The Royal Report for Sunday August 1st, 2010 - Tribute to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother

On August 4th, 2010 would have marked Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother's 110th birthday. On this episode, a look back at this remarkable woman and her impact on the royal family.

You can listen to the episode here

Royal Podcasts mentioned

The Royal Report on iTunes

RoyaltyNow!

Memories of Diana

Queen Victoria - The English Programme

The Royal Collection Podcast

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada Weekly No 182 9 August 2010

Someday My Prince Will Come: True Adventures of a Wannabe Princess by Jerramy Fine

Elizabeth, The Queen Mother by Hugo Vickers

The Queen Mother: The Official Biography by William Shawcross

From My Royal Collection

Queen Victoria's Family: A Century of Photographs by Charlotte Zeepvat

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday August 8, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America)

The topic will be: An update on Prince William and Kate Middleton - Are we any closer to a royal engagement?

© Marilyn Braun 2010

This Week in Princesses

While Queen Elizabeth II continued her family cruise and vacation in the north, many other royal ladies were also scarcely seen this week.


JULY 25, 2010

Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain joined the annual festivities in Santiago de Compestela where Spaniards combine two celebrations to make one long festival at the end of July. Politicians, religious pilgrims and good-time seekers congregate to honor Galicia Day and St. James's Day.

Later that day, Princess Laurentian of the Netherlands enjoyed a public display of affection with her husband Prince Constantijn at a play premiere in Salzburg.


JULY 28, 2010

Who says Camilla Duchess of Cornwall doesn't have the royal touch? These folks at the Sandringham Flower Show didn't seem to mind waiting in the iffy weather to catch a glimpse of the wife of the heir to the throne. Folks seem to agree that Camilla isn't glamorous, but she definitely has that sporting, common, country touch perfected by British royals since Queen Victoria's reign.


JULY 30, 2010

Princess Stephanie of Monaco "busted" out at Monaco's annual Red Cross Ball while her future sister-in-law, Charlene Wittstock, showed more "grace."

The Royal Report for Sunday July 25th, 2010 - Should Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie lose their royal titles?

As granddaughters of the Sovereign in the male line, Prince Andrew's daughters are styled HRH Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Yet there is talk of removing these royal titles and making them Ladies instead. Should they lose their royal titles?

Find out by listening to this episode

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada Weekly No 180 19 July 2010

Hello! Canada Weekly No 181 26 July 2010

Memoirs of a Radical Lawyer by Michael Mansfield


Blogs and websites mentioned

World of Royalty Blog

World of Royalty Website

From My Royal Collection

The Royal Encyclopedia -Edited by Ronald Allison and Sarah Riddell

Tune in to the next episode of

This Week in Princesses

After a fun weekend, the week started out with our favorite royal ladies addressing some serious topics: AIDS, nuclear disarmament, war memorials. But things started to take a lighter turn toward midweek.

JULY 17, 2010

Prince Albert of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock reenacted a scene from the Julia Roberts' movie, "Pretty Woman," stomping on divots at a polo match in England. She looks delightful, Grace Kelly-esque. She gets five stars. He gets two and a half for poorly chosen accessories: a ball cap and no socks. He would have received fewer stars but he does have one fabulous accessory: her!


JULY 19, 2010

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway started the week in Vienna, Austria for the 18th World AIDS Conference. I have a feeling that her playful T-shirt was inspired by U.S. President Obama's successful campaign slogan. And this time, it was her shoes rather than Letizia of Spain's, that generated a buzz. In all seriousness, however, the princess spent the conference strongly advocating for more youth involvement and warning the United Nations about the negative impact of funding cuts on the proliferation of the disease.

It is almost impossible to believe that Queen Noor of Jordan is going to be 60 next year! The American-born grandmother-of-three is the widow of King Hussein, who is remembered for his valiant attempts to broker peace in the Middle East. This week, she was in New York City for several events related to the "Global Zero" project, which advocates for nuclear disarmament. On Monday, she was interviewed by Deepak Chopra for a program on the topic.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall were among many international luminaries who attended a memorial service marking the re-burial of soldiers killed in the World War I Battle of Fromelles in France. About 250 British and Australian soldiers who were buried in a mass grave have now been reinterred in individual graves. DNA is being used to identify them.


JULY 20, 2010

On Tuesday, Queen Noor continued her no-nukes visit to New York, attending the premiere of the film "Countdown to Zero."


JULY 21, 2010

Queen Fabiola of Belgium (left) looked lovely as she joined her nephew Crown Prince Philippe and his wife Crown Princess Mathilde for Belgium's National Day celebrations. Spanish-born Fabiola is the widow of King Baudoin. She has been plagued by death threats and ill health over the last couple of years. Last year, someone threatened to kill her with a crossbow, so she carried an apple with her to the National Day celebrations tempting her anonymous nemesis to reenact the legend of William Tell. At 82, she is clearly still a spirited lady!

Meanwhile, it appears that Princess Claire of Belgium was flashing back to Fabiola's hey-day. She could easily have worn this complete ensemble to Fabiola's engagement party in 1960. Perhaps, Claire's husband Prince Laurent had to wear the sunglasses--to hide how drowsy this snooze-fest of dress is making him.

Poor Crown Princess Mathilde! It must be difficult to maintain your figure when you live in Belgium where someone is always passing around a platter of fabulous chocolates!

It's a little-known fact that Camilla Duchess of Cornwall does her own marketing. Perhaps she's preparing a little fry-up for hubby Prince Charles. Actually, the royal couple were making an official visit to Brixton Market in south London. They are advocates for organic farming and sustainable agriculture.


JULY 22, 2010

Queen Elizabeth II really knows how to throw a party--a tea party, that is! The tiny queen was decked out in the brightest of blues so that she would stand out amidst the thousands of guests. Just look at that crowd. That's a lot of crumpets and cucumber sandwiches!


JULY 23, 2010

Crown Princess Letizia of Spain often draws attention with her sartorial style. On Friday, her snazzy ensemble had cameras snapping not just her shoes--a usual fetish for the photogs--but also her belt. I'm personally a fan of the belt but I'm not in love with cuffing the pants, but I guess she didn't want to obscure anyone's view of the shoes.

Buckingham Palace's 2010 Exhibition

If you are in London this summer, make sure to pay a visit to Buckingham Palace where they are throwing open the doors to let the sun shine in on the magic. In addition to seeing state rooms and the royal mews (stables/garage), you can also see a special exhibition called "The Queen's Year."

The palace will be open July 27 through Sept. 29 while the queen is on holiday, taking a cruise with her family and then making her annual visit to Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Tours start at 17 pounds (about $26 U.S.). For ticket information, visit http://golondon.about.com/od/thingstodoinlondon/ss/buckinghampal_4.htm

Here's a sneak peak of what you'll see:

The cap of maintenance is also on display. It is used every year at the Opening of Parliament ceremony. Compared to the U.S. Congress, the Opening of Parliament is a much more tradition-laden event where even the history of opposition to the crown is ceremoniously preserved. After the Queen arrives in the House of Lords, the man known as the "Black Rod" is sent to summon the members of the House of Commons only to have them slam the door in his face. He has to knock three times before they open the door to him. Then, in stark contrast to the Lords, who serenely filed in wearing robes and coronets, the MPs shamble over in a disorderly mob, further signifying that they don't "bow" to the Lords. Then, the Queen reads a speech prepared for her by the Prime Minister.

Probably one of the most fun parts of this year's exhibition is this wall of hats worn by the Queen to Royal Ascot. Try not looking at the curatorial information and just guessing which hats were worn in which decade. As a petite person who needs to stand out in a crowd, the queen usually chooses large and or brightly colored hats. She is also usually careful to make sure that they don't obscure her face. She's motivated by politeness rather than vanity--she realizes that many people wait a long time to catch a glimpse of her and she doesn't want to disappoint them. Although hats are less popular elsewhere in the world, they are still common among the British upper crust, but women of all classes wear hats for Ascot and, on ladies day, the more outrageous the hat, the more likely you'll be to get your picture in the paper.

Known as the Vladimir tiara, this magnificent piece was purchased by the Queen's grandmother, Queen Mary, in 1921 from Princess Nicholas of Greece (Prince Philip's aunt) after it had been smuggled out of revolutionary Russia. Grand Duchess Vladimir, born Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was married to the last tsar's uncle. She died and left the tiara to her daughter Helen, wife of Prince Nicholas. There is a photo of Marie wearing the tiara on her Wikipedia profile.

As a huge jewelry collector, Queen Mary was more than happy to help out refugee royals following World War I by acquiring their jewels. She had the Vladimir tiara reconfigured to accommodate emerald drops. This is just one of the magnificent pieces Queen Elizabeth II inherited from her beloved grandmother. (Incidentally, Queen Mary also had a reputation for admiring objects that she expected the hostess, friend or relative to then present to her as a gift. Her mother-in-law, Queen Alexandra, was less than fond of this little habit and sometimes joked that people should hide away their valuables whenever Mary was coming to visit.)

Since Mary's death in 1953, the Queen has regularly worn the Vladimir tiara, choosing it for many portraits. She frequently wears it with the pearls, sometimes with the emeralds and occasionally without any drops at all.

Royal Focus: Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Wedding Dress

When Queen Elizabeth II, at the time Princess Elizabeth, married in 1947, her wedding dress was a stunning creation despite the post war austerity and strict rationing laws. Princess Elizabeth herself was not exempt from the rationing and reportedly saved her clothing coupons for her wedding dress. She received an extra two hundred coupons from the government and many loyal subjects sent in their own coupons. However, it was illegal to give away clothing coupons and the princess returned them to their rightful owners with a note of thanks.

The wedding dress was made by Norman Hartnell and the design was inspired by an image of Primavera by the painter Botticelli. The figure, with its trailing garlands of jasmine, smilax, syringa and rose-like blossoms - was derived from the classical godess of flowers, Flora, and suggested to him the promise of growth and new beginnings.

Hartnell started work on the dress in August, a mere three months before the wedding in November. Although he was no stranger to designing dresses for royalty, this comission had its share of unique challenges and he had to white-wash the windows of his workroom to keep the dress under wraps. Requiring some materials from the United States, Hartnell sent his manager, Captain Mitchison in his place. Upon his return, when asked if he had anything to declare, Captain Mitchison replied that he had 10,000 pearls for Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress. When the chosen fabric for the dress was publicized, some demanded to know the nationality of the silkworms; whether they were from 'enemy' territories such as Japan or Italy. A crisis was averted when it was confirmed that the larvae had been supplied by China.

Despite these obstacles the dress was a triumph. Decorated with 10,000 pearls, the ivory dress of duchess satin was in the Princess style with a fitted bodice and the neckline had a deep-scalloped edge. The front bodice was cut in three panels and the back cut in four, fastening down the centre back with buttons and loops. The wrist-length, tight-fitting  sleeves ended in embroidered cuffs. From the low-pointed waist, the skirt, cut on the cross, extended to a deep circular train.

The 15-foot star patterned silk tulle train, fastened at the shoulders was embroidered with crystal and appliqué duchesse satin  Working with his head embroideress, Hartnell laid tracing paper out on his workroom floor and carefully marked out the pattern in pencil. The white York roses were padded satin, and the ears of corn and orange blossom in diamante and pearl embroidery, inspired by Primavera. The long veil was held in place by a diamond fringe tiara, lent to the Princess, as something borrowed, by her mother, the Queen. She wore two pearl necklaces (the Queen Anne and the Queen Caroline pearls) given as a wedding gift by her parents, and pearl and diamond earrings, a twentieth birthday present from Queen Mary.

She wore ivory duchesse satin high-heeled sandals, trimmed with silver and seed pearl buckles, made by Edward Rayne. Her floral bouquet was supplied by the Worshipful Company of Gardeners and made by Martin Longman, consisted of white orchids with a sprig of myrtle, taken, as per royal wedding tradition, from a bush at Osbourne.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Wedding dress images from PicApp.

Primavera by Botticelli image via Wikipedia.

A Royal Touch: Blending Your Tastes with Wedding Traditions

Most brides don't get to have everything their own way on their wedding days. Your mother's veil. Your partly talented cousin's band at the reception. Princesses tend to have even fewer personal choices open to them. Burdened by centuries of tradition and protocol, not to mention the personal opinions of their countrymen and the world's media, it is challenging to make this most personal of commitments in a ceremony representing her own personal style.

Last month, however, when Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden married her beloved after a nine-year wait, she managed to find moments of "just us two" under the bright glare of the international spotlight. Check out my guest blog on Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel to see how she did it.

This Week in Princesses

Two royal families celebrated their nations' triumphs on the World Cup field, while others kept busy with the usual royal (and familial) duties.

July 15, 2010

Queen Elizabeth II looks dapper in the robes of the Order of Thistle in Scotland. Her mother was a Scottish lass.


July 11, 2010

Despite the rivalry between their nations on the pitch, Crown Princess Letizia of Spain and Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands behaved like two old girlfriends in the grand stand at the World Cup final.

A kiss for the Queen! Spain's triumphant goalkeeper shared his joy with Queen Sofia after Spain's World Cup victory.


July 12, 2010

Infantas Leanor and Sofia of Spain shared in the World Cup victory celebrations back in Madrid.

Little Leonor is probably the most adorable princess in history.

Princess Stephanie of Monaco shared a tender moment with her daughter, Pauline Ducruet, in Finland. Pauline was competing in the European Junior Diving Championships. Sixteen-year-old Pauline finished in 22nd place in the three-meter.

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and hubby Prince Charles came prepared for the rainy weather at the Royal Yacht Club in Falmouth. At least Camilla wore a sunny color to brighten everyone's cloudy day!


July 13, 2010

Queen Beatrix was overjoyed to welcome home the 2nd place World Cup team from The Netherlands. That's a lot of handsome athletes for one widowed lady! Lucky Bea!

Princess Hanako Hitachi and her husband, Prince Masahito Hitachi, joined Prince Albert II of Monaco at the opening of a Japanese art exhibition in Monte Carlo. Prince Hitachi is the Japanese emperor's younger brother.


July 14, 2010

Letizia was slim in gray at a military graduation ceremony in Talarn. It's hard to look so stylish when everyone else is wearing medals.


July 16, 2010

Princess Stephanie greets her future sister-in-law, Charlene Wittstock, as the bridegroom, Prince Albert, looks on. The three were attending an annual AIDS gala.

Royal Focus: The Cullinan V Heart Brooch

The diamond in the Cullinan V Heart Brooch is part of the famous Cullinan cleavings.

The original Cullinan diamond was named after the owner of the Premier mine, Sir Thomas M. Cullinan. The stone was discovered in 1905 by the Superintendent of the mine, who originally thought the stone was nothing more than a piece of broken glass, he dug the rock out. The diamond weighed 3,106 carats and was given to King Edward VII as a 'token of loyalty'. The King accepted the stone 'for myself and sucessors'.

The stone was cleaved into two pieces weighing 1,977.5 carats and the other weighing 1,040 carats. A further cleaving  resulted in nine major stones, known as 'chips'. Some of the chips became part of the Crown Jewels: the pear-shaped Star of Africa (Cullinan I) set into the royal sceptre and the other set into the Imperial State Crown (Cullinan II) . The Cullinan III and Cullinan IV - known as the Lesser Stars of Africa were set as a brooch and is the single most valuable item in the Queen's collection.  She refers to them as 'Granny's chips'. Other stones were set into the Cullinan VII and Cullinan VIII brooches, as well as a marquise shaped ring (Cullinan IX).

One of the chips was used to make the Cullinan V Heart Brooch. The diamond, an 18.8 carat heart-shaped stone, was put into a heart-shaped platinum setting , the collets in the brooch designed to accentuate the shape of the diamond. It was worn frequently by Queen Mary and is said to be one of The Queen's favorite pieces.  

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Royal Focus: The Prince Albert Brooch

This large oblong sapphire is surrounded by twelve round diamonds. It was given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha the day before their wedding. For their wedding she wore the brooch with a diamond necklace and earrings and always referred to the jewel as 'Albert's brooch'.

While Prince Albert was alive, Queen Victoria wore it constantly and inexpensive reproductions of it were made for those subjects who wanted to purchase a version of the brooch.  After his death in 1861 she rarely wore it. In her she instructed that it be considered a Crown piece of jewellery, held in trust for all future Queen consorts. Queen Alexandra wore it pinned to her shoulder for her coronation in 1902. Queen Mary wore it often, but Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was rarely seen wearing it. The brooch is a favorite of the present Queen. Prince Albert made copies of the brooch for his daughters and the present Queen gave one of these to her daughter, Princess Anne.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Royal Focus: The Queen's flame lily brooch

It goes without saying that The Queen has one of the most remarkable collection of jewels in the world. Many of the brooches have a history behind them, such as the Flame lily brooch she wears in this photo.

The Flame lily brooch was amongst the gifts that The Queen, as Princess Elizabeth, received for her twenty-first birthday during her tour of Southern Africa in 1947. Set with three hundred diamonds, the platinum 'Flame lily' brooch was a gift from forty-two thousand Southern Rhodesian school children, who had each donated a week's pocket money.

The shape of the brooch was appropriate, as the flame lily was the national emblem of Rhodesia. In order to make a perfect replica of the lily, which varies in color, a flower had to be specially flown to South Africa where an artist worked against time to complete the reference drawings before it wilted.

It was presented to her during the royal tour at Government House. The next day the Princess wore the brooch on her left shoulder, a compliment that was appreciated by all of those involved in making it. During Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh's trip to Kenya in 1952, her father King George VI died. When the new Queen returned from South Africa, she wore the brooch pinned to the lapel of her black coat.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

This Week in Princesses

JULY 5, 2010

The three little Dutch princesses were pretty in pink during a photo call in the Netherlands. Notice how big sis Catharina-Amalia is keeping Alexia (right) and Ariane in line. Good thing she's a natural-born leader since she's destined to be queen one day.

Princess Caroline of Hanover (right), brother Prince Albert II of Monaco and his fiancee Charlene Wittstock boogied down at an open-air concert. Young Charlene looks almost dull next to Caroline's bright and patterned ensemble.



JULY 6, 2010

Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath at Ground Zero during her lightning trip to New York City. She also popped over to deliver a speech at the United Nations, before jetting back home. She reportedly didn't stay longer in order to save expenses.

Were Crown Princess Maxima and Crown Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands texting the scores during the World Cup semi-finals? Or, booking their reservations to return to South Africa for the final match?

Princess Camilla of Sicily attended the Giorgio Armani Prive show in Paris. Her husband is the claimant to the Sicilian throne.


JULY 7, 2010

Crown Princess Letizia of Spain made a new friend at an event for the San Federico Association at Zarzuela Palace.

Queen Sofia showed her Spanish red and yellow at the World Cup semi-finals. Her son and daughter-in-law will be there for the final match between Spain and The Netherlands.


JULY 8, 2010

Crown Princess Mathilde of Belgium and her husband, Crown Prince Philippe, took their four little ones to a farm where youngsters can learn about life on a farm.

The Duchess of Cornwall looked comfy at this flower show. She almost looks like she walked there in her housecoat and slippers.


JULY 9, 2010

Okay, technically she's not a princess, but Autumn Phillips is married to Queen Elizabeth II's oldest grandson, Peter Phillips, AND they announced on July 9 that she is expecting the queen's first great-grandchild in December. (Photo from August 2007)