Royal Ascot, Day 4

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today. 

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Have we got some COLOR on display today, friends, as Ascot starts to wind down. The Queen got things rolling with her raspberry coat featuring a nice cut away detail to display the silk floral dress underneath. The Jardine Star Brooch looks enormous here, with a strong solid background to show off its full design. 

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Jardine Star Brooch 

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

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Her Maj's seatmate for the ride in was Lady Helen Taylor, sporting an unusual orange and pink combo with a whole lot of hat froof. Normally, I'd advocate for ditching the orange bow...situation. But cast her as a supporting player in the raspberry queen's color story and suddenly I'm feeling like, sure, why not? 

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 Sarah, Duchess of York poses her own why not: Why not just treat every color like a neutral? Neutral green, neutral yellow, neutral purple. Maybe just not all at once, though.

Royal Ascot, Day 3

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.

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A mother-daughter duo of soft colors and yellow gold accents kicks us off on Ladies' Day!

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Seems like an outfit tailor-made for this specific brooch, no? This outfit's also having a lot of fun with texture, which I like.

Daffodil Spray Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace


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I'm all on board for the color story happening with the rest of the family. I'll give a double well played to Autumn Phillips and Princess Eugenie...


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...and I'll even give one to Zara Tindall, even though I could do without pie crust anything, just for the color.


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I'm even feeling a jumpsuit-clad Countess of Wessex. I know. No one's more surprised than me.


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I gotta hop right off the train when we reach Lady Gabriella, I'm afraid. Can't recall feeling she overcooked a look before...but I guess there's a first time for everything.

Royal Ascot, Day 2

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.

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Ha! Some of you mentioned that you missed the Albert Sapphire in yesterday's comments and BEHOLD: Her Maj is here to grant your wishes. Look at the color on that sapphire. Delicious.

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In the fashion stakes, The Queen's wearing a Stewart Parvin "silk bourette tweed coat in mottled duck egg, worn with a co-ordinating floral printed silk dress" and a Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat.

Prince Albert's Sapphire Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace


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HM once again led the family color story with The Duchess of Cornwall right behind her. The pale aqua gives her a chance to bring out one of the pearl chokers that's been in her collection the longest (since at least the 1970s), her Three Strand Pearl Choker with Aquamarine Clasp. I feel like we haven't seen this one in quite a while? Or we have and I'm just not paying that close of attention. (Accurate.)


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I wouldn't generally think of a velvet blazer as a fit for a summer event, but I also wouldn't dare contradict The Princess Royal. She's got pins and brooches to spare here, she's dangerous. Anyway, the dress underneath is super sleek and it's about time someone gave Camilla a run for her money in the pearl choker race.


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Our last major player for the day is The Countess of Wessex, and all there really is to say here is that the base of this hat is awfully distracting from this angle. That, and: Happy Anniversary! Ed and Soph are celebrating 20 years of marriage today.

Royal Ascot, Day 1

The Queen honored Ascot Races with her presence today.

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Let the brooch (and hat) (okay, mostly hat) fun begin! A jauntily flipped brim straight out of the Beauxbatons Academy + a Sapphire Jubilee present from Canada = a magical match for Her Maj on Day 1 of Ascot.

Sapphire Jubilee Snowflake Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace


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I have been waiting for an excuse for Queen Máxima to come to Ascot for-e-ver and HERE SHE IS, staying to enjoy the races with King Willem-Alexander after attending Garter Day. Nobody takes a plant to the face with more panache. And she made up for any carat deficit from yesterday with maaaaajor earrings from the Stuart Tiara (!) and a giant diamond bracelet. ("Out jewel me once, shame on you; out jewel me twice, shame on me." - Máx, probably.)


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I have been waiting for the British royals to dig into Elie Saab for-e-ver and The Duchess of Cambridge DID IT. And then she totally picked pieces that look like other stuff she has in her closet, like I could have confused this with Temperley easily. Well trolled.


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The baby shower-ready pastels continued with The Duchess of Cornwall, not that she ever needs an excuse a pastel outfit with a giant hat. She wore, as usual, her Four Strand Pearl Choker with Large Diamond Clasp and her Everyday Pearl Pendant Earrings. Zara Tindall tied the group together with a floral that is basically one puffy sleeve away from the 80s.


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For a little more hat interest, we must travel to the rest of the family, where both The Princess Royal and The Countess of Wessex offered up some under-brim interest. Honestly, I liked Sophie's whole deal a lot more before I realized it's the dress fabric on the hat. Maybe with some contrast I'd be on board.


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Of course, the York sisters did offer up some colorful contrast and I'm not really on board with either Beatrice's random tassels or Eugenie's visible headband, so probably there's no pleasing me any way. Points for an Ascot attempt, though.

Garter Day

The Queen gave a Luncheon Party for the Companions for the Most Noble Order of the Garter. A Service was held in St. George's Chapel this afternoon.

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Hey hey it's Garter Day, featuring Bonus Royal Action! Before we get to that, though, it's Her Maj herself. She was decked out in diamonds this year, including Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings. Those have been more commonly spotted at the Order of the Thistle Service in recent years.

Queen Mary's Cluster Earrings

Diamond Bracelet

Mantle and Bonnet of the Order of the Garter
Collar and Great George of the Order of the Garter


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Here's your Bonus Royal Action: The King of Spain and The King of the Netherlands showed up to be formally invested as Supernumerary or "Stranger" Knights of the Garter. Both received the honor during their recent state visits to the United Kingdom.

Royal Family

Queen Letizia and Queen Máxima didn't miss a chance to show up in their behatted best, making for an extra splendiforous royal spouse line up this year.

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Queen Máxima just wanted to pop in and let everyone know that she's still into the ginormous belts, while The Duchess of Cambridge (in the Collingwood Pearl and Diamond Earrings from Diana) is here to reassure you that her supply of proper Catherine Walker princess gear is never-ending. Thanks for the updates, ladies.

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Rare is the day when Queen Máxima gets out-jeweled, but she must have felt the sting of a missed opportunity when Letizia and Camilla rolled up. Queen Letizia came to play, bless her, with no less than the earrings from the joyas de pasar earrings and a diamond brooch (!!) (this one's from Queen Sofia). The Duchess of Cornwall matched her gem for gem in her magnificent Pink Topaz Choker and its accompanying earrings, huzzah. Deeeelightful.

Cartier Queen's Cup Polo and Jackie Stewart Luncheon

The Queen attended the Cartier Queen's Cup Final at Guards Polo Club, Windsor Great Park.

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A couple quick appearances from Her Maj to cover before a busy week begins: her yearly stint at polo, featuring the second (confirmed, but I feel like this one has been a regular mystery brooch guess) appearance of the Pearl Triangle for 2019...

Pearl Triangle Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace


June 13: The Queen, Patron, the Royal Automobile Club, attended a luncheon to mark the lifetime achievements of Sir Jackie Stewart.
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...and this lovely blue, though I have yet to see a front view.

Audiences at Buckingham Palace

The Queen held audiences at Buckingham Palace.

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Love pulling the blue out of this dress and how you can see some of the dimension of the cabochon sapphire in this brooch! The Duke of Cambridge joined his grandmother for this audience, with the Governor-General designate of Australia.

Empress Marie Feodorovna's Sapphire Brooch

Queen Mary's Button Earrings

Three Strand Pearl Necklace

Gold Watch

Engagement and Wedding Rings