This Week in Princesses

While Britain was announcing its next princess, other royal ladies had busy schedules that did not necessarily include 24-hour news coverage.

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and her sister-in-law Sophie Countess of Wessex were appropriately somber at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in London honoring those who have died in war. The bright poppies popped up on British notables around the world--including at "Harry Potter" events--prompting speculation from American media. The red flower is a tribute inspired by the famous WWI elegy "In Flanders Field" where the bright flower populates the ground where so many died.


NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Crown Prince Philippe escorted two royal ladies to the King's Day Te Deum at Brussels Cathedral: his wife, Crown Princess Mathilde, and his aunt, Queen Fabiola. The annual celebration is a thanksgiving for the life of the king, but the king himself does not attend.

At the same event, Princess Astrid of Belgium wore an old-fashioned hat of orange and black feathers that Britain's Queen Mother would have loved, while her sister-in-law Princess Claire looked fresh and lovely.







NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Queen Sofia of Spain was in the United States promoting an fashion exhibition about Spanish designer Balenciaga. Not only do queens get to play with pandas, they also get to be dressed by the best designers. I'm sure Her Majesty's companions, Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera have dressed their share of royal ladies!

Is Camilla Duchess of Cornwall economizing to save money for her stepson's wedding by taking the bus? Not exactly, the jaunt was part of an official visit to the transportation museum.

That evening, the future queen met a queen of another sort. The Duchess of Cornwall brushed up against a host of celebrities at a fundraiser for her husband's charity, The Prince's Trust. And, yes, I'm saying it much more unequivocally than Charles did in his recent interview: I have no doubt that if Charles becomes king, Camilla will be queen.


NOVEMBER 17-18, 2010

In Belgium, Queen Paola hosted a conference about "vulnerable children" on the run. Of course, children at risk are a favorite cause for royal ladies everywhere, so the conference had almost as many princesses in attendance as a royal wedding.

Infanta Cristina of Spain, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and HRH the Duchess of Gloucester with King Albert of Belgium

Queen Paola enjoyed a wee nip in the company of daughter-in-law Princess Claire at the end of the successful conference.


NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Meanwhile, across the border, Queen Beatrix and Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands were on duty at The Hague to welcome the German president for an official visit. He must be a charming fellow because they both seem genuinely delighted.


NOVEMBER 19, 2010

I must admit, I'm loving the softer styling of Letizia Princess of the Asturias hair. She wore this very contemporary and flattering look at a Spanish fashion event.

The future Princess Charlene showed that she fully plans to emulate her late mother-in-law's sartorial vision of princess-hood: elegance with a touch of glamour. She and Princess Caroline of Monaco were at a concert celebrating Monaco's national day.

Earlier in the day, Charlene Wittstock also looked very Grace-like, and was apparently witty, judging by the look on Princess Stephanie's face.

For me though, one of the best part's of Monaco Day is the opportunity to see Princess Caroline with both of her daughters, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Charlotte Casiraghi.

Congrats to William and Catherine

Embed from Getty Images

After many years of speculation, the British royal family has announced the engagement of HRH Prince William of Wales to his longtime love and college sweetheart, Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, who is better known in the media as Kate.

William presented his future princess with his late mother Diana's engagement ring, an 18-carat sapphire and she wore a stunning blue dress to show it off during an official photo call. The pair will wed in the spring or summer of 2011.

So, now all the guessing about dates, dresses, locations, honeymoons and babies will be consuming all of the consumer tabloids for many months to come.

Watch the Sky News interview with the newly engaged couple.

Things I Missed

Thanks to everyone for continuing to support The Princess Palace blog with your visits and links! After neglecting my blog for a few months (having taken on a couple of extra jobs to pay the mortgage!), I have returned to keep you updated on the world of princesses. Here are a few things that happened during my period of blog silence.

QEII went social

Having joined Twitter some time ago, the British Monarchy finally launched a Facebook page earlier this month. I'm a "fan" and I definitely like this interaction better than the Twitter feed. (It's the pictures!)

Queen Sofia played with pandas

In a moment designed to make my little sister cry with jealousy, Queen Sofia got to feed and handle two baby pandas. My sister never wanted to be a real princess more than when she found out royal ladies get to play with pandas instead of visiting them religiously from a reasonable distance at Zoo Atlanta (where, by the way, we had a brand new panda cub born this month.)

A Sheikha shook up fashion watchers

Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, wife #2 of the three wives of the Emir of Qatar, showed Western style moguls that the modesty required in traditional Muslim societies, doesn't have to be humdrum. During official visits with her husband to France and England, she drew a lot of press attention, including favorable comparisons to Jackie Kennedy. Of course, drawing attention to oneself may not fit some people's definition of modesty.

Not like mother-in-law

Sheikha Mozah's daughter-in-law, Sheikha Al Mayassah Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, apparently does not aspire to the same Western-influenced sartorial style as her mother-in-law.

We ARE amused

The queen is often represented as lacking a sense of humor, but she clearly was amused by something at the annual Highland games at Braemar in Scotland. She also obviously enjoyed sharing the moment with her oldest son, Prince Charles.

A new princess arrived

Prince Nikolaos of Greece finally ended his long bachelorhood by marrying the gorgeous Tatiana Blatnik on a gorgeous Greek island surrounded by other gorgeous royals on Aug. 25. If only my life were half as gorgeous...

Back to school

Little princesses, like Infanta Leonor and Infanta Sofia, went back to school like millions of other youngsters.

Princess with a pen

Princess Martha Louise of Norway, who is looking more and more like her mother, wrote a book about guardian angels.

Remembering 9/11

Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway visited Ground Zero during a trip to New York City.

Not pregnant

Despite my insightful analogies between the lives of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and Crown Princess Letizia of Spain, Letizia has not announced a pregnancy to coincide with the impending arrival of Mary's twins in January. The two princesses each had their first two children within a month of the other's. (Read my faulty prediction.)

No engagement

Kate Middleton went to a wedding with Prince William, but alas it wasn't her own. I'm with other royal watchers, however, in predicting a 2011 wedding, but I think it will be a lower-key affair than Charles and Diana's extravaganza in 1981. I certainly don't think it will be at St. Paul's. Look for Westminster Abbey or St. George's Chapel.