30 June 2016

Somme Centenary Vigil

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended an Evening Vigil at Westminster Abbey to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme. The battle was one of the bloodiest in World War I, resulting in over one million casualties.
Sergeant Ross Tilly/DDC/MOD Crown Copyright
For more: BBC video, BBC article.

I suspect that it is not a coincidence that The Queen chose to wear a brooch from Queen Mary on this day, when King George V was on the throne during World War I. Her brooches are so obviously not the focus of remembrance events like these, but the way she occasionally uses them to add subtle significance can be quite thoughtful. (The Cullinan V was also worn last year to commemorate VE and VJ Day anniversaries; the outfit was first seen when visiting the Bergen-Belsen memorial in Germany.)

Andrew Linnett/MOD Crown Copyright

Three Strand Pearl Necklace


BBC screencap
The Royal Family will be out in force to commemorate the Somme centenary. The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will be in France on Friday, where The Duchess will lay a wreath at the grave of her great-uncle, Captain Harry Cubitt, who died during the battle.

BBC screencap
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are also in France. They attended a vigil at the Thiepval Memorial on Thursday and will attend more events on Friday. Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence was there as well, due to his involvement with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The Duke of York, The Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal, and The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will also participate in events surrounding the anniversary.


Video: Some background on the Battle of the Somme
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28 June 2016

Visit to Northern Ireland, Day 2

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited the Giant's Causeway, unveiled a statue to Victoria Cross recipient Robert Quigg in Bushmills, attended a reception at Portrush Golf Club, took a steam train ride, and officially opened a new train station at Bellarena on the last day of their visit to Northern Ireland.

Two days and two brooches, both on their second appearances! This is a much clearer look at the Triple Diamond Bar Brooch than we got at its first appearance in 2014, and you can really see just how large these diamonds are. A simple design, but a staggering carat weight.

Northern Ireland Office

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27 June 2016

Visit to Northern Ireland, Day 1

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh arrived at Hillsborough Castle at the start of their visit to Northern Ireland. The Queen received Northern Ireland's First Minister, Arlene Foster, and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, for private audiences.
Northern Ireland Office/Crown Copyright
This is a good start, brooch-wise. It's just the second time we've seen the Diamond Art Deco Double Clip Brooch, though it is a bit harder to spot today than it was at its debut last year. I'm always up for a nice diamond clip brooch.


Northern Ireland Office/Crown Copyright
Both ministers kept The Queen's confidence regarding the topics discussed during their audiences. At least Her Maj's sense of humor is still going strong: Martin McGuinness asked how she was, to which she responded, "Well, I'm still alive, anyway."


(I did laugh when they both mentioned that there are a lot of things going on right now - and just as everyone starts holding their breath in anticipation of even the vaguest of royal Brexit quotes, HM pivots right into her two recent birthdays. There will be no addressing of the elephant in the room while the cameras are rolling, thankyouverymuch.)
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25 June 2016

The Wedding of Alexandra Knatchbull and Thomas Hooper

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh attended the wedding of The Hon. Alexandra Knatchbull and Mr. Thomas Hooper at Romsey Abbey, Romsey, Hampshire.

The "society wedding of the year" belongs to Alexandra Knatchbull, great-granddaughter of the late Earl Mountbatten. The ties of family and friendship run deep between her family and the royals, as demonstrated by a guest list including The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Princess Royal, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Queen Sofia of Spain, King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, and Jordan's Prince Hassan bin Talal and Princess Sarvath El Hassan.

The Prince of Wales walked the bride down the aisle, and she wore the Mountbatten Star Tiara. The Queen wore one of her favorite brooches of late, Singapore Peranakan Diamond Jubilee Brooch. 


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24 June 2016

Audiences at Buckingham Palace

The Queen held audiences at Buckingham Palace.

On most Fridays, you'll find Her Maj already cozied up at Windsor Castle for the weekend. The day after the EU referendum is, uh, not most Fridays, to put it very very lightly. She had a few audiences lined up at Buckingham Palace (including presenting the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award to choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne, pictured above); today's audience with David Cameron, however, remained private.


I can't help but think The Queen's upcoming engagements just got a bit more interesting: Monday will see her visit Northern Ireland, and she'll address the Scottish Parliament on July 2. After that, she'll have her annual Holyrood Week of Scottish engagements.
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23 June 2016

Queen's Young Leaders Awards

The Queen presented awards and hosted a reception for the Queen's Young Leaders at Buckingham Palace, with other members of the Royal Family present. She also held audiences and an investiture today.

A busy day for HM, but she tackled it in the best possible way: with both Prince Harry and the Cullinan V at her side.

@KensingtonRoyal

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22 June 2016

Visit to Liverpool

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh visited Liverpool, where they officially opened the new Exhibition Centre and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, and attended a reception at the town hall.

Seems like HM had a jolly away day in Liverpool today, where a huge crowd greeted her when she appeared on the town hall balcony. She was certainly looking quite jolly in her peach coat and floral dress by Stewart Parvin and matching Rachel Trevor Morgan hat, don't you think?

@RoyalFamily

(Her beloved Pearl Trefoil brooch was transferred onto the dress for the reception, of course!)

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