Royal style & gossip: Breton stripes and skinny jeans...

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Previous thread. I think we'll be a bit short of royal outfits as they're all off on their holidays atm. But Kate's regatta is coming up next week, hence the thread title!

Same rules as always - keep it light, critique the clothes rather than the women, and don't believe anything printed in the Daily Mail

Thanks for the new thread, Queen.
I took a visiting friend to Moelfre on Thursday and while we were looking at the exhibition in the lifeboat station I spotted this photo of the Duke of Kent's mother, Princess Marina, being welcomed on a visit. She was the patron of the RNLI and this was raken iver by the D of Kent.
I'm sure there were other reasons but I was amused by someone called Marina having a sea themed patronage.

Taken over not raken iver!

@DobbyTheHouseElk Perhaps when M&S release their autumn/winter collection?

The Princess Haya drama has taken an interesting turn. She's still in London and has applied for a forced marriage protection order and a non-molestation order.

I hope Princess Haya's two step daughters are ok. She did a radio interview last year on RTE ( Ireland's national radio service ) defending the Mary Robinson intervention - meeting with one of the "runaway princesses" Latifa. She had invited Mary Robinson ( former Irish President and feted UN human rights defender and lawyer ) to meet Latifa in Dubai.
The filming was not a PR success.

That Princess Haya thing is so odd. After reading the links about previous cases, I remembered that one of the Sheikh's private pilots is married to a family member. Possibly retired now but not back in the early 2000s. Haven't seen them for ages as they were based in Dubai (funnily enough!). Dammit, I could have pumped him for info for us the greater good.

I know people complain about the BRF's life of luxury but that's nothing compared to how some of the Middle Eastern royals live! In Qatar there's an entire airport terminal just for the emir's family, who think nothing of taking a private jet from Doha to Paris to go shopping for a day. When they pay state visits to the U.K. they must feel like they're slumming it in Buckingham Palace!

The Tindall and Phillips girl’s were having a blast at Gatcombe yesterday. They do love a bouncy castle and a Mr Whippy.

It's being reported that Meghan might be following in the footsteps of Charles and Fergie and writing a children's book.

Maybe it's to do with the dog charity she's involved with and all the profits will go to it? If it happens that is!

QueenOfTheAndals one of the Saudi Princes regularly books out a number of FLOORS at Claridges for a prolonged stay for himself, his wife and his 70 strong entourage. Entourage includes his private chef. He entertains his European friends and business partners in his suits of rooms, he and his wife rarely leaving the hotel until it's time to fly back to their (as you say) own airport.

He pays for the extra luxury of having all the clocks on his floors changed away from British time to Saudi time for the duration of his stay, to avoid jet lag, and all the staff attending those floors (his own plus the Claridges employees) eat, work and live at Saudi time frame for those weeks until he leaves. His guests all come and go and are catered for by the kitchens according to Saudi time also.

The bill for all this comes to apx. £40,000 per night

Our (Irish) govenment and the EU will dictate to us how we should reduce our carbon footprints and help reduce climate change ( and charge us for the privilege) and yet other countries / rulers/ royalty/ super rich don't give a sh*te.
Recent example- Google event in Sicily.

Makes me sad and angry cross.

Zara have gone full DoC Headband crazy. This is but one example of many. They are growing on me but I don't think I could wear this on the school run...

Lena Tindall is the dead spit of her dad.

Am I alone in quite liking the headband trend? Deep fashion shame here!

Also @Queen, I don't think I'd mind subbing Pippa Middleton's copy... but, gee, she might well be one of *those writers, I think 🤔.

(All of which is a long-winded way of saying hello and cheers for the new thread, and just generally checking in 🤗).

The bill for all this comes to apx. £40,000 per night

Claridge’s aren’t silly are they?

The bill for all this comes to apx. £40,000 per night

TBH I’m surprised it isn’t more when you think of what a 25k wedding gets you at a non claridges venue once you read all that madness.

TSSDNCOP they're certainly not.

I seriously can't actually get my head around the amount of wealth it takes to cheerfully pay 40.thousand.pounds.per.night for a hotel for weeks. My first mortgage (in 1995) was 50k. And they're shelling that out every night. Plus the yachts and the palaces.It's all too much to think about. Let alone the carbon footprint!

Re headbands - i like them! I have a couple of very narrow ones (tortoise shell colour and black) and when i wear them they do look ok and they keep my flyaway hair back. But my head must be a funny shape because they always slip about or ride up.

No me neither, but I’m loving the idea of the Claridges manage cheerfully trousering the cash.

I remember watching a documentary on the Portland Hospital a few years ago. A Saudi princess was coming to give birth there and paid for an ENTIRE FLOOR to be redecorated!

I see the Meghan issue of Vogue is for sale on e-bay at about £17!

I remember a couple of years ago when there was all the fuss over a Sheik trying to close a public beach in France for privacy whilst there on holiday, there was mention of how much his vast entourage would benefit the local economy, amongst other things, spending thousands of euro DAILY on fresh flowers.

BlingLoving I do agree with you. I was a bit sceptical at first but MM has done really well with the Grenfell cookbook. She and Harry do seem a bit more 'relevant' dare I say.

Kate and William are possibly a bit more limited because of their position but the very old-fashioned image they nurture can seem quite out of touch - I'm thinking of Christening pictures.

Harry's comment about only wanting two children was rather pointed I thought...

Am I the only one who thinks fabric headbands look not good to awful on adults? Especially on an ordinary member of the public on an ordinary day.

No I hate them too @thisenglishlife!

I like the difference between W&K and H&M. They compliment each other, if that makes any sense? W&K more formal, aloof and a bit old school royal, H&M a little more ... i don't know, celeb? I think the mix could work well and satisfy quite different public expectations.

The risk is that their different approaches will keep being portrayed as evidence of a rift between the brothers.