Monday, 3 August 2015

Family smiles as summer starts for Spain's royals

The temperatures might have been soaring across Spain for months now but the traditional family pose at the Marivent Palace in Mallorca always signals the start of the royal summer there. And as dusk began to fall today, Felipe and Letizia began their break with a laid back press call accompanied by their daughters.


King Felipe VI of Spain with his family
Mallorca, August 3rd 2015

The famous palace steps have been the setting for many famous royal summer photo calls but this one, like 2014, was much smaller than previous years as the Spanish Royals shrink down to a core element of the king, his consort, his heir and the spare. While his father and mother are still part of the official family, they weren't present at the press call although Queen Sofia has been seen on the island in the past days with her eldest daughter, Elena, and her other grandchildren. This evening was all about Felipe and his family.


The Spanish Royal Family
Marivent Palace, August 3rd 2015

The session began with a meet and greet with the journalists who had gathered to take photos and ask questions. And just like last year, Princess Leonor and her sister, the Infanta Sofia, joined their parents in shaking hands with those who had come to see them.


 



Then it was dad's turn to speak and the words were brief and simple - it was good to be there and there were some wonderful people on the island.



 
 



 But this was really about the photos and with such a photogenic family, there were plenty of those. The four posed happily for snaps, even sitting down on a wall to allow more images to be taken.


 
 



 And fashion watchers noted that it was Sofia who followed most closely in the footsteps of her style setting mother, wearing an identical top to Letizia.



 
 



 The next outing for the royals on the island is scheduled for midweek when Felipe and Letizia give a reception for the authorities on the island. And if past years are anything to go by then we can expect a family day out sometime soon to a local tourist attraction. As the sun starts to slowly sink in the sky, Spain's royal summer has started.



 
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6 times Kate has chosen navy

It's back. Of course. It might not be the most famous style choice in the Duchess of Cambridge's wardrobe but that navy blazer look is back. Kate loves a navy blazer - she's got several of them that all look very similar but they all feature gold buttons and they are usually done up over a pair of skinny jeans and that very, very famous off duty choice - the Breton stripey top. Here are six times we've seen that blazer look starting with the latest, a trip to a very wet Americas Cup event.

1.  Back on dry land


As William and Kate went along to Portsmouth to support the British team who will take part in the Americas Cup as they continued their preparations, the new mum donned a tracksuit top and trousers for the very wet engagement. But back on dry land, it was into jeans, that stripey top and one of her famous jackets appeared, this one done up to give the full effect. Very nautical.



Kate with Sir Den Ainslie in Portsmouth for the return of the navy blazer
(photo @acwspmth Twitter)



2.  Wine tasting in Australia


Before Kate's second pregnancy was even a reality, the speculation about when she might have baby number two reached fever pitch and was about to boil over when the Duchess and her hubby visited a vineyard in New Zealand as part of their three week tour of that country and Australia. Kate sipped red wine and the baby whisper bubble was burst - albeit very briefly. And the outfit that accompanied this big moment was blazer, a gingham shirt and more skinny jeans not to mention a pair of wedges that didn't quite match the bumpy terrain under foot.



 

 3. A splash of coral 

Add a dash of something different and the blazer takes on another life. Kate wore it in March 2012 for a visit to the Olympic Park in Stratford ahead of the Summer Games and paired with coral jeans, a white shirt and a multi patterned scarf the outfit had a fresher feel that we've not really seen since.



 
 

4. Still feeling sporty 

It was back to the blazer for another big sporting event to hit British shores when Kate wore it for a visit to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. The appearance came just weeks before the announcement of her second pregnancy but there was no hint of a baby bump on this trip with the faithful skinny jeans (version navy) firmly in place along with another bright mix scarf. It's a sporting uniform but if it works, why change it?
 
 

5. With a dress 

Showing that this really is a look for a big sporting day out, Kate then chose a navy blazer to pair with a turquoise dress she wore for another event at the Commonwealth Games. It was all very smart if quite safe but who care, she joined in a game jumping over cans. 
 




6. Losing the buttons 



Take away some of the gold, add more navy and you've got Kate heading out on tour. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a navy blazer with navy shift dress and added an attache case for her departure for her first overseas tour. She went to Canada in 2011 as a newlywed which meant there was no comfy trousers and T-shirt option for her at Heathrow with the world's media watching. Cue blazer on duty showing that whether it's smart or casual, Kate loves a navy jacket.


 
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Saturday, 1 August 2015

Beatrice and Armani

For the second of her wedding dresses, she followed in the footsteps of her new auntie, Charlene. Beatrice Borromeo chose Armani Prive for her religious wedding to Pierre Casiraghi which took place as August got under way on her family's private islands.


Pierre Casiraghi and Beatrice Borromeo following their religious wedding on August 1st 2015
(photo @Armani Twitter)


The bespoke white dress was coverd in lace and came complete with a stunningly long train. The bride wore her hair up and carried a delicate bouquet of cream flowers and greenery.


The look of love as Pierre and Beatrice say 'si' in Italy
(photo @Armani Twitter)

And just like last week, with her civil marriage to Pierre in Monaco, Beatrice's dress was revealed by her designers on Twitter with @Armani releasing two photographs from the ceremony as well as a sketch.



Valentino and Armani, the stuff of which bridal dreams are made. And this confection of lace loveliness is a true dream dress. Beatrice Borromeo is a perfect bride for a royal wedding.
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8 times royal red ruled

The latest gala outfit chosen by Charlene of Monaco was a bit of a showstopper. The red trouser suit worn to the Red Cross Ball last week was stunning, sleek and just plain super. Not to mention unforgettable. She's not the first royal lady to wow in red when it came time to go gala but she does lead the way in this countdown of eight times royal red ruled.

1.  Charlene's cat suit

Just given birth to twins? That would be the time to wear a red cat suit then. Charlene of Monaco didn't just get away with it, she knocked the competition out of the water when she went scarlet at the Red Cross Ball. Modern, modest and just plain marvellous. 


Charlene of Monaco makes royal red rule at the Red Cross Ball 2015



2.  The wedding crasher


You're not really meant to look this good at someone else's wedding but if you've got a film star dress to wear, what can you do? The red gown chosen by the then Letizia Ortiz for the marriage of the Crown Prince of Denmark in May 2004 is still among her best looks ever. Luckily the bride, Mary Donaldson, had chosen a stunner of a frock otherwise red might just have trumped white.




 

 
3. A dress fit for a (Crown) Princess

There should actually be a rule that Victoria of Sweden has to wear the red fairytale gown she showed off at the Nobel Prize Dinner in 2014 at least once a year. It is beyond beautiful and gets better with every viewing. As a favour to the rest of us, this future queen should find more balls to go to so we get to see this queen of dresses a bit more often.


 
 
4. It's my party....
Every birthday girl deserves to wear the best gown on show at her own party but when you're a queen regnant turning 75 then fabulous frocks are compulsory. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark didn't disappoint at her big birthday bash in April 2015 giving us one of the royal looks of the year. 


 

 
5. Relaxing into red
Forget the red fringe outfit that she picked for the evening do ahead of her husband becoming king (really, try to), there is only one red gala gown that needs to stay in Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wardrobe and that's the lace effect dress she wore to the wedding of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden. About as elegant as you can get and paired with some pretty impressive jewels, this was Maxima at her very best and showed she's really relaxed into wearing red. A total winner.


 
 

6. Regal in red 

The prize for most red ever worn at a royal event can only belong to one person. Queen Silvia of Sweden had so much of the colour on at the wedding of Prince Joachim of Denmark and Alexandra Manley in 1995 that there was little room for her husband in any of the photos. A full skirt, huge shawl and magnificent bodice made this regal red spectacular stand out from the crown. And then some.


 

 7. A modern twist

It takes a lot to beat Crown Princess Mary of Denmark when it comes to red. She's showed off some truly memorable red gowns over the years but her choice for a State Dinner in Sydney added a modern twist to this royal favourite that easily propelled it into any countdown.

 
 

 8. Spectacular Charlene

It's that princess again. Before she said 'I do', Charlene attended the Red Cross Ball in Monaco in a red evening gown that really announced her as a royal fashion presence in the making. Seven years on it has more than stood the test of time. Red Cross Ball plus red dress means a wardrobe treat for royal watchers.

 
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Royals on social media

Summer time means holidays and things are getting quiet. The official royal social media channels are still active but things are definitely winding down for the warm weeks of August. But we've still had photos and videos to enjoy - here's a rather sedate week of royals on social media.


Out and about


As it's summer, it's time to head into the great outdoors and plenty of royal social media moments this week were set outside. First of all, new photos of Prince Nicolas of Sweden were shared on the social media accounts of his mother, Princess Madeleine, and the royal house of which he is a member. This image of Nicolas with his parents was posted on the official Swedish Royal Family Instagram account.





King Felipe VI of Spain and his daughters, Princess Leonor and the Infanta Sofia, arrived in Mallorca for their summer break there - they were joined soon afterwards by Queen Letizia. And the newest king on the continent made sure it's a working break, greeting local politicians, on the steps of the Marivent Palace. Many images were shared on the official Casa Real Twitter feed including these with the President of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol.




And the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall enjoyed a visit to the 134th Sandringham Flower Show in the week with pictures of the couple enjoying the pretty sights in almost sunshine shared on the official Clarence House Twitter account.





Royals on film

The You Tube channels of the Scandinavian royals were busy this week with the Danish Royal Family sharing several videos of the visit to Greenland by Queen Margrethe II and Prince Henrik. One of them featured images of a visit by the royal couple to a primary school.



The Norwegian Royal Family shared a video of a recent lecture given by Crown Prince Haakon Magnus and made sure plenty of people listened by putting it on their official You Tube page as well.



 
Meanwhile, the Spanish Royal Family uploaded lots of videos to its official You Tube channel, Casa Real TV, of King Felipe's engagements in the week including several of the traditional ceremony that accompanies the arrival of new ambassadors to Spain.

 

Red, white and blue

The Duchess of Cambridge was out and about this week as she and William headed to Portsmouth to support the British team in the Americas Cup. Despite the rain, Kensington Palace shared lots of images on its official Twitter account of Kate in navy blue.






Princess Charlene of Monaco was stunning in red the same weekend as she accompanied Prince Albert II to the Red Cross Ball with images shared on the official royal Facebook page.


And Queen Anne-Marie of Greece wore some very white trousers as she posed for a photo with the five children of her son Prince Pavlos while on holiday. The image was shared on the official Instagram account of Princess Marie-Chantal.



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