Well ho, ho, ho, friends: Christmas brought some of our favorite royals out to play. With Prince Philip still hospitalized but reportedly in good spirits, the British hit church on Christmas morning at Sandringham; meanwhile, Christmas Eve services were attended by the royal families in Norway and Denmark. It was an understated holiday all around, but that's never stopped us before...
Best Pass
Queen Elizabeth
Christmas without your spouse at your side? Pass. Wear whatever you like, QEII. Carry on.
Best in Festive
The Duchess of Cambridge
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| Left to Right: Princess Eugenie, The Duchess of Cambridge, Zara Phillips. Click to enlarge. |
On a low-key holiday, those that made an effort shall be commended. Eugenie is awarded for adding some Christmas-y color in, while Zara gets points for turning in the required amount of hat flair for a British royal event. Only Catherine did both, though, with her gorgeous wine coat and
déjà vu hat. She wins the most festive award of the day.
Worst in Mismatched
The Duchess of Cornwall
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| L to R: The Duchess of Cornwall, The Princess Royal |
Oh, the combos. Anne's slightly off hat-to-coat combo (what season are we in again?) is no match to what I am pretty sure are army green boots on Camilla. What a mishmash duo...and somehow, I'd expect no more from either.
Best in Plaid, Tartan, etc., etc.
Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor
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| L to R: Autumn Phillips, Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor, Queen Margrethe, Crown Princess Mary |
I suppose there's a certain festiveness to a good tartan...alas, certain things are never quite as charming past a certain age. Lady Louise was cute as a button, Queen Margrethe was Queen Margrethe, and Autumn and Mary sadly furthered two of my least favorite trends right now: short maternity tents, and anything resembling a SHOOTIE. Sigh.
Best in Miniature Headgear
Margarita Armstrong-Jones
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| L to R: Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Princess Isabella |
This one's the hardest to award, by far. Ingrid's cute bow? Isabella's adorable purple? It's gotta be Margarita with the combo for the win.
Best in Understated
Princess Beatrice
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| L to R: Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Queen Sonja, Princess Beatrice, Lady Sarah Chatto |
Ingrid's bow really was the best part of the whole Christmas appearance from the Norwegian royals, with Mette-Marit and Sonja blending right in. Lady Sarah did the same, but then again, understated is a permanent state for her. Understated is not at all Princess Beatrice's regular mode, but she managed to pull out the best-coordinated look of the non-looks.
Best in Retro
The Countess of Wessex
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| L to R: The Countess of Wessex, Viscountess Linley |
Retro's tricky to do sometimes. Sophie's almost there, just a wee bit bigger on that pill box and we'd've had it, but Serena...well, she overdosed, poor dear. Though I'll say this:
that's a hat.
Who made your best- and worst-dressed list this year?
Photos: Chris Jackson/Getty Images/Zimbio/Daylife/Belga/Newspix
