The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh commemorated the 70th anniversary of D-Day at Bayeux Cemetary and Sword Beach during their State Visit to France. The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were present as well. The Queen and the Duke also attended a luncheon for Heads of State at Château de Bénouville.
For more: Piece at the Daily Mail.
This is only the second time the Queen has worn the fringe brooch, and the first time during the day. It's a poignant choice, not only because its size and rarity of use mark this as a special occasion, but because it was often worn the by Queen Mother, and you know the Queen must be thinking of her parents and the role they played in the war effort today. Really lovely. I also like her choice of vibrant green, which feels quite right for place as a guest of honor (she is, after all, a head of state that is actually a veteran of the war herself).
Queen Victoria's Fringe Brooch
A day full of wonderful moments, like this one with the Duke and a fellow WWII veteran:
This is only the second time the Queen has worn the fringe brooch, and the first time during the day. It's a poignant choice, not only because its size and rarity of use mark this as a special occasion, but because it was often worn the by Queen Mother, and you know the Queen must be thinking of her parents and the role they played in the war effort today. Really lovely. I also like her choice of vibrant green, which feels quite right for place as a guest of honor (she is, after all, a head of state that is actually a veteran of the war herself).
Queen Victoria's Fringe Brooch
A day full of wonderful moments, like this one with the Duke and a fellow WWII veteran:
#DDayLen to The Duke of Edinburgh: "I served with you in the Mediterranean and Malta in May and June 1940" #DDay70 pic.twitter.com/K5iaqudlH6
— Royal British Legion (@PoppyLegion) June 6, 2014
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were also present:
Update #1: The Duchess of Cornwall's outfit has plenty of connections too. Her Philip Treacy hat was paired with a special outfit from French label Christian Dior, a nice touch. (She visited the Dior atelier and its Belgian designer Raf Simons during a visit to Paris last year.) Her brooch is a badge representing the Lancers, her father's cavalry regiment. The late Bruce Shand won the Military Cross twice and was held as a prisoner of war during World War II.
Check out the comments for more heads of state, plus the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!
Update #2: Here's a video of the entire service at Ouistreham.
Dignitaries start arriving on the red carpet around 43:00; the first royals on the red carpet I believe are the Belgians at 50:45. Footage of the Queen serving in the ATS is incorporated into the service around the 2:13:50 mark, and footage of her with the royal family on the balcony is at 2:34:25. You can even see her reaction from the crowd (or non-reaction, really - though the Duke does seem amused to see her in mechanic mode!).
Check out the comments for more heads of state, plus the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!
Update #2: Here's a video of the entire service at Ouistreham.
Dignitaries start arriving on the red carpet around 43:00; the first royals on the red carpet I believe are the Belgians at 50:45. Footage of the Queen serving in the ATS is incorporated into the service around the 2:13:50 mark, and footage of her with the royal family on the balcony is at 2:34:25. You can even see her reaction from the crowd (or non-reaction, really - though the Duke does seem amused to see her in mechanic mode!).
Photos: Chris Jackson/Getty Images, Poppy Legion Twitter
