Let's take a quick mid-Ascot break for a jaunt to Luxembourg, shall we? It's National Day over there, and the grand ducal family's been out for two days of festivities. On Friday, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa visited the town of Differdange while their oldest son, the Hereditary Grand Duke, and their daughter, Princess Alexandra, visited Esch-sur-Alzette. Friday night featured a torchlight procession and fireworks. On Saturday, the family united for the Te Deum; later, the Grand Duke, Grand Duchess, and Hereditary Grand Duke were present at a military parade. And all along there were fashions and hats and uniforms, oh my!
Best in Cute
Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Friday
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| In Differdange (left) and at the Friday evening festivities (center and right) |
Oh, these two. More than thirty years of marriage, and they can still bring the
awwws. Maria Teresa opted for a double dose of suits with waist ties: first, an orange accent, and in the evening, a metallic number.
Best in Repeats
Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Saturday
We saw this Natan coat and dress and Jane Taylor hat
last month at the British Jubilee festivities; it was elegant then and it's elegant now. Just goes to show you that Natan can do some lovely things, a nice reminder as we approach the October wedding of the Hereditary Grand Duke. (We don't know who is making the bride's gown yet but with the sheer quantity of Benelux ladies sure to be present, he'll be busy no matter what.)
Best in Birthday Boys
Grand Duke Henri, Saturday
National Day is the official celebration of the Grand Duke's birthday (his actual birthday is April 16th), and he was looking dapper as ever in his uniform for the Te Deum and the military review and parade afterward.
Most in Need of a Companion
Prince Guillaume
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| On Friday (left) and Saturday (right) |
Apparently Guillaume's fiancé, Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, the future Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, is going to stay incognito for the time being since she's not officially a member of the family. Sad. Anyway, we did get a bit of a taste of what the wedding will bring as the Te Deum was held at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City just as the wedding will be on October 20th.
Gorgeous, no? As a side note, the schedule for the wedding celebrations has been released! The civil wedding will be held in the afternoon on October 19th, followed by a gala that evening. The wedding will be the next day as previously announced, at 11 in the morning. (I'll cut to the chase: this means our best bet for a tiara event will be the gala on October 19th if at all. Guests should be in hats for the morning wedding.)
Most Improved
Princess Alexandra
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| On Friday (left) and Saturday (right) |
Alexandra can occasionally look like she's stolen her mother's clothes, which makes this girlish pink Carolina Herrera a refreshing change for this 21-year-old. And even though I missed Stéphanie, it was nice to see Alexandra accompany her brother on Friday.
Best Villian
Princess Tessy
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| On Saturday |
No, no, I'm NOT talking about Tessy herself, but...is this not just a wee bit like the love child of Cruella de Vil and Alexis Carrington? (Which lets me say this: the devil wears Prada.)
Best in Other Brothers
Prince Félix
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| Prince Félix (left) and Prince Louis (right) |
Rounding out the family on Saturday were two more sons of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, Prince Félix and Prince Louis (Tessy is Louis' wife). Missing in action was the youngest of the five grand ducal kids, Prince Sébastian, but I doubt he could have stolen this prize from the handsome Félix anyway.
There is traditionally a gala on the evening of National Day complete with tiaras, though whether or not pictures are released is sketchy from year to year. Fingers crossed we'll see something later.
Who's your sartorial favorite this National Day?
Photos: PPE/Wort/RTL/Cour grand ducale
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