The Royal Wardrobe: sharp and chic

The Royal Wardrobe is heading for spring which means that this week we've had slightly fewer coats, a few more jackets and for some reason, hardly any colour. As the weather warms up, the royal women of Europe - with a few notable exceptions - have headed for the black, white and grey sections of their wardrobe but that doesn't mean the results are dull. In fact, we've had some new and sometimes daring looks in the past seven days and these five are among the best - here's this week's Royal Wardrobe.

It was all about black and white for Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and after debuting a new tiara worn with a monochrome evening gown that is already legendary, she showed she does informal chic just as well by choosing this skirt top combo for an event for the Stroke and Brain Injury Association. What's not to love about the print skirt, the clever draped top and the on trend boots? Stylish and relaxed all at the same time, a winner every step of the way.
(photo kongehuset.dk)

Queen Letizia has had a quiet few months on the fashion front but this week she was definitely back in town and working her way to the top of the best dressed lists again. We had three stand out outfits from her but the best was this new, pale dove grey suit with cropped trousers. What's not to love about the shape of the jacket, the relaxed yet formal trousers and the black and white mix top underneath it all. Add in her always stunning updo and you have a wardrobe winner from Letizia again.

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Queen Mathilde of the Belgians provided a much needed splash of colour this week but was her green shift a sneaky tribute to St Patrick? It was worn two days before St Patrick's Day for an event linked to Money Week so possibly not but whatever her reasons for picking it, she scored a winner with this striking, simple and chic frock. Bright without being overbearing. eye catching without going over the top, this is a total style statement and then some. Fabulous.

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The jury was out on Kate's grey ensemble chosen for the Commonwealth Day Service this week. The elements all got praise but putting them together caused some criticisms. But actually, this Erdem coat is pretty fabulous while the hat is a different look for her and one we need to see again. It was made by John Boyd, one of Diana, Princess of Wales' favourite milliners, and it was a winner all the way.

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You didn't really think we'd get through a whole week of royal fashion without seeing Queen Maxima, did you? Her final outfit of the week was chic and fun which is a good way of describing Maxima herself. She chose a dark dress which, like Sofia's selection, had some interesting drape effects. There was a leopard skin print bag with matching shoes but it was the hat that won the day here. Was it a pork pie or a trilby or a special combination of the two? Who cares, it looks stunning and just shows that in 2016 it's all about Queen Maxima when it comes to style.