Royal Fashion Awards: The Jubilee Armed Forces Parade
The Diamond Jubilee rolled on Saturday with a spectacular tribute to Her Majesty from the armed forces, with a parade and muster from more than 2,500 servicemen and women and a flypast. The event united the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and Army.
The flypast
With the focus rightfully on Her Majesty and her troops, there weren't many glimpses of the guests (including a smattering of the foreign royals from the previous day's events) - but we forge on:
Best Brooch
Queen Elizabeth
Well, this outfit won't be coming near the top of my list of favorite QEII outfits anytime soon, so we'll focus on the positive: the brooch! Several royal ladies in attendance were wearing regimental brooches, but the queen took this opportunity to wear one of her mother's brooches (diamonds in the shape of a palm leaf, also referred to as a paisley motif) - a subtle tribute all the same. I can't help but think that the Queen Mother would have simply adored this particular event.
Best in Hatted Flair
Queen Margrethe
Left to Right: The Countess of Wessex, Princess Michael of Kent, Queen Sonja of Norway, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Queen Silvia of Sweden
I think Sophie stole that hat from Zara Philips, while Princess Michael may have stolen hers from a biker bar. Silvia's purely fabulous in her over-sized chapeau and Sonja's working her usual half-spaceship topper, but Margrethe takes this prize: chic and sassy, Daisy!
Best in Subdued
Take Your Pick, Really
L to R: Queen Margarita of Bulgaria, the Queen of Tonga, Queen Anne-Marie of Greece
More subdued outfits from some of the ladies. And that's all there is to say about that...
Best in Uniformed Gents
The Duke of Edinburgh
L to R: Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, the Duke of York, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester
The best part of a military parade is the military uniform (sartorially speaking, of course). It's too bad the foreign royals didn't have the same dress code, but there are plenty of handsome British gents to occupy us instead. Prince Philip wins because of general awesomeness, and also because I would die to know what he thinks about some of his guests these past two days.
Best in Ladies
The Princess Royal
L to R: Crown Princess Margarita of Romania, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, the Princess Royal, the Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Alexandra of Kent
Yes, that's right, the uniforms win for the gents and the ladies. There were some seriously lovely pale blues happening at this event (honorable mention to the unpictured Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia here as well) and one fab hat on Maria Teresa, but nobody beats the perfection of Anne in a uniform.
And the One I'll Miss the Most...
Inkhosikati LaMbikiza of Swaziland
Who will entertain me when our friend here goes back to Sesame Street and leaves us with only sensible royals and understated outfits? Sigh. So long and farewell, Mrs. Swaziland.
Who stands out at the parade for you?
P.S.: No, the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Cambridges, Harry, Beatrice, and Eugenie were not in attendance. Also, not all the foreign sovereigns stayed around to participate in this event. P.P.S.: This replaces our Sunday Brooch feature for the day. Tomorrow we'll have a look at the Danish royal christening.
