Royal Style - Farewell, Elizabeth - lady of style

[Maireas]

A sad start to a new thread, but I hope we can celebrate the legacy of Elizabeth Regina, what a woman, and what style!

Yes Kate was having to work to keep things together at one point. Entirely understandably.

Had a chance to properly look at Zara’s ensemble and it was indeed exceptionally lovely and really suited her well.

Last Helen looked beautiful. Some lovely hats on the minor royals too.
To answer my own question can't see Princess Alex anywhere. Wonder if she couldn't stand for that long.
Wonderful to see the line of ladies in waiting too.

@paradyning
Now that you mention it there are no photos of Princess Alexandra or the Duchess of Kent.
Sarah Linley stuck to her tried and trusted skirt and cashmere combo with necklace. A jumper rather than a cardigan this time, in the photo I saw of her.

Ha! That's exactly what I thought!

I do hope that at some point there will be an exhibition of the Queens wardrobe through the years, would be amazing to see, from the Norman Harnell evening gowns to the Scottish 'off duty' tweed. I bet there are also quite a number of vintage Hermes scarves.

Apart from the enormity of the current occasion, this must be bringing home to her what ultimate fate her husband and son can expect. And herself, to a possibly lesser extent.

The magnitude of this occasion must be bewildering to someone not born into the RF.

@PolkadotsAndMoonbeams
I too got the stick insect vibe. 🙂

Apart from the enormity of the current occasion, this must be bringing home to her what ultimate fate her husband and son can expect. And herself, to a possibly lesser extent.

You put it far more eloquently than I could @Gazelda. I felt it at the proclamation on Saturday when William looked very thoughtful at times. Imagine being part of this and thinking 'next time it will be us'.

I think it is a stick insect!

A lurker popping in to reply to the pps who mentioned Angela Kelly’s books. I read her first one and really enjoyed it - so well written and really interesting. Definitely recommend it.

Yes apparently it actually is a stick insect!

Camilla has a collection of insect-themed brooches.

I wouldn't think twice about a butterfly or dragonfly I suppose!

Here it is close up. I think she prefers the silver to the real thing.

Angela Kelly's book The Other Side of the Coin often pops up on the Kindle Deal of the Day list for around £1, so it's worth keeping a look out for it.

I'm going to Holyrood next week to catch the display of Jubilee outfits. I'm not sure how many will be displayed. I hadn't managed to go over Summer and assumed it would have been brought to a close but DS told me it was resuming after the funeral. Very much hope that maybe the V&A can curate a larger exhibition in time.
I was contemplating Meghan's coat being a re-wear and whether she left a huge chunk of her wardrobe behind under a "will only ever need these in the UK" label or if she's had things sent over.

I do recall reading that they'd left quite a lot of stuff behind at Frogmore, and I'm sure that will have included wardrobe. Coming in handy now!

Apparently, Angela Kelly wasn’t there yesterday. I hope she’s ok, and being looked after, it must be hard for her too.

I saw a picture of Princess Alexandra there, but now I can't find it. It was on a UK site, but I can't remember which one. She was with another woman who I think might have been her daughter Marina. She looked well put together as usual: a long pleated skirt and a smart hat as I recall.

I think the queen gave it her to wear at the Commonwealth War Graves. So maybe she was honouring the queen's commitment to the Commonwealth?

:Waves hello at everyone, thankful for a new thread:

I also thought Kate’s brooch was on the big side, but as well as being a gift from the Queen it was of pearls (traditional mourning jewellery) and in the shape of oak leaves (Kate’s own family coat of arms, granted at her wedding, has oak leaves on it) so it was doubly meaningful for her, perhaps?

I also liked Zara’s dress very much, it was a great shape on her. Meghan’s hat was such a flattering shape on her also.

I was wondering about the 7 days of court mourning after the funeral on Monday - do they still have to wear all black for that period? (Also, looking at all the pictures of the Privy Council gathering and the group in Westminster Hall for the arrival of the Queen’s coffin, I did think it looks wonderfully co-ordinated with everyone wearing the same colour. The black background made the choirs’ robes, the royal standard and the platform and catafalque really stand out in Westminster Hall).

I've been reading up on the pearls on the crown. They were given to Mary Queen of Scots by Catherine de Medici, who received them as a wedding present from the Pope when she married Henri II of France. Quite a provenance.

I also like Meghan's hat as well as Kate's. Meghan's had some lovely pleated ribbon detail that was not visible (at least to me) in the distance shots, but in the close ups I saw later, it looked really lovely. I wondered, too, as another poster commented, if she had left a stash of "only in the UK clothes" at Frogmore. Certainly she would not need hats in the US.

Certainly she would not need hats in the US.

I was thinking that surely she had worn a hat when she and Harry visited the US Veterans cemetery on Remembrance Day after they’d first arrived in Los Angeles - but you are right, she did not have one on then! So yes, she must have quite the stash in a closet somewhere here.

People noticed that Lady Louise Windsor was wearing a hat that Kate also wore 10 years ago or so and wondered if it was a hand-me-down. I liked the idea of the family sharing their stock of black hats and accessories around (Louise was also wearing a black Prada suit and coat that was her Mum’s).

Thanks for the new thread! I thought exactly the same about Meghan and she looks very full in the face in that close-up with Kate too, but I know this isn't the place for that kind of chat so I'll move on!

Can I ask if anyone knows (not in a speculative/scandal-mongering sense I promise) why we haven't seen the duchess of York at all? Whilst I can't remember the terms of the divorce I believe she retained her title and still lives at the family home, so I assume she's still technically part of 'the royal family' and I would've thought she'd want to be there if only to support Bea and Eug?

Oh and apologies if it's been said already but I think I read somewhere that royal ladies HAVE to wear hats to funerals. I too love the idea of a large wardrobe room full of hats and coats for people to borrow!

Thank you so much for the photos and the link to the blog. I have not seen much footage and this is a good way to keep up with the looks without having to wade through too much of the coverage.

Mostly everyone looks very appropriate and sombre, some very elegant ladies. Many of the ladies had overdone the blusher a bit though.

One of the nicest outfits I have seen on Zara, so many don't really flatter her figure. Though she looks as though she's clenching her jaw so hard to stop herself crying that she might break a tooth!

The husbands of Princesses B&E looked fairly bewildered by the whole thing, it must be incredibly strange to have that thrust upon you.

She may have been tucked away at the back somewhere but she has no official role and is no longer a proper part of the royal family so her presence wouldn't be required and depending upon what you believe about family dynamics may not have been welcome. She's on good terms with Andrew but less so the rest of the family if you believe the press.

I don’t believe Sarah was invited. I think she will be at the funeral itself.