.
Day two of the State Visit from South Korea. Nothing as exciting as tiaras I’m afraid, but we here at Lilibet’s Handbag are equal opportunity royal event bloggers.
Queen Silvia and Mrs. Kim Jung-sook visited Prince Eugens Waldemarsudde for a guided tour and tour of the prince’s old home and garden in the Royal Djurgården in Stockholm. They also visited Svensk Form at Skeppsholmen to attend the “Korea Sweden Young Design Award” ceremonies. After the ceremony, the prize winners were given the opportunity to show their work.
President Moon Jae-In and First Lady Kim Jung-sook of South Korea were in Norway on June 12th and 13th for a state visit. Unfortunately both Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette-Marit were absent due to illness, so who do you think they called in to cover? Princess Astrid, or Auntie Astrid, as we call her in these parts, is who. The 87 year young princess worked this event like a boss, with a little help from King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon.
Astrid was not at the drizzly welcome ceremony, but she did attend the official luncheon at the Royal Palace. I am very fond of both of the lady’s outfits, which are dignified with a little embellished zazz. I particularly love that Astrid added a zippy hat to finish off the ensemble.
Unfortunately, the photos from the banquet are few and we have no glimpses of Auntie Astrid, nor can we confirm she was there. We do have this lovely shot of the First Lady in a traditional dress, though!
Tonight, King Harald offered a State Banquet in honor of the Korean Presidential Couple. Queen Sonja was absent from all the activities due to health problems. pic.twitter.com/2kfj4moDS7
— Scandinavian Royals. (@crownprincely) June 13, 2019
The President and First Lady are now headed to Sweden, so keep an eye on this space for more information on their Scandinavian sweep.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are paying a state visit to Ireland at the invitation of Irish president Michael D. Higgins. They will visit Dublin and Cork from Wednesday, June 12 to Friday, June 14, for a mission focused on enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries.
The schedule for the visit is below. We will update as photos become available, but feel free to provide any comments/intel/photos you happen upon in the comments below.
Wednesday, June 12 Welcome Ceremony, The King, Queen and President and Sabrina Higgins Wreath laying at Dublin’s Garden of Remembrance Afternoon visits with IT, Tech and Business Leaders Evening State Banquet
Thursday, June 13 Visit with Lord Mayor of Dublin Visit to Trinity College, viewing of Dutch ‘Fagel Collection’, Reception for Dutch residents of Ireland In the evening, the King and Queen will host Irish dignitaries at a performance by the Dutch dance company, NDT, followed by a reception.
Friday, June 14 Travel to Cork, greeting by Lord Mayor Visits to maritime and port development industries in Cork and Cobh Visit to Camden Fort Meagher
For the Welcome Ceremony and day activities, Maxima is wearing a Claes Iversen dress with gold ring embellishments on the sleeves. This Iverson collection was inspired by the golden rings women of the Ndebele tribe in Africa wear around their necks. (H/T to Triple A).
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima also planted an alder tree in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin, as visiting Heads of State are usually invited to plant a tree at Áras an Uachtaráin.
— President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) June 12, 2019
Finally, banquet photos are available to us! Thanks to Triple A (and a few other on-the-case Handbaggers) we know that Max is wearing a Jan Taminiau repeat with an emerald parure that he describes SO MUCH BETTER than I could! Please seek his comments out below. I will say this is the amazing mutating color dress – in the outdoor pics it looks green and it morphs to teal in some of the dining room photos. Excellent coordination with Mrs. Higgins, too.
Day 2 is vintage Max. Big brimmed hat, big brooch and big smile, despite the rain. Max has reached back into the Natan portion of the closet, but this is a good one. Love the color. Love the slight texture in the top.
Check out the big brooch on Max. This bow diamond brooch is an excellent frame for the citrine that Max has added on for this visit. Our resident kamerheer, Triple-A, has some interesting intel on it in the comments, and shows some photos of it in different iterations. Check it out below!
Well, well, well! Here’s a gorgeous blast of colour to brighten dreary skies! Another Natan repeat, but a good dose of brightness to send the message that the House of Orange is on the land.
Day 3 found Max in a much repeated sunshine yellow Natan. She has worn this several times before, most recently in 2017. I always feel Max does well in yellow. She certainly brought the bright colors along on this visit. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t conducive to showing off the yellow, so she had to bundle it under a trench coat.
Note: We will avoid discussion of American politicians, political wives and families, and policy on these U.S. state visit posts. We will instead focus on the royals, and we ask that you follow suit in the comments. Thanks!
The U.S. President and First Lady, accompanied by their family, will begin a three-day state visit to the United Kingdom starting June 3. We will update this post with photos of the royal participants as they become available. Actual times can be found here.
Day 1: Ceremonial Welcome Buckingham Palace Gardens (The Queen, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall) Private Lunch (Members of the Royal Family) Visit Westminster Abbey (Duke of York) Tea at Clarence House (Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall) State Banquet (The Queen and Members of the Royal Family)
Day 2: Business Breakfast Downing Street (Prime Minister) Business Talks and Joint Press Conference (Prime Minister) Return Dinner Winfield House (Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall)
Day 3: Commemorative Events 75th Anniversary D-Day (The Queen and Prince of Wales) Formal Farewell (The Queen)
For the welcome ceremony, The Queen is wearing a coat by Stewart Parvin in pale green over a pleated silk dress. Her hat is by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, and I believe we spy the Cambridge Emerald brooch which, geek that I am, excites me a bit too much. She is flanked by two ladies in white, which makes for quite a visual impact and makes me wonder how planned these appearances are. The Duchess of Cornwall is wearing an Anna Valentine dress and Philip Treacy hat. Thanks to AG, we have identified the Duchess’ choker as the four-strand with a small diamond clasp.
The Duchess of Cambridge, in the Cambridge Lovers Knot, and wearing her new family order and sash. She’s wearing a fabulously frothy and tiered lace white dress by Alexander McQueen. She is wearing the dangling sapphire and diamond fringe earrings from the Queen Mother’s collection. She has a four strand pearl bracelet on her wrist, and we believe we spy her Oak Leaf brooch securing her sash.
Of course, the most exciting tiara sighting has been the new, tightened up version of Sophie’s wedding tiara. Doesn’t it look much better? Cat ears begone. All her jewels are on point tonight. The necklace is tentatively identified as from the Queen’s drop demi-parure.
We think there has been an additional base added, and each side element has lost the inner scroll. Everything has been moved together. The whole thing looks much more coherent.
You make the call. What has been added?
Some good sparkle if you swipe through to the video below! It’s the third image.
Photos of the return dinner at Winfield House – the residence of the Ambassador of the US – are trickling through. Camilla’s second evening look of the week is a white gown with sheer sleeves and a floral embroidered overlay, by Fiona Clare. Personally, I am happy to see she went with ice and not pearls around her neck, since we can’t get enough of her Pear Drop Diamond demi parure .
On Wednesday, Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth II attended the D-day 75 Commemorations in Portsmouth, England. The political heads of 16 countries involved in World War II joined the event. All 16* signed an historic proclamation of peace to ensure the horrors of the Second World War are never repeated.
*(Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.)
The Queen wore a pink coat over a floral silk dress. Her choice of the Centenary Rose brooch is sentimental and highly personal, a tribute to her mother. As the embodiment of living history, I often wonder what the Queen is thinking of at events like this.
Finally, a video of The Queen’s remarks. With that, we conclude our “official” State Visit coverage. The comments will remain open for a few more days. Up next: Brit Brief Open Post – Trooping the Colour. Look for it late Friday evening or early Saturday morning. The event itself begins June 8, at 10:00 a.m. local time.
