royal wedding celebration

While Britain was announcing its next princess, other royal ladies had busy schedules that did not necessarily include 24-hour news coverage.

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and her sister-in-law Sophie Countess of Wessex were appropriately somber at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in London honoring those who have died in war. The bright poppies popped up on British notables around the world--including at "Harry Potter" events--prompting speculation from American media. The red flower is a tribute inspired by the famous WWI elegy "In Flanders Field" where the bright flower populates the ground where so many died.


NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Crown Prince Philippe escorted two royal ladies to the King's Day Te Deum at Brussels Cathedral: his wife, Crown Princess Mathilde, and his aunt, Queen Fabiola. The annual celebration is a thanksgiving for the life of the king, but the king himself does not attend.

At the same event, Princess Astrid of Belgium wore an old-fashioned hat of orange and black feathers that Britain's Queen Mother would have loved, while her sister-in-law Princess Claire looked fresh and lovely.







NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Queen Sofia of Spain was in the United States promoting an fashion exhibition about Spanish designer Balenciaga. Not only do queens get to play with pandas, they also get to be dressed by the best designers. I'm sure Her Majesty's companions, Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera have dressed their share of royal ladies!

Is Camilla Duchess of Cornwall economizing to save money for her stepson's wedding by taking the bus? Not exactly, the jaunt was part of an official visit to the transportation museum.

That evening, the future queen met a queen of another sort. The Duchess of Cornwall brushed up against a host of celebrities at a fundraiser for her husband's charity, The Prince's Trust. And, yes, I'm saying it much more unequivocally than Charles did in his recent interview: I have no doubt that if Charles becomes king, Camilla will be queen.


NOVEMBER 17-18, 2010

In Belgium, Queen Paola hosted a conference about "vulnerable children" on the run. Of course, children at risk are a favorite cause for royal ladies everywhere, so the conference had almost as many princesses in attendance as a royal wedding.

Infanta Cristina of Spain, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and HRH the Duchess of Gloucester with King Albert of Belgium

Queen Paola enjoyed a wee nip in the company of daughter-in-law Princess Claire at the end of the successful conference.


NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Meanwhile, across the border, Queen Beatrix and Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands were on duty at The Hague to welcome the German president for an official visit. He must be a charming fellow because they both seem genuinely delighted.


NOVEMBER 19, 2010

I must admit, I'm loving the softer styling of Letizia Princess of the Asturias hair. She wore this very contemporary and flattering look at a Spanish fashion event.

The future Princess Charlene showed that she fully plans to emulate her late mother-in-law's sartorial vision of princess-hood: elegance with a touch of glamour. She and Princess Caroline of Monaco were at a concert celebrating Monaco's national day.

Earlier in the day, Charlene Wittstock also looked very Grace-like, and was apparently witty, judging by the look on Princess Stephanie's face.

For me though, one of the best part's of Monaco Day is the opportunity to see Princess Caroline with both of her daughters, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Charlotte Casiraghi.

If it wasn't for the major announcement of Prince Albert II of Monaco's engagement to Charlene Wittstock, this week's news would have been devoted entirely to sporting events--World Cup, Wimbledon, polo, show jumping, etc. On the whole, princesses seem to be sports mad.

June 22


Prince Albert III of Monaco announced his engagement to Rhodesian-born South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock just days after taking her with him to Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden’s wedding. The day after the announcement it emerged that he had called her dad permission just minutes before a World Cup match, causing the future father-in-law some frustration. The wedding will take place in the summer of 2011. For more on the engagement, read my post The Next Princess: The Long-Awaited Engagement.

June 23


The royal family of the grand duchy of Luxembourg celebrated their tiny country’s national day. The young royals lined up in a row from left are Prince Guillaume, Princess Alexandra, Prince Louis and his wife Princess Tessy, and Prince Sebastien. Both princesses look a little severe for their tender ages: Alexandra is 19 and Tessy is 24.


Every little princess deserves her own balcony. Ten-year-old Princess Alexandra of Hanover enjoyed some time to herself on the balcony of her uncle’s palace in Monaco. The daughter of Prince Ernest of Hanover and Princess Caroline of Monaco, this Alexandra is the granddaughter of Princess Grace, previously the American screen goddess Grace Kelly.


Camilla Duchess of Cornwall was present for a large homecoming event honoring service members who have returned home from Afghanistan.


Princess Eugenie of York started an internship at Christies, the famous auction house this week. On Day 3 of the new job, her outfit is adorable, but the bag seems out of proportion. Was she planning to smuggle some artwork home or did she bring lunch for everyone?

June 24


On Thursday, Princess Caroline of Monaco was on hand to cheer on her older daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi at the 15th Monte Carlo International Jumping Competition. Charlotte’s father, Caroline’s second husband Stefano Casiraghi, was tragically killed in speedboat accident when she was very young.


In South Africa, Princess Takamado of Japan attended the World Cup match between Japan and Denmark. Her late husband, Prince Takamado, was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito. Since his death in 2002, this Cambridge graduate has raised three daughters alone and has continued to play an important role in representing Japan, especially abroad. Before her marriage, she was Hisako Tottori.


The brightly outfitted Queen of England picked up some pointers from her first cousin, the Duke of Kent, at a Wimbledon match. In this photo, the Duke looks remarkably like the queen’s oldest son, the Prince of Wales. The strong resemblance may be because the Duke, as a son of Princess Marina of Greece, is also second cousins with Prince Philip, a former Greek prince. Perhaps Prince Charles will look exactly like this in another decade.

June 25


The next day at the show jumping event, Princess Caroline developed a double case of puppy love.

June 26


Princess Beatrice of York and her boyfriend Dave Clark turned out at a reception in New York City to support her cousin Prince Harry of Wales’ African charity, Sentebale. Harry spent the weekend in New York promoting the charity and building connections between the British and American armies. He also threw out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game.