All posts tagged: queen elizabeth

Kate Middleton Made a Diamond-Studded Easter Sunday Nod to Queen Elizabeth

Kate Middleton Made a Diamond-Studded Easter Sunday Nod to Queen Elizabeth

Published by Sam Flores

Peter Phillips, and his fiancée, Harriet Sperling, were also in attendance with his daughters, Savannah and Isla Phillips, And for the first time, in a sign of the new, blended royal family, Ms Sperling’s daughter, Georgina, 13, joined the party. Making up the rear of the group was Princess Margaret’s daughter (and King Charles’ beloved cousin) Lady Sarah Chatto, who was accompanied by her husband, Daniel. Notable in their absence were Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, all of whom attended the Easter Sunday service in 2025. The Princess of Wales looked radiant in the neutral ensemble, which she accessorized with a Juliette Botterill Millinery hat Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images Yet all eyes were on the Princess of Wales, who attended the Easter Matins service for the first time since 2023. She missed the event in 2024 due to her cancer treatments and is understood to have skipped the occasion last year to spend time with her young family as she continued with her recovery. When it came to …

Harriet Sperling, Fiancé of Queen Elizabeth’s Grandson, Is a New Royal Style Icon

Harriet Sperling, Fiancé of Queen Elizabeth’s Grandson, Is a New Royal Style Icon

Published by Sam Flores

Harriet Sperling and Peter Phillips at the 2024 Burghley Horse Trials. Spotlight Royal/Bauer-Griffin St. Clair is the brand launched a handful of years ago by Blaire Donald, a designer with years of experience in the fashion industry who, after becoming a mother, decided to strike out on her own. She creates romantic-looking luxury garments made out of certified organic cotton that comes from a single family-owned business in New Delhi. Wiggy Hindmarch—a designer who also serves as an ambassador for Women Supporting Women, part of the Prince’s Trust (now the King’s Trust)—founded Wiggy Kit in 2015. The brand aims to support young women in work, education, and business. Sperling dresses in a way similar to Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, in which the ethos dress with purpose trumps dress to impress. The style choices of the royal bride-to-be show a certain self-consciousness that elevates classic dressing with additional meaning. Both the British pride that the Princess of Wales demonstrates through her style and the values important to the Duchess of Sussex are at play in …

Princess Anne’s Son Peter Phillips to Marry For Second Time this Summer

Princess Anne’s Son Peter Phillips to Marry For Second Time this Summer

Published by Sam Flores

Like many of his royal relatives, Phillips married at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, with a reception at Frogmore House. The Firm turned out in full force for the nuptials, with Queen Elizabeth joining Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie, Prince Harry, Zara Tindall and her then-boyfriend Mike, and a young Kate Middleton. Prince William, though known to be close with his cousin, was unable to attend due to a prior engagement abroad. A dazzling affair indeed (though the cause of some controversy at the time, thanks to Peter and Autumn’s decision to run a 100-page exclusive in Hello!). The pair would go on to welcome two children: Savannah, Queen Elizabeth’s first great-grandchild, in 2010; and Isla Elizabeth, named in the monarch’s honor, in 2012. Phillips and Kelly divorced, however, in 2021, with a statement that read: “Whilst this is a sad day for Peter and Autumn, they continue to put the well-being and upbringing of their wonderful daughters, Savannah and Isla, first and foremost.” A relationship would follow with Lindsay Wallace, a friend of his …

The Queen & I: Angela Kelly Details Her Enduring Friendship With Queen Elizabeth

The Queen & I: Angela Kelly Details Her Enduring Friendship With Queen Elizabeth

Published by Sam Flores

Though her official title was Her Majesty’s personal assistant, adviser, and curator (jewelry, insignias, and wardrobe), Angela Kelly was much more than a servant to Queen Elizabeth, her boss of almost 30 years. She was also a confidant and friend—one of the few people who really knew the woman behind the crown. “The queen was committed to doing her duty to the very end. Her Majesty never let anyone down. Even when she felt unwell, Her Majesty would not want anyone to know,” says Kelly in an emotional and rare interview. “As I worked alongside the queen, year after year we were getting older, but we were both young at heart, the queen still had a twinkle in her eye. The banter and mischief continued until Balmoral. When the queen passed away she was surrounded by her family. It was a shock to the nation, to everyone. It was very sad, but it was an honor to serve the queen until the very end.” It was the unlikeliest of friendships: the working-class daughter of a …

In Queen Elizabeth II’s Meticulous Wardrobe, Even The Pockets Had a “Hierarchy”

In Queen Elizabeth II’s Meticulous Wardrobe, Even The Pockets Had a “Hierarchy”

Published by Sam Flores

Queen Elizabeth II famously left nothing to chance. Her meticulous attention to every detail remains customary in the British royal family, but it reached its zenith with her care with her wardrobe. Indeed, one cannot count the tricks and stratagems implemented by the royal to ensure a public presence and image that was always distinctive, fitting, and never out of place. Weights were inserted in her skirts to prevent them from fluttering; her shoes, always the same model, were broken in with a shoehorn by her trusted Angela Kelly; her trademark black Launer handbag was used to send incognito messages to her staff by simply moving it from one hand to the other. Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images Now, ahead of the April 10 opening of Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style at the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, the largest-ever exhibition dedicated to the late royal’s fashion, another curious habit has emerged. Pockets are a negligible detail for many, but certainly not for the beloved queen. Especially during institutional engagements, she did not want …

Kate Middleton and Prince William Want to Rule With “More Empathy” and a “Greater Personal Relationship With the People”

Kate Middleton and Prince William Want to Rule With “More Empathy” and a “Greater Personal Relationship With the People”

Published by Sam Flores

From Queen Elizabeth’s death to Kate Middleton’s shocking cancer diagnosis, Prince William and Princess Kate have faced some of the greatest challenges of their lives over the past few years. But it’s the couple’s resilience and dedication in the face of adversity that is helping shape their vision for a modern monarchy. “What many people don’t realize, even for those of us who follow the royals closely, is what an integral part of the institution Catherine is,” royal journalist Russell Myers recently told Vanity Fair. For his new book, William & Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story, Myers spoke to dozens in William and Catherine’s close circle, to explore how the couple juggles their private lives with their very public roles. “I found it fascinating just how much William relies on [Catherine]. Both professionally, personally and emotionally. Many friends told me how they had witnessed Catherine arguably being the stronger of the two when she was dealt her cancer diagnosis. William felt it incredibly disorientating, his father had been diagnosed with cancer just …

Prince Edward’s Journey From Discreet Royal to Key Figure in King Charles’ Reign

Prince Edward’s Journey From Discreet Royal to Key Figure in King Charles’ Reign

Published by Sam Flores

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, is blowing out 62 candles today, during a dark moment for the British monarchy. Reserved and discreet, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II didn’t seek prominence as a working royal. But various events in recent years have turned him into a crucial figure for the future of the British Crown: his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsors’s involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein case; Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move to the United States; and King Charles III and Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnoses in 2024. Edward, a former actor who inherited the title of Duke of Edinburgh from his father, Prince Philip, suddenly found himself in a load-bearing role. He has worked in the service of the Crown with his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, for more than 20 years. But the couple—who are parents to Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn—have had to step up like never before as the ranks of working royals has started to thin. For the last few years, they have attended at least a hundred engagements …

A Rare Glimpse Inside Queen Elizabeth II’s Private Rooms at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

A Rare Glimpse Inside Queen Elizabeth II’s Private Rooms at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Published by Sam Flores

Beyond the palace gates and away from the glare of the public spotlight, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip forged a private life, however unusual it may have been. The couple, who were married for more than 73 years until the Duke of Edinburgh’s death in 2021, would discuss the day’s headlines over breakfast, and swap stories as they watched horse racing on the television. Understandably, the private realms in which these quiet, simple moments unfolded are kept under lock and key. Some continue to be used by King Charles III, Queen Camilla, and other members of the family; others feel too deeply personal to share with the world. The honor guard gathers outside the Palace of Holyroodhouse ahead of a visit fro King Charles III. WPA Pool/Getty Images Now, however, the doors are being opened to Queen Elizabeth II’s personal rooms within the grandeur of the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. For the first time ever, visitors will be able to tour her apartments, in their “lived-in” state. The tour will offer a look …

All About the Baptismal Robe That Queen Elizabeth II (and 62 More Royal Children) Have Worn

All About the Baptismal Robe That Queen Elizabeth II (and 62 More Royal Children) Have Worn

Published by Sam Flores

Vandyk, Princess Elizabeth after her Baptism with her parents, grandparents and godparents, 1926. Royal Collection Trust Though the robe is part of an exhibition of Elizabeth’s clothes, she was hardly the first to don it. According to the Royal Collection Trust, the robe is 185 years old. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria (Elizabeth II’s great-great-grandmother) in 1841 for the baptism of her eldest daughter, Princess Victoria. An example of fine British craftsmanship of the time, the gown was made from the finest silk available, sourced from Spitalfields in East London, and embellished with fine Honiton lace produced in Devon. Janet Sutherland, Queen Victoria’s Scottish seamstress and “queen’s embroiderer,” personally created the gown. The garment was passed down from generation to generation within the family. Queen Elizabeth kept a handwritten list, which will also be on display in the exhibition, of those who had worn the robe. This tradition was started by her grandmother, Queen Mary, after the dress had been entrusted to her by Queen Victoria, and only adds to the importance and preciousness …

Kate Middleton Fulfills an Important Duty as Princess of Wales for the First Time

Kate Middleton Fulfills an Important Duty as Princess of Wales for the First Time

Published by Sam Flores

Being the Princess of Wales isn’t just about titles and tiaras; it’s also a matter of language. This Sunday, Kate Middleton took a historic step by issuing her first public address in Welsh for the occasion of St. David’s Day, a holiday for the patron saint of Wales. Last Thursday, she and her husband, Prince William, visited the nation on the British Isles as a part of the their celebration. In a Sunday social media video, the future queen appears beside the heir to the throne, both wearing a traditional daffodil on their lapels. In her message, Kate says that Wales is a place “very close in our hearts.” These are her first words spoken in Welsh, fulfilling a duty she took on when she first became the Princess of Wales in 2022. Although Kensington Palace has not shared how Kate is learning the language, it’s likely she followed in her husband’s footsteps and is being taught by Duolingo. In 2024, William told schoolchildren that he uses the language-learning app to improve his Welsh, and …