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Showing posts from March, 2016

Victoria's back

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Four weeks after she welcomed her son, we're welcoming Crown Princess Victoria back to public events. The heir to the throne of Sweden attended her first engagement yesterday since giving birth to Prince Oscar on March 2nd. And she looked very, very well indeed.


Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden makes her first public appearance following the birth of her son at the beginning of March (photo kungahuset.se)
Victoria attended the annual Dag Hammarskjold lecture, held every year since 1998 in memory of the man who was the United Nations' second Secretary-General. Speaking this year was the man who currently holds that post, Ban Ki-Moon, who talked about the challenges facing the UN in a changing global landscape.



"In all of our work, Dag Hammarskjöld remains a touchstone for courageous, principled action." #UNSG BKM, #dhlecturepic.twitter.com/nDWnSHn8cq — Dag Hammarskjöld (@DagHammarskjold) March 30, 2016

The Crown Princess and the UN Secretary-General have met several ti…
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8 royal reasons to remember March 2016

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March is almost done but it's leaving plenty of royal memories behind. We met a brand new royal and began the countdown to celebrations for the record breaking birthday of the oldest monarch in Europe. There was plenty of glitz and glamour not to mention a handsome prince called Harry winning hearts around the world. Here are eight royal reasons why we won't be forgetting March 2016 in a hurry.

Birth of a prince
It's not every month you get a brand new royal baby to coo over, even if this year the Swedish Royal Family are trying their hardest to break that rule. Our first regal arrival this year came in the shape of Prince Oscar Carl Olof, Duke of Skane, the second child and first son of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden. He was born on March 2nd at 8.28pm at the Karolinska Hospital in Solna. There were gun salutes, there was an emotional and proud daddy talking to the press and an even more emotional granddad announcing names and titles the following day. …
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The Royal Wardrobe: March 2016 top ten

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With March almost done, it's time to cheer the winners in the Royal Wardrobe. We've had some standout looks this month from fairytale ballgowns to springlike suits with a sharp edge. So here's a glance back at the looks that made us cheer in March 2016.





When it came to royal fashion in March, Queen Maxima ruled. She's had a great year so far but her wardrobe this month, especially during her trip to France, has been standout and then some. The best of all her choices was this golden caramel coat worn on day one of the State Visit which just gets better with every look. Add in a Maxima hat for style perfection.
(photo koninklijkhuis.nl)



Not far behind in the outfit of the month stakes was Beatrice Casiraghi who wore a dream of a dress to the Rose Ball in Monaco. Her red gown really was the stuff that fairytales are made of with a skirt that took the definition of full to new levels and a fitted bodice that made the whole thing simply stunning. A triumph of tulle.



There was …
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5 highlights of Kate and William's upcoming tour

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So now we have an itinerary, it's time to start picking highlights. We already knew that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would be travelling to India and Bhutan between April 10th and April 16th but now we know just what they are planning. And some engagements are springing out as big moments in the making. Here's five exciting events we can look forward to when William and Kate go on tour.




Hooray for Bollywood. The start of their tour will see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest and best known film stars in the world as they attend what Kensington Palace are calling a 'glittering reception' with the promise of 'red carpet arrivals'. The big evening event takes place in Mumbai at the end of their first full day and will see them meet celebs and business leaders.



The Cambridges will be paying tribute to Gandhi as their tour of India continues. In New Delhi they will be visiting Gandhi Smriti, the museum at Old Birla House…
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5 royal chocolate treats

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It's pretty hard to find photos of the royals making like the rest of us and having a huge chocolate feast. And even though Prince William had a second wedding cake made of chocolate biscuits it was sliced and tasted behind closed doors. Fair enough, we all might want a taste. But as we get over the annual chocolate binge that Easter brings with it, here are 5 times we've seen royals enjoying chocolate - even if it is just a look sometimes.




The Duchess of Cambridge made a chocolate cake even sweeter by helping ice them blindfold during a trip to the Beaver Scouts in 2015. Kate helped one member earn a disability awareness badge by working on this confectionery based challenge and made a proper chocolate treat into the bargain. (photo screengrab Clarence House Instagram video)

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Queen Maxima of the Netherlands looked rather pleased with the chocolate she was given during a visit to Hembrug in June 2014. But the new queen didn't treat us to an image of her …
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Royal Wedding Dresses: Beatrix of the Netherlands

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All royal wedding gowns are spectacular in their own way but the dress of a queen in waiting has to have something really regal about it. So the wedding dress chosen by Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands fifty years ago this month came with a lot of expectations and anticipation attached to it. And when the bride walked into the Westerkerk in Amsterdam on March 10th 1966, her gown didn't disappoint.


The wedding of Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands and Claus von Amsberg on March 10th 1966 (photo: by Anefo - Nationaal Archief, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wiki Commons)
Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard was the eldest daughter of the Queen of the Netherlands, Juliana, and heiress to her country's throne. Female firsts in line were rare then and Beatrix's marriage plans were also unusual. Her German groom, Claus von Amsberg, had served in the Hitler Youth (like many in his country of birth) and although the couple obtained the parliamentary consent they needed for their wedding to go ahead, t…
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Princess Mary on women's rights

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It's not your typical weekend read about royals but then the subject is well aware of that. Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has just given an interview to one of her country's media outlets about women's rights and it gets right to the heart of the matter.



Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has given an interview about women's rights (photo UN Geneva via Flickr)
Mary was chatting to Berlingske about issues affecting women and girls around the world ahead of a major summit on women's rights being held in Denmark. Mary will play a big part in that and has already shown her support attending preliminary events but this interview was a window on what the princess believes and her ideas for the future.



»Vold mod kvinder er den mest udbredte forbrydelsen mod menneskerettighederne« https://t.co/8GdbGzYQqOpic.twitter.com/pcDh4jrX51 — Berlingske (@berlingske) March 26, 2016

Crown Princess Mary doesn't hold back in expressing her opinions. She calls violence against women '…
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The Royal Wardrobe: Easter special

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Easter means bonnets, bright colours and a real hint of spring in the Royal Wardrobe. And the outfits on display today didn't disappoint.


Queen Letizia of Spain picked a cracking colour combination for her outfit on Easter Sunday
We had reds and pinks, some cracking hats and a burst of sunshine yellow that said summer is on its way. Here are five looks we won't forget from this year's royal Easter wardrobe.


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This year's leading lady has to be the Countess of Wessex who joined the Royal Family for Easter service at St George's in a standout outfit. Her red coat was bright and quite a daring length, her white and black dress beneath was chic and sharp  with a clever hint of red in the hem to bring thigns together but what really made this Easter outfit was the bonnet. Her unusual black hat was smaller than Sophie's usual choice but it worked and then some. From its jaunty angle to the detailing at the back, this was the dream hat for a pretty …
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Royals on Easter Sunday

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As Easter Day gets under way, royals across Europe have been attending services. From the sunshine of Rome to rain in Windsor, there have been many celebrations taking place with more still to come. And we start with Felipe of Spain and his family who headed to Easter Mass in Palma de Mallorca with blue skies behind them.


Spain's royals head to church on Easter Sunday (photo casareal.es)
King Felipe, Queen Letizia, their daughters, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, and Queen Sofia posed for photographers before heading into the service at Palma Cathedral.


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The Queen led the Royal Family at Easter celebrations at Windsor. They attended a church service at St George's Chapel this morning.

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It was a smaller gathering than previous years with Prince Harry still in Nepal and Prince William in Kenya for a wedding. There was no George and Charlotte appearance as Kate has taken them to stay with her parents. Charles and Camilla usually spend …
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Royal Easter traditions under way

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Easter is celebrated in different ways across Europe and that is reflected in the ways that it's marked by the continent's royals. And as Easter Sunday itself approaches, some of the regal traditions associated with this time of the year are already under way.  Here's a look at how this year's royal Easter celebrations are unfolding.



We start in Monaco where Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene have attended the traditional procession that takes place on Good Friday.

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The royal couple watched the event from the balcony of the Prince's Palace. The procession traces its roots back to the 13th century.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco at the traditional Good Friday procession


Another royal tradition which began in the 1200s took place on Maundy Thursday when the Queen attended the traditional Maundy service, held this year at St George's Chapel, Windsor.

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Since the 13th century, the reigning monarch has…
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Sofia's maternity fashion: the final countdown

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As Princess Sofia prepares to welcome her first baby, it's time to look back at the fabulous fashion she's worn as a mummy to be. For there is little room for doubt here - the princess does pregnancy style about as well as anyone around.


There have been some great evening looks (see them here) while her daywear has been chic and sharp. Here's how Sofia of Sweden did style in the last months of her pregnancy.




January 20th 2016, Royal Palace, Stockholm As 2016 got under way, Princess Sofia made an appearance with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at the Music in the Palace event. She chose a monochrome outfit with cropped sleeves that did relaxed formal rather well and looked fabulous to boot. 2016 was off to a great start.



January 21st 2016, City Hall, Stockholm There was more black and white on display the following day when the princess oversaw the graduation ceremony for the Sophia Sisters who had completed their nursing training. The scheme was named after Queen Sofia o…
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One week, five photos

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As the week comes to an end and the spring sunshine reminds us of all there is to look forward to, there are some royal memories that will linger for a long time to come. Seven days, five photos, one week in images. Here are some of the best royal pictures of the week just gone.


It's the royal baby photo we were all waiting to see, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar of Sweden together. We weren't disappointed. Dad Daniel did the honours and we got a hug and a smile that was worth the wait and then some. Plus Estelle did retro fashion again by wearing a dress first used by mum back in 1982 when Princess Madeleine made her debut. A picture for the history books.

Prince Harry took a number of photos and videos during his official tour of Nepal. He is now working with Team Rubicon helping a community to reconstruct a school damaged in last year's earthquake. He wanted to share some of his favourite photos from Leorani village in west Nepal, where he stayed overnight with a local …
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