WEDDING FLOWERS: Luxembourg
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Showing posts with label Luxembourg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Luxembourg. Show all posts

Sunday Tidbits for June 28: Sparkly Follow Ups and More

Last week was one for the sparkle record books, and today's tidbits begin by wrapping up a couple of those glittering occasions:

--I wrapped up the British state visit to Germany over at the Vault with some favorite moments. [Jewel Vault]

--Sometimes we don't even get pictures out the National Day gala in Luxembourg, and sometimes you just have to wait for the real treats. They posed for a family photo, and Luxarazzi also zeroed in on the tiaras in the reception line. Princess Claire is indeed wearing a new parure of red stones and diamonds, and I'm guessing the small bandeau tiara is a bracelet on a frame. Whether it belongs to her or came from the family stash, we don't know, but HUZZAH for new stuff! [Luxarazzi]
Photo: Grand Ducal Court/Christian Aschman

--Days of celebration for the coronation of Tonga's King Tupou VI have begun. [ABC]

--Infanta Elena got all fancied up to celebrate the 450th anniversary of the Spanish Riding School in Austria. (This is an Oscar de la Renta dress, and a look repeated from 2010.) [Style.com, Hola]

--Here's a piece on the new film Fabergé: A Life of Its Own, which is in limited theaters beginning tomorrow (June 29). The trailer is below. [Maclean's]

--The Japanese imperial family gathered for a concert celebrating Empress Michiko's 80th birthday, which was in October. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

--And finally, a little bit of cute: The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, as Chaz and Cams are known when in Scotland, went on a four day visit to, well, Scotland. They brought Cams' two rescue dogs to the Dumfries Dog Show, and you know how events pairing royals and dogs always end up. (Delightful, in other words.) [People, Scotsman Picture Desk]

Next up: Traveling to China with Queen Mathilde and her plus one, a Spanish state visit, and more...

Royal National Day (and Tiara Watch!) of the Day: June 24

Let's spend a little quality time with the Luxembourg grand ducal clan. They've been celebrating National Day with big hats (lucky us) and plentiful tiaras (even luckier us). The festivities kicked off the day before with a surprise balcony appearance and some visits, including the traditional trip for Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie to Esch-sur-Alzette.
Their outfits were pretty tame (as usual) but also they were pretty cute (as usual).

The whole family - the Grand Duke, Grand Duchess, and all five kids plus assorted spouses - kicked National Day itself off with a ceremony at the Philharmonie Luxembourg.
@CourGrandDucale
Some basic outfits here, but I think they were saving themselves up for the Te Deum.

The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess
Maria Teresa elevated her Armani suit with a sculptural black topper, and Henri clearly approved of the addition (speaking of cute, ahem).

 Prince Sébastien and Princess Alexandra
I did not know that there was such a thing as a costume Te Deum, but I'm here for Alexandra's flapper flair.

Prince Louis and Princess Tessy
Tessy got the memo, apparently, carrying us forward in time to the glamour of the 30s and 40s with her red lip and saucy 'do.

Prince Félix and Princess Claire
A big hat and swinging earrings and polka dots and a Dolce & Gabbana dress with a flippy skirt? That's, like, 75% of my favorite things. Don't distract me, Claire, I'm determined to give my jumpy claps to someone else this time.

The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess
Jumpy claps for Stéphanie! Finally, finally, I have some jumpy claps for Stéphanie, and they are long overdue. A truly classic appearance with a cheery color to keep it interesting and a little personality courtesy of the hat. Fab-u-lous.

And just to add an extra fabulous cap to the day: the National Day gala, featuring more tiaras in one shot than some countries pull together in a whole year.
Palais grand ducal/Tageblatt
Maria Teresa in the Belgian Scroll Tiara, Stéphanie in Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde's Tiara, Claire in what I believe is a new little bandeau piece (with an impressive set of ruby or red stone earrings and necklace to go with, and an elegant red dress), Tessy in what looks like the amethyst and pearl bandeau, and Alexandra (wearing, if I'm not mistaken, the Elie Saab that Stéphanie wore to Princess Madeleine's pre-wedding dinner) in the Topaz/Citrine and Pearl Tiara. And that's how you do a tiara appearance, folks.

For more on National Day, here's a huge gallery including a few more gala pics, and you can always turn to Luxarazzi.
Big Royal Hats of the Week: June 23

Big Royal Hats of the Week: June 23

Ascot doesn't have a monopoly on the big hats, you know.

The Duchess of Cornwall took time out from Ascot to toss a mop on her head and head out with the Prince of Wales to continue the work they started in Belgium, leading the royal party at a St. Paul's Cathedral service to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo. (Cams is wearing her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Small Diamond Clasp and a badge from the Rifles, by the way.)

A big group of royals and other dignitaries gathered in Belgium to do the same, including the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, the King and Queen of the Belgians, the King and Queen of the Netherlands, and the Duke of Kent.
'Twas a standard appearance for two of the Ms - Maria Teresa and Máxima, though I am a little concerned that Máx had an altercation with a road line painter on the way to Belgium - and a gorgeous appearance for their royal hostess.
This is the second time in a week I've looked at Mathilde and thought nothing more than she looks goooood. So let's keep that up.

I like to imagine that Queen Máxima realized she missed an opportunity for a big hat there, because she returned home and promptly donned this monster, to open the Design Derby Netherlands:
It takes a lot to overshadow a chapeau like this, but my attention was diverted by what I genuinely thought might be a lobster slung 'round her neck. (She would wear one too, you know she would.)
Honestly, I'm a little disappointed to find out that wasn't the case.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated
Royal Gathering of the Day: June 18

Royal Gathering of the Day: June 18

Various royals were among the dignitaries gathered in Belgium yesterday for a part of the events marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, a day that included a stop to meet with the King and Queen of the Belgians for some of them. The photos from the meeting are titled in part, "King Philippe and Queen Mathilde Receive Warlord Descendants," and you know something, I really think we don't do enough talking about warlords around here.
You can scroll over the photo for the line up of said warlord descendants, but what I'm concerned with is Mathilde's white dress. How excellent is this?! I'll always love a great white dress, but the little splash of embellishment on one side is really doing me in. A daywear highlight for her for the year so far.

Our friends the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg were there too.This is not the best angle on Stéphanie's suit, but she's got a little purple going on, and she's trying.
The tall one in this photo is the Prince Napoléon (go figure).

Charles and Camilla traveled to Belgium as well, attending the reopening of Hougoumont Farm. They also visited the site of the battle with the current Duke and Duchess of Wellington (here's a video).
That's Princess Astrid of Belgium, King Philippe's sister, rocking the fedora and colored shoes. Her outfit may have had more personality, but Cams was class personified in - believe it or not - Christian Dior Couture, with a Philip Treacy hat.
She took an official tour of the French atelier when she made a solo working visit to Paris in 2013, and she's popped up in a couple of couture Dior outfits since then. This cream coat was specially made for her trip to the D-Day commemorations last year in France, and it's no mistake that she chose it for a trip to Belgium - Dior designer Raf Simons is Belgian. She paired it with a triple strand of pearls from the Queen Mother and a badge representing the regiment of her late father, a World War II veteran.

A good day for cream outfits all around, I'd say.

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated

Sunday Tidbits for June 7: All Your Royal Wedding Watching Details, Plus More

First order of tidbits business: All the stuff you need to know for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist's wedding on Saturday. Stay tuned for more bits after we stop humming "Here Comes the Bride"...
The Royal Chapel, where the wedding will take place. (via Kungahuset.se)
--Here's what you need to know if you're interesting in watching the wedding:
  • The wedding is on Saturday, June 13th, at 16:30 - that's 4:30 pm - Stockholm time. Here's a time zone converter for you; it's 10:30 am Eastern time for my North American friends.
  • Sweden's SVT will broadcast the wedding all the way from guest arrivals through the cutting of the cake.
    • The broadcast begins at 15:00 with commentary and guest arrivals.
    • The cortege after the wedding is estimated to start at 17:30.
    • Dinner around 19:30.
    • The cake portion is estimated to happen around 22:30.
  • Here's the livestreaming link. SVT streams big events like this without geoblocking, much to the delight of royal fans around the world!
  • Yes, we will have a live blog up here for those that want to chat on the wedding day, and I'll be on Twitter as well.
--Here's what the guest list of international royals looks like so far. Remember, this is not the official list from the Swedish court yet, just those royal houses that have confirmed attendance on their own, so it's all subject to change. Oh, and don't forget the entire Swedish royal family...
  • Belgium: Queen Mathilde
  • Denmark: Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Joachim, Princess Marie
  • Japan: Princess Hisako of Takamado
  • Netherlands: Queen Máxima
  • Norway: Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Märtha Louise, Ari Behn
  • United Kingdom: Earl and Countess of Wessex


Still with me? Superb. On to the other stuff:

--Hey, you know what else is happening this coming Saturday? Trooping the Colour in London, a.k.a. The Queen's Birthday Parade, that's what! BBC1 broadcasts that starting at 10:30 local time. You can look for coverage of the event over at the Jewel Vault on Saturday. [BBC]

--Princess Charlotte of Cambridge will be christened on July 5 at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham Estate. Unless you've just emerged from under your cozy rock, it probably hasn't escaped you that the first photos of Prince George and his sister (taken by the Duchess of Cambridge) have been published. [BBC]

--New photos were also published of Prince Félix, Princess Claire, and Princess Amalia to mark the Luxembourg prince's 31st birthday. [Luxarazzi]

--The Royal Yacht Squadron celebrated its bicentenary in Cowes on Friday, drawing a whole boatload (heh) of royals: the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Viscount Linley, Prince Michael of Kent, King Harald of Norway, Prince Albert of Monaco, Prince Henrik of Denmark, King Constantine and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, and Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. As the ancient proverbs say, nothing brings people together quite like the love of a good yacht. [Royal Hats Blog]

--The Japanese imperial family also got in on the state visit action this week, hosting the President of the Philippines. Alas, they passed on the tiaras for their state dinner. [Imperial Family of Japan Blog]

--Prince Harry has been made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order! Aww, baby's first order. We chatted about it over at the Jewel Vault, where I had (totally coincidentally) posted just the day before about the insignia worn for the same order by the Duchess of Cornwall

--Also over at the Jewel Vault: A day of racing for the royals at the Epsom Derby. Princess Michael is definitely coordinating her eyepatches to her clothes. Please please please, let her next outfit be rainbow striped.

Coming up this week: Traditions and trips in Sweden, beginner engagements and hats in Denmark, and more (something about a wedding, maybe?)...

Photos:  Kungahuset.se and via Twitter and Getty Images as indicated

Sunday Tidbits for May 31: Dressing Down and Dressing (Hair) Up

More smart casual wear on the royal grind and a touch of something fancy, but first, a little more wedding info to kick off this week's tidbits:

--More additions for the guest list for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist's wedding: The Danish royal court confirms that Carl Philip's godmother Queen Margrethe will attend along with Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, while Buckingham Palace confirms that the Earl and Countess of Wessex will represent Britain.

--It's a Benelux team up: Queen Mathilde was joined by Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie at the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition. Are you seeing these hairdos?? Mathilde even had a brooch in hers. Team Updo indeed. [Place Royale]

--Queen Letizia finished up her visit to El Salvador in true Miami Vice style. [Hola]

--Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel visited Gotland this week, and I am in LOVE with her outfit. Taking a page from the Letizia Book of Casual Tricks, she went all white with ballerina shoes to combat the walking and a white fedora for some sass. (She also dressed it up a touch with some heels while in the palace.) I haven't liked one of her everyday outfits this much in a looong time. [Expressen, Svenskdam]

--Also joining in on the semi-casual trend: Crown Princess Mary, visiting a new project for one of her patronages this week. [SN]

--On the un-casual end of the spectrum, look at how cute Queen Silvia is in her pink suit, attending The Childhood Day in Stockholm. Crisp and clean and bright. [Getty]

--I tweeted this earlier in the week, but I must pass on this terribly helpful piece yet again: Tips for Running a Stately Home on a Budget. You've got to buy your dinner gongs at an auction, people. Don't waste your money on a retail dinner gong, for heaven's sake. [Tatler]

--This investigation into who owns the most expensive private residence in London is a fascinating sort of whodunit. Or, more accurately, whospentit. [The New Yorker]

--And finally, it's been a busy week at the Jewel Vault, including a glittering State Opening of Parliament and an eye-patchy garden party. [Jewel Vault]

Stay tuned, state and official visit-y types of fun coming your way this week...

Photos: via Twitter and Getty Images as indicated
Royal Outfit of the Day: May 14

Royal Outfit of the Day: May 14

Here's a surprising face on the London charity gala circuit: Princess Tessy of Luxembourg! The wife of Prince Louis and daughter-in-law of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess attended the Spring Gala in aid of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital on Tuesday. I'm glad to see her smiling face.
This dress, though...it's not bad or anything. But I can't help but feel that at best, it's that bridesmaid dress at the back of the closet your friend swore you could wear again after the wedding. And she lied.

Tessy made a quick trip back after attending the closing of the Octave in Luxembourg over the weekend. The event brings out whatever family members are available, but this year's fashion crop was a little lacking, I thought. Except for Princess Amalia, daughter of Prince Félix and Princess Claire, making her first royal appearance. This is the Week of Cute, and her wee bow is full of win.
Anyway, judge for yourself: more photos on the link in the tweet, and there's full coverage (including explanations of what this event actually is) over at Luxarazzi too.

Photo: via Getty Images and Twitter

Sunday Tidbits for May 10: Commemorations, an Enthronement, and Bonus Cuteness

Lots going on out there! Tomorrow, we'll be attending to princely christening business; meanwhile, ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day are ongoing, and several royals in several countries have been participating in several ways. Just a few of those appearances kick off today's tidbits edition:

--Today's VE Day anniversary service in London is covered at the Jewel Vault, and so is Queen Elizabeth II kicking things off on Friday, together with a unique recording of her memories of that historic day. [Jewel Vault]

--The Countess of Wessex, looking stunning in a green dress from Suzannah, visited the Channel Islands to mark the 70th anniversary of their liberation. Here's a great entry at the Countess of Wessex blog, where eagle-eyed Anna gave me the heads up that Sophie was wearing earrings on loan from her mother-in-law. Her latest loan from the master jewel vault is a pair of ruby and diamond earrings I have previously covered at ye olde Vault blog. That red and green combo isn't any accident, by the way: green is for Guernsey, red for Jersey. [HRH Countess of Wessex Blog]

-- The Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg were in Paris for the VE Day anniversary events, and I like this color on Stéphanie. [Luxarazzi]

--In other news, the enthronement of the Sultan of Perak, hereditary ruler of one of the states of Malaysia, happened this week. The Sultan came to the throne last year. Below is a video of one of the ceremonies this week, featuring quite a nice tiara on the Sultan's wife, Tuanku Zara Salim. (You may recall that the Sultan of Johor, another Malaysian state, had a coronation earlier this year.) [YouTube]


--Gotta love it when royal hats join forces: Queen Sonja and Princess Beatrix jointly opened the exhibit Van Gogh+Munch at the Munch Museum in Oslo this week. [Dagbladet]
 See also this NRK video.

--And finally, spring greetings for you from Princess Estelle and Haga Palace! [Kungahuset]
Kate Gabor/Kungahuset.se

Stay tuned this week for Monaco and Harry and more...

Sunday Tidbits for April 26: Three Queens and More...

Let's get right to it, shall we? Your tidbits for the week:

--Events surrounding the centenary of the Gallipoli Campaign have been covered over at the Jewel Vault, from QEII and her gang to Crown Princess Mary. [Jewel Vault]

--Update on the state of Queen Silvia's fashionably injured shoulder: Scarf slings are hot this season, as displayed at the Silvia Home's Inspiration Day. [Expressen, Kungahuset]
Kungahuset.se

--Look who stopped by London just to be cute with some flowers: Princess Beatrix! (Multitasker that she is, she also managed to fit in celebrations of the 140th anniversary of the King Willem Fund between the cuteness.) [Getty]

--This dress on Hereditary Grand Duchess Stéphanie is good...from certain views. [Luxarazzi]

--Three pieces from the fascinating Devonshire Parure are on loan to Tate Britain in London for another month as part of the exhibit Sculpture Victorious: Art in an Age of Invention, 1837-1901. [Chatsworth House, with thanks to Joyce for the tip!]

--This week in Royals Striding with Purpose (that's the title of my next blog), Crown Princess Mary celebrated the jubilee of the Maternity Foundation. [Getty]

--Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit visited a research ship which is frozen waaaay up north in the Arctic Ocean. Their trip included an icy camp out overnight, and gave us the headline (according to my browser's stilted translation) METTE-MARIT FROZEN IN ICE FIELDS: Will probably be taken out by helicopter later today. Much like a fine white wine, you want your M-M chilled to just the right temperature before you remove her. [Se og Hør]


Lots of stuff coming up this week, including some questionable outfits that require your verdict, and also the annual King's Day in the Netherlands (which will probably also yield some questionable outfits that require your verdict, let's be honest).

Photos: via Getty Images as indicated, Twitter, Kungahuset

Sunday Tidbits for April 19: The Non-Danish Event Edition

It's been a pretty big week for royal news outside of the recent Danish festivities, so I present a totally Dane-free tidbits for your enjoyment! Except for...the times when a reference or two slips in there. You can't expect a girl to go cold turkey.

--Tatiana Santo Domingo and Andrea Casiraghi welcomed their second child! The baby girl, born on April 12, is reportedly named India. [Hello]

--In other princely news, reports say the wedding of Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo will be in two parts: a civil wedding in Monaco at the end of July, and a religious wedding on Lake Maggiore (where her family has a private island) on August 1st. [Hello]

--The invitations for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist's wedding are out! They have an orange border and are tied with an orange ribbon, perhaps a clue to the upcoming color scheme. Aftonbladet published what they claimed was a list of the invitees, which was swiftly declared incorrect by the royal court. It wasn't anything you wouldn't have guessed based on the guest list for Princess Madeleine's wedding, really. Queen Margrethe said she received an invitation in her press conference this week; she's one of Carl Philip's godparents. The invites also confirmed what most were guessing regarding dress codes: tiaras will be worn by the guests that have them at the wedding itself, and the dinner the night before will be black tie (no tiaras). The wedding is on June 13. [Svenskdam, Aftonbladet]

--Brunei had a royal wedding of their own: Prince Abdul Malik, second son of the Sultan, and Dayangku Raabi’atul ‘Adawiyyah Pengiran Haji Bolkiah celebrated their wedding earlier this month in a typically lavish and sparkling ceremony. Below is a video from their wedding banquet, where the bride wore purple and a mahooosive ruby tiara that has also been worn by Queen Saleha. [Royalista]

--We missed Grand Duchess Maria Teresa at the Danish birthday dinner, but the Luxembourg couple did release a new set of official photographs to mark Grand Duke Henri's 60th birthday. That's a great outfit on MT, no? [Luxarazzi]
© 2015 Cour grand-ducale / Christian Aschman / tous droits réservés

--And we also missed Queen Sonja, so here she is in New York City, where she opened an exhibition and attended the American-Scandinavian Foundation Gala Dinner. The brooch hanging from her pearl necklace was one of Queen Maud's wedding gifts. [Zimbio]

--Over at the Jewel Vault: another new/new-to-us brooch for QEII!

--And finally... They've released pictures of Prince Harry at work in Australia, and it's good to see that they've followed the basic rules for any Harry publicity: uniforms and cute kids. And while you're in a punch-drunk Harry mood, the Fug Girls present "25 Reasons Harry Should Give You High Hopes for Royal Baby 2.0." [Telegraph, Cosmopolitan]

Photos: Cour grand-ducale and via Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for April 5: Dizziness and More on Your Easter Sunday

Happy Easter to all you Easter-celebratin' types! Just a few tidbits for your Sunday fun:

--Here's the official joint monogram for Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist, designed in part by Carl Philip himself. It's very...swirly. Excessive scrutiny may cause dizziness. [Kungahuset]

--Speaking of dizziness: Here's Prince Harry, flying upside down in a Spitfire. [BBC]

--Dutch Princesses Margriet and Laurentien joined forces with Belgium's Princess Astrid and her daughter-in-law Elisabetta for the awarding of the Princess Margriet Award for Culture this week. [Paris Match, Telegraaf video]

--Says it all right in the title: The Violent, Royal Story of How Tartan Became Your Favorite Plaid. [Jezebel]

--Here's Luxarazzi on the details behind one of the most interesting (and big!) brooches worn in Luxembourg. [Luxarazzi]

--And finally, we had a corgi race, why not one with lambs too? The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary this week, and we will be (and have been already) celebrating over at the Jewel Vault. Stay tuned over there! [Express]

And stay tuned over here too, as we have Easter stuff and more coming your way this week! (The scoop on QEII's Easter gems can already be found at the Vault, as always...)

Photos: Kungahuset, Telegraaf video, via Getty Images

Sunday Tidbits for March 15: Horses, of Course (And More)

Heading up this week's tidbits, two kinds of horses, plus some Dutch/Danish cross over as we approach King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima's state visit to Queen Margrethe's territory this week:

--First things first, Friday's Afghanistan Service of Commemoration in London has been covered in full at the Jewel Vault, so feel free to wander over there to discuss. (We won't be repeating coverage of the event here.) [Jewel Vault]

--Crown Princess Mary traveled to London to present the Champions for Change Award to Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau for her efforts to end child marriage with the Girls Not Brides organization. A well-deserved honor. [YouTube, ParisMatch]


--Máxima, you vibrant tropical fish, you. What are you wearing here? (A deeply unflattering top from COS and a peanut necklace, that's what.) I trust you'll be on your best sartorial behavior for the big state visit. [YouTube, ModeKoninginMaxima, Facebook]


--Princess Estelle got a special treat after Crown Princess Victoria's name day celebrations: a hand made rocking horse and wooden sword from the Life Squadron of the Life Guards, which includes items from old Guards equipment. [Livskvadron Facebook]
Kungahuset.se

--In the world of real life horses, one last update to this year's Cheltenham Races roster: Princess Anne helicoptered in after the Afghanistan service for the sole purpose of giving Camilla some competition in the fur hat stakes, and by the looks of it, she means business:
Also, Zara Phillips is just DONE with our hat critiques, going out in a frenzied feathery burst of glory:

--And finally, the tastiest headline of the week: Guillaume and Stéphanie Receive a Pretzel. [Luxarazzi]

Sunday Tidbits for March 8: One Christening, Two Lookalikes, and More

I'm busy mourning the loss of a precious hour to daylight saving time, so let's get right to it. Your tidbits for the week:

--Monaco's baby twins have a christening date: May 10, 2015. The ceremony will be broadcast, so I assume all interested in watching will at least be able to stream it online somewhere. [Monaco Matin]

--CNN will run a feature on the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall next Saturday featuring an interview with the Prince, just prior to their visit to the States. Catch if you can. Or don't, fine, be that way. [CNN]

--A new logo and new picture have been released for the upcoming celebration of Queen Margrethe II's 75th birthday [Kongehuset]:
 Torben Eskerod / Kongehuset.dk

--Luxembourg's grand ducal family gave an official dinner for France's President Hollande during his visit to the country (but it wasn't a state visit, so no gowns and no tiaras). Stéphanie looks nice and all, but she also looks like she's Single White Female-ing Queen Mathilde. [Luxarazzi]

--And here's the model herself: Queen Mathilde made a short visit to Washington, D.C. for a "Girls Impacted by Conflict and Civil Unrest" symposium. Still hobbling around with the aid of crutches and occasionally a wheelchair after injuring her knee, she was overheard explaining that her kids now call her maman Robocop. [7sur7]

--The Duke of Cambridge wrapped up his Asian tour in China this week, and not a moment too soon. The length of the trip clearly left him unable to tell the real penguins from the fakes, and unable to remember that you can't make conversation with either. [Kensington Palace Storify]

--Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the Duchess of Cambridge donned a cheery Erdem frock for an unofficial outing to the Goring Hotel. [Express]

--Over at the Jewel Vault, we covered not just the state visit from Mexico this week, but also the newly updated portrait of QEII that will adorn coins in the U.K. [Jewel Vault]

--And finally: A carriage made for King William IV was sold at auction this week. Was it you? Did you buy it? Can I borrow it? My work commute really could use a little pepping up, you know. [ITV]

Sunday Tidbits for February 22: Birthday Girls, History Girls, and More

In this week's tidbits, we've got some current events and some way way back events and everything in between...

--Princess Leonore of Sweden (daughter of Princess Madeleine and Chris O'Neill) turned 1 this week! New pictures were released by the Swedish court to mark the occasion. [Kungahuset]
Brigitte Grenfeldt / Kungahuset.se

--And we have two more birthday girls over in Luxembourg: Princess Stéphanie turned 31 and Princess Alexandra turned 24. [Wort, Royalista]

--From the Royals We Hardly Ever Cover category: The King and Queen of Tonga were received by the Pope at the Vatican this week. [Vatican Radio, RomeReports]


--The first part of the BBC documentary Reinventing the Royals, which was slightly postponed after apparent legal intervention from the royals, is available for viewing at the BBC site (geo-restricted) or on YouTube. [Radio Times, BBC Live Player, YouTube]

--Crown Princess Mary visited Ethiopia as part of her work on women's rights and health. Here's an article in English, and photo gallery 1 and gallery 2 from the trip. [Sydney Morning Herald, BT]


--Interesting: Facial recognition software indicates that a painting thought to depict Jane Seymour may in fact be Anne Boleyn. [Artnet News]

--The Hairpin takes the history of celebrity stylists waaaaay back, profiling Rose Bertin, stylist to Marie Antoinette and others in her court. [The Hairpin]

--A Russian tycoon has donated items formerly belonging to the Yusupov family (you may recall them from our discussion of their long lost rock crystal tiara) back to the Russian national archive. The pieces include a Faberge egg and a pocket watch made for the last tsar's coronation. [Daily Mail]

--Heads up, America: Chaz and Cams are on their way! The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall will visit Washington, D.C. and Louisville, Kentucky from March 17th-20th. Their visit will include a meeting at the White House with President Obama and Vice President Biden, and a visit to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. You can read more about the visit at their official site. [Clarence House]

--And finally, don't ever tell me being a royal isn't all glamour, all the time: Here's the Prince of Wales celebrating the 150th anniversary of the London sewer system this week. [BBC Video]

Stay tuned for next week, we'll be checking out the fruits of fashion week and more!

Sunday Tidbits for February 15: Diamonds and Wine and Other Stuff

And to balance out the extravagance, we'll start today's tidbits with an Anne Update:

--The Princess Royal spent some time in uniform this week, which is how you know that all is right in the world. She handled a Buckingham Palace investiture, including bestowing a damehood on fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, and made a naval visit. In uniform with her signature sport shades and a hard hat = the ultimate Anne experience. [BBC, Royal Navy Facebook]

--Also, here's a little peek at that infamous 'do of hers, while attending a reception this week:

--Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein is celebrating his 70th birthday, and Luxarazzi is posting long interviews (which they have very kindly translated into English) with him and his family members. It's a nice glimpse into the lives and personalities of this low profile reigning family. [Luxarazzi]

--A 100 carat "perfect" diamond, touted as the largest perfect emerald cut ever to be auctioned, will be sold at Sotheby's in New York in April. The pre-sale estimate? A cool $19-$25 million. [ITV, Observer]

--Queen Letizia once again sported her combo of red ex-crop top dress and rainbow earrings on a visit to a winery with her husband. Add that to the list of royal engagements I'd gladly take on. [Hola]

--And finally, have some more wine, why not: Here's a video of Prince Felix of Luxembourg showing off the wines at the vineyard he and Princess Claire run in France, Château des Crostes. [Video in French. Azur TV, via Luxarazzi]

Photos: Getty Images, Twitter, and Instagram as noted
Royal Remembrance of the Week: January 28

Royal Remembrance of the Week: January 28

Yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, a day which is also honored as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day was marked with a service at Auschwitz in Poland and in events around the world, and royals from many countries joined in the commemorations. This is not the lighter stuff that we usually (and purposefully) stick to around here; this is really nothing to do with the sartorial side of things. But sometimes it's important just to take a moment and remember.

Among the royal contingent paying their respects in Poland were the King and Queen of the Netherlands and the King and Queen of the Belgians. Willem-Alexander wore a kippah (yarmulke), which was a touching gesture.
The Crown Princes of Denmark and Norway were also in attendance, as was the Crown Princess of Sweden and the Hereditary Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.
Below, Guillaume and Stéphanie laid a wreath at the camp.

Holocaust memorial events were also held around the world, some drawing royal attendance.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attended a memorial in London, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit joined in the events in Oslo.
Many others not shown here also participated in various events at home, including the King and Queen of Sweden, Prince Daniel, and the King of Spain. The attendance of this particular set of people is not the point of these events, of course, but I can't help but find it lovely to see so many in our frame of reference united, from whatever location, to commemorate and to remember this important moment in history.

If you would like to watch the entire ceremony from Auschwitz, you may do so below.


Photos: Getty Images as indicated

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