Battle of the British Royal Fashion Divas:
Who's The Biggest Fashionista: Camilla Duchess of Cornwall (foreground, left), and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass
The Finale of Britain's Diamond Jubilee celebrating the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen's ascension to the throne, occurred on Tuesday with a Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul's Cathedral, then a wondrous carriage procession through London...
H. M. The Queen Queen Elizabeth II: Sporting a smile, a slight wave, and an Angela Kelly-designed mint coat and Swarovski crystal embellished hat
The UK Royal A-List: (Left to right) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, prince Charles, H. M. The Queen, Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry
And the de rigueur Balcony Appearance at Buckingham Palace--where H. M. The Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla as well as Prince William, his wife, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Henry (the spare) took part. This balcony appearance culminated in the spectacular Red Arrow's Formation Flyover:
Here in the US, BBC America began showing the entire day LIVE at 4 am--needless to say, I DVR'ed it and watched it later--at a more "civilized" hour, thank you very much. Thank goodness for BBC and the fact I get it as part of my cable channels. Now, let's get to the FASHIONS, since of course, that's what I am interested in. Who was the Biggest Fashion Diva, you may ask? Well, I'll let you be the judge...
Let's begin with H. M. The Queen, Elizabeth II:
Queen Elizabeth arrived at St. Paul's--with her Lady in Waiting, Diana Marion Lady Farnham, as her traveling companion, since her husband, Prince Phillip was in a hospital due to a bladder infection. Lady Farnham (in royal blue next to the Queen in above photo) is her Lady of the Bedchamber, which means she is the person holding the position as THE PERSONAL ATTENDANT to Her Majesty. She is the widow of the 12th Baron Farnham. Imagine having your life devoted to H. M. The Queen. Your ENTIRE LIFE! I wonder if she has a special cell phone to answer her calls when she needs her. And most important: who is paying her? The Queen? The taxpayers? England? Who? Is she part of H. M. The Queen's "staff"? Please tell me she gets a monthly paycheck for this???!!! Well, irregardless, she was there as a Comfort Stand-In on the ride to St. Paul's Cathedral Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday and I would like to think that they are actually friends and it was comforting to the Queen. Now, back to Her Majesty:
Queen Elizabeth wore a mint green princess seamed coat and dress ensemble by her favorite designer, Angela Kelly. It was embellished with silver thread, Swarovski crystals throughout and had an attached mint silk chiffon sash. She may not be up to date in terms of 21st Century Style, but as an 86 year old woman, she was "Giving Fashion"...maybe not Barbara Walters Oscar de la Renta/Carolina Herrera Ladies-Who-Lunch style, but Fashion for her!
Besides that hat with all those crystals, her most prominent accessory was that GORGEOUS--and HUGE--diamond brooch. It is named the "Cullinan III and IV Brooch" and it is made from two of the nine Cullinan diamonds, weighing 94.4 carats and 63.3 carats. In case you did not know, the Cullinan Diamond originally weighed 3,106 carats and it was first discovered in 1905 at a mine near Pretoria in South Africa. The story goes, that originally, it was thrown away (Mon Dieu!) as it was thought too big to be an actual diamond. Once recovered, it was presented to King Edward VII and cuts were used in the Crown Jewels, therefore this amazing brooch.
Queen Elizabeth II's Grandmother, Queen Mary (in photo above) can be seen wearing the diamonds as a brooch--the same brooch H. M. The Queen wore on Tuesday. I love that the Queen "served up" a MAJAH diamond for the Diamond Jubilee! If ever there was a time to break out this gem, it is NOW!
Printed Diva: Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall and wife to Prince Charles, future King of England, decided to go a bit "Directional" with a champagne and gold colored coat with a "basket-weave" print and dress from one of her favorite designers, Bruce Oldfield. The hat was Philip Treacy, naturally.
I was surprised to see her in such a bold printed ensemble, but at the same time, I realized, that she was making quite a statement and knew that this was an important moment for her and well, this was no time to be a Fashion Wallflower. PS: She rode next to Her Majesty in the carriage procession. Mon Dieu Part Deux!
Now, onto her Fashion Competitor of the Day, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge:
Catherine wore a design from Sarah Burton and the House of Alexander McQueen. It was a blush-colored lace applique fitted knee-length sheath dress design with a high bateau neck, very fitted sleeves and champagne/beige satin waistband.
Her chapeau was by Jane Taylor. The dress fit her ever-so-perfectly and accentuated her I-Do-Not-Eat-Tea Sandwiches figure. She looked "Church" appropriate and well, still gave the Fashionistas out there something to talk about.
The Princesses:
Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice of York: The two lovely daughters of Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Sarah Duchess of York. Side Note: poor Sarah, by the way, she was not invited--since she is persona non grata--to any of these festivities; I really, really hope she was in a beach in Mykonos having her own Diamond Jubilee Festivities with a bunch of her best Gays! Anyhow...moving on. The two Princesses were in contrasting colored ensembles for the Jubilee Thanksgiving Mass: Princess Eugenie wore a lovely purple
dress by Suzannah. The bag was by Loro Piano. Her mushroom-colored
stilettos were also by Kurt Geiger. Princess Beatrice wore a periwinkle blue Kinder Aggugini coat dress with tan colored Kurt Geiger stilettos. Her bag was designed by Lemeresca.
Blue Blood: Sophie Countess of Wessex--wife of Prince Edward Earl of Wessex wore a navy silk ziberline suit with lace applique and gathered princess seamed peplum detail. The Princess Royal, Princess Anne (right) attended in a jeweled blue applique' coat and dress ensemble with popped collar, long fitted sleeves, nude heels, gloves and clutch; quite feminine for her, since well, she's usually looking rather--how shall I say this--BUTCH!
The Real Fashion Diva: But here's my Favorite Royal of the entire Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service--Princess Michael of Kent. German/Czech Republic-born Baroness Marie Christine Anna Agnes Hedwig Ida von Reibnitz, Princess Michael of Kent attended the Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Services wearing this gunmetal violet silk shantung suit with notched collar, billowing iridescent silk organza sleeves and princess-seamed fitted knee-length pencil skirt with silk chiffon godet inset.
When I saw her on TV entering St. Paul's Cathedral , I thought "Who Is That Fashion Diva?" And yes, of course, it was Princess Michael of Kent. She is like Joan and Jackie Collins all wrapped up in one fabulous person. The Princess knows Fashion and knows Drama. Take a peek at her Wikipedia and you'll know what I mean. Because of this suit of hers above, I have to give it to her as the Winner of my Unofficial "Best Dressed at the Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service". Catherine, take note...
Who Do You Guys Think Was The Best Dressed Royal Gal at Tuesday's Diamond Jubilee Thanksgiving Service/Festivities? Let me know...
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