Weekly Royal Fashion Awards: July 21-27, a Programming Note, and Your Sapphire Winner!

Best in Cute, Large Group Division

The Danish Royal Family

Video: Queen Margrethe and family, Queen Anne-Marie, and Princess Benedikte with two of her children and their families pose for the annual photo call

Family photo call time of year is just what the doctor ordered to treat a Baby Cambridge hangover, especially when the Danes bring such a large group out to play!

Best in Cute, Matchy Division

The Belgian Royal Family

King Philippe, Queen Mathilde, and their children at the family's holiday photo call. Click here for video from RTL.

The Cambridges aren't the only ones that can do blue, no sir. The Belgians retreated from the abdication spotlight to frolic in France, and Mathilde proved once again that shoes aren't the only thing she believes in matching.

Best of the Rest

Princess Letizia and Queen Mathilde

Letizia at a journalism awards ceremony and at a meeting of the Instituto Cervantes, Mathilde at an audience

A few people were still out and about doing their royal thing this week, and this was the best of it (omitting anything to do with anything sad because...well, because). Letizia's two fresh summer looks win it for me.

Who was your best dressed last week?

Programming Note: Despite all the action of last week, we really are entering a slow time of the year for royal watching as many of our families are heading out on their summer breaks. This means two things for us. First, we'll mainly be kicking the week off with Tuesday posts, barring big events. Second, I decided we'd compensate for the lack of official happenings by amping up our tiara games. For the month of August, you'll be voting on a new member of your ultimate tiara collection each Friday. You'll get the results quicker too (so, as you may have noticed with the sapphires, you have a little less time to get those votes in).


And on that note, the winner of your sapphire contest is...

The Dutch Sapphire Tiara!

Máx the Magnificent and her stunning inauguration appearance earlier this year sealed the deal for this sapphire beauty in a big way. Many of you remarked that you'd "seen" the tiara for the first time on the new Queen Máxima, and I couldn't agree more - she showed us what it really can do (not to mention showed us that it truly is a sapphire tiara, something you may have doubted seeing it on Queen Beatrix). There is a smaller diamond tiara that uses some of the stones, and the rest of what we consider to be the accompanying parure also includes the converted Dutch Sapphire Necklace Tiara, another favorite of mine.

Your runners up:

2. The Leuchtenberg Sapphire Tiara. Queen Silvia and her fan favorite were no match for the recent impression left by Maxima, I'm afraid. Maybe next time, Sil.
3. Queen Marie-Amélie's Sapphire, Diamond, and Pearl Tiara. Here's what I found interesting in this vote: another gem edged itself in. With the exception of the Cameo which made your runners up list in the pearl vote, you've primarily stuck to diamonds only to accent our stone of choice. I guess pearls and sapphires really are a match made in tiara heaven.
4. Queen Victoria's Sapphire Coronet. Poor Prince Albert, once again less than victorious.
5. The Portland Sapphire Tiara. And that's two for the pearls. This was my pick when I did my ultimate tiara collection, but that was before the big Dutch show. Maybe I'd have to reconsider now.

And here's the whole lot of winners, so far:

Lovely. This sapphire one adds a different Gothic-y design touch, and I like it.

Next vote coming at you on Friday as promised!

Photos: RTL/Getty Images/Casa Real/Nieuwsblad