Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel christened their first child, Princess Estelle Silvia Ewa Mary, Duchess of Östergötland, in Sweden amidst great fanfare (quite different than Princess Athena’s christening, this one was a true royal event for a future queen). Plenty of foreign royals attended, which makes sense when you tally up how many of their children Victoria is godmother to. Miraculously, everyone seems to have managed to dig out largely tasteful getups for the day.
Cutest of the Day
Princess Estelle and Her Wee Sash
Estelle with her parents. The riband of the Order of the Seraphim was added during the ceremony.
Oh, good grief. They put a sash on the baby, just to make me die from the cute. YOU WIN, SWEDEN. Estelle was given the Order of the Seraphim on her big day, which she wore over the royal family’s traditional christening gown. While everyone around her melted, Estelle herself was not that impressed. She probably realized her ensemble was missing a baby tiara.
Best in Family
Crown Princess Victoria
Left to Right: Queen Silvia of Sweden (with King Carl Gustaf), Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Ewa Westling (with Olle Westling - Daniel's parents)
Well this is a well turned out little pastel family, don’t you agree? Obviously I have to give it to the mom on duty. I’m not sure about her hat, which I’m pretty sure would be a forehead-bolter if this were Britain and she were a York, but her pink Elie Saab makes up for it by flattering her in every way. Grandmothers Silvia and Ewa managed to pick exactly what would suit them, while I can’t help but think Madeleine went a little above her years in her purple ensemble.
Best in Godparents
Crown Princess Mary
L to R: Anna Westling Söderström and Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, the Prince of Orange
Truth time: Mary’s only winning this because I couldn’t choose between Haakon and Carl Philip. But I do enjoy a good chevron, and if you throw in a bit of sparkle, I’m officially sold. I’m also loving Anna Westling’s not-a-fascinator hat. Worst dressed among the godparents has to be Willem-Alexander: where is your uniform, sir?! You have missed a chance to be dashing.
Best in Haga Princesses
Princess Désirée
L to R: Princess Christina of Sweden, Princesses Margaretha, Désirée, and Birgitta of Sweden
Growing up at Haga Palace, King Carl Gustaf's four older sisters were nicknamed the Haga princesses. Victoria and Daniel are the new residents at Haga, and the crown princess’ aunts all turned out to see the christening of the first Haga princess of a new generation. I've got to give it to Désirée for being a stand out in red, and taking the risk of a fly away hat.
Worst (Sort of, But Not Really) in Guests
Queen Margrethe
L to R: Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy (with the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg), Queen Margrethe of Denmark (with Prince Henrik), Sofia Hellqvist (girlfriend of Carl Philip)
You know, there weren’t any hot messes to speak of, so the “worst” category…well, it’s all relative. The only one that really got any rise out of my left eyebrow was Margrethe and her print and hat combos. That’s a lot of look, even for our Daisy. These other two just get a limp shrug and a meh out of me. Stephanie did just fine on her first royal outing on her fiancé’s arm, but...eh. (Also, I think that hat might be borrowed from her mother-in-law-to-be.) This was also a big royal debut for Carl Philip’s girlfriend Sofia (plus Madeline’s beau Chris O’Neill), and she made a thoroughly un-noteworthy appearance in this blergh thing.
Best in Guests
Princess Mathilde
L to R: Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (with Ari Behn), Princess Mathilde of Belgium (with Prince Philippe), Princess Máxima of the Netherlands (with Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark)
Of course Máxima joined Désirée as a stand out in red, and you gotta love her for that - but this one goes to Mathilde. Lovely jacket shape, lovely touch of sparkle. An honorable mention goes out to Märtha Louise, who has managed to confine her statement style to major heels alone.
Who made your list of favorites on Estelle’s big day?
