Best in Uniform
Crown Princess Mette-Marit
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| Left to Right: the Princess Royal, Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway and Crown Prince Haakon |
See, this is what I like to see: a little Olympics uniform action! I mean, what better way to show your support? Princess Anne, ex-Olympian and IOC member extraordinaire, went all out with her blazer, pins and even her necklace – but she still can’t beat an accessory like Haakon. You win, Mette-Marit.
Best in Non-Uniform Spirit
Princess Máxima
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| L to R: Queen Anne-Marie of Greece, Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, Queen Margrethe of Denmark |
If you aren’t going to go for a uniform of some sort, I say go with a strict interpretation of your country’s theme! A giant scarf, à la Anne-Marie, or an oh-so-clear adaptation of your flag in your color scheme, à la Margrethe. Máx has her country’s fave color, orange, plus a brooch of the Dutch flag. All sported while looking excellent all over, which makes this an easy win.
Best in Tangentially to Totally Unrelated
Crown Princess Mary
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| L to R: Princess Mathilde of Belgium, Princess Charlene of Monaco, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg, Queen Sofia of Spain |
If I can’t look at you and know straight away which country you’re representing, then you should at least look fantastic, right? Mary takes the win, with Mathilde in her red dress a close second. An honorable mention goes out to Queen Sofia, who was so enthusiastic when the Spanish athletes came marching in she even got some face time on American television (and that’s saying something, because American broadcasts usually only care about royals named Liz, Kate, Will, and Harry). I give Maria Teresa a meh and Charlene an eh?! (As in, how did you find the one outfit that might be equally desired by an early era Britney Spears and the Golden Girls, eh?!)
Best in Assorted Brits
Princess Beatrice
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| L to R: the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Beatrice of York, the Duchess of Cambridge |
Very low key on the national pride front, those Windsors, which I found disappointing. (Not forgetting that they have other teams to cheer besides Team GB, perhaps? Eh.) Simple outfits for both Camilla, who did sport a patriotic brooch, and Kate, in a tame custom Christopher Kane. I have to give this one to Beatrice for bringing a little interest to the party, even if I can’t understand why she went for bronze and not gold. (I mean, if you’re gonna go for a medal, go for a medal, am I right?)
Best in Awesomely Overdressed
Queen Elizabeth
What better way to assert yourself as THE QUEEN, and the DIAMOND JUBILEE QUEEN no less, than to show up splendidly overdressed with your saucy little fascinator and diamonds galore? I mean, she had to dress to the level of her tuxedo-clad escort James Bond anyway. In case there was any doubt left in your mind, I think this event should settle it: QEII is awesome. (Details on her diamonds can be found on my other blog.)
Who won the Opening Ceremony in your eyes?
And PS: There were other royals present not pictured here.
Photos: PA/Suomen Kahvelti/Getty Images/Reuters