70 thoughts on “Royals in tiaras for the Dutch-Denmark State Visit”

1. Thanks for the post. Maxima looks great in every shot, she’s very hard working as well. Must be a great role model for girls in Holland.

2. I’m drooling over that sapphire and diamond tiara. Her whole look is gorgeous!

3. First off I have to say what is up with Max’s orange dress??? I don’t know if it’s shadowing or what but the bodice makes her breasts look smashed down or something. Sorry I had to get that off my chest (no pun intended) as it was totally bugging me. Phew…all better now.

   Okay, on to tiaras!!!! Yippee, I love Max’s Sapphire and Diamond Tiara and was so hoping to see her in it again! When Beatrix wore this tiara her hair style frequently blocked the view of these beautiful sapphires but Max’s updo let’s all their natural beauty show. And that dress is exquisite!! Another beautiful example of how to wear lace. While Max looked stunning this evening, it sure was a lot of blue!

   I’m not sure what to say about Queen Margrethe. I loved the tiara, loved the dress, the fur stole has to go. Don’t get me wrong, while I don’t personally wear fur I can admire a beautiful piece. However, to me the fur wrap Margrethe wore both nights didn’t compliment either dress and she looked a little strange wearing it inside the first night. Queen Margrethe has always perplexed me fashion wise. She wears beautiful jewelry, stunning dresses and then mucks it up by wearing either the wrong shade of lipstick, a hairstyle that makes her look like an alien, or the wrong wrap. It is always something that throws her look off. I get the feeling that she’s really not all that interested in fashion and really just wants to be comfortable.

   I really love that white dress on Mary. I’m so glad we got a better look at it, without the cape. I’ve heard that the Queen doesn’t share her tiaras so Mary only has three choices, her wedding tiara, the ruby tiara or the Midnight Tiara which is a loaner. I can’t wait until Frederick ascends the throne and we get a chance to see Mary is some of the other Danish tiaras.

   Marie’s lavender dress is one of my favorites. The color looks great on her, she can really wear the peplum look and the embroidery is beautiful. But wow the look on her face tells me someone is going to get an earful tonight. Sorry Joachim but your night doesn’t look like it’s going to end well.

   Does anyone know, when Frederick ascends the throne will there be a coronation like the Brits do or an inauguration like the Dutch?

   1. There will be no coronation because that tradition was abolished when Denmark became a constitutional monarchy instead on an absolutis one – and a coronation where the monarch is being invested as the God-given ruler is both symbolically and politically unsuitable for a constitutional monarchy. Like his mother, Frederik will be proclaimed King by the PM on the balcony of Christiansborg, where the Parliament resides. This will happen the day after the death of his mother.

      1. Thanks for this explanation ArtHistorian. One more question, Britain has a constitutional monarchy and they have a coronation, why wouldn’t that be unsuitable as well?

         1. In theory: yes. However, political ideologies and the way they are implemented are always inflected by historical circumstances. Britain is in many ways a unique case since it has had a parliament since medieval times, which none of the other European monarchies has had. In France, Louis XIV implement the absolutist ideology that all power springs from the sacred person of king as a system of patronage completely controlled by him – and he did that in order to suppress the political influence of the old nobility who had risen against him when he was a boy king.

            The absolutist ideology was very much formulated on the basis on the medieval idea of the king as sacred but deployed in opposition to the power and influence of the nobility. In Denmark, absolutist rule was implemented through an alliance between the King and the merchant class. So historical and political circumstances blur the ideological lines.

            For a long time Holland was a province of the Spanish Habsburg Empire – later a republic. Belgium only became an independant nation and monarchy in the early 19th century, after the Napoleonic Wars. France is, of course, no longer a monarchy – though it has been both a monarchy and an empire after the French Revolution.

            Spain became a single monarchy with the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile – two independant kingdoms – and the reconqest Granada, which was a Muslim caliphate/sultanate. The Spanish monarch was deposed during the Napoleonic Wars in favour of one of Napoleon’s family members – and restored afterwards. In the 20th century, the Spanish monarchy was abolished under the dictatorship of Franco and only restored after his death. That is probably one of the reasons they don’t have a coronation ceremony.

            1. You are a wealth of knowledge, ArtHistorian. I love your posts.

   2. Lauri,

      QMII is quite interested in fashion and works closely with her couturiers. Recently a book was published about her dresses where this is stated. She has also designed costumes for a couple of ballet productions at the Royal theatre.

      However, she has a very idiosyncratic style that can be both very opulent and very humoristic. She has worn some odd things that aren’t necessarily pretty but are very much her. They wouldn’t work on everyone else and they might throw an outfit off in a strict aesthetic sense but they very much signal her personality. Since I adore my Queen I don’t really take issue with them, even her odd Teletubby hat!

      The fur stole is very much her signature – she’ll wear come hell or high water.

      Maxima looked absolutely smashing! The blue dress is very flattering though I’m not a fan of the lace overlay. Up close the detailing is exquisite but I simply don’t like transparent sleeves. I think it looked better with the cape because it covered the sleeves – and because I love capes.

      I really liked her orange dress as well. In general, Maxima is at her best when it comes to formal evening wear. She is much more hit and miss when it comes to daytime wear and cocktail dresses. She did, however, steal a mile on Mary at their visit on Samsø where Mary quite missed the mark in a mismatched outfit. However, they all seemed to have a grand time and Samsø is a really lovely place to visit – it has some gorgeous natural features.
      https://www.pinterest.com/pin/215046950933406926/

      I quite lovely Mary’s white gown in its elegant simplicity – sometimes Less is More as Mies van der Rohe so famously said. However, it is never good when the earrings outgun the tiara -at least in my book. All the other ladies wore some substantial tiaras, which made Mary’s seem puny in contrast, even if it is a lovely and delicate tiara. Granted, the Ruby parure would have clashed with the orange sash but I wish that she would have worn the Midnight Tiara. All in all, I feel that Mary needs a substantial new tiara, preferably one with aquamarines since she has a lot of aquamarine jewellery.

      I adore the Perle Poire parure. it is my undoubted favorite. The tiara itself is grand but not too ostentatious and the size of those pearls on the necklace are to die for! Finally, I cannot stress enough how much I love (and covet) the pearl drop brooch that Daisy wore on the front of her dress. It is just gorgeous. QEII has a similar one that she wore at the Afghan service.

      I love the Dutch Sapphire Tiara. The colour of those sapphires is gorgeous. i also like that even though it is one of the really big-gun tiaras, it is also an amazingly flexible piece of jewellery that can be worn in many different settings. Fx Max had added the very high central feature on the tiara when she wore it in Copenhagen – a feature that wasn’t worn at her husband’s Inauguration. It can also be worn in a really pared down version without the sapphires.

      Princess Mabel wore the pared down version of the tiara for her wedding:
      https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472807660853010640/

      In this pic the subtle difference between the tiara as worn at the Inauguration and as worn in Copenhagen, where the central element is taller:
      https://www.pinterest.com/pin/242983342372151173/

      1. Wow, ArtHistorian thanks for all the wonderful information on coronations and the various political theologies. I meant no disrespect to QMII, my take on her interest in fashion is formed only by various pictures I’ve seen of her in the last year or so.

         I liked the orange dress that Max wore but to me the bodice was unflattering, at least in the photos (such as above) that I’ve seen. Only Max could pull of an orange dress and not look like the Great Pumpkin.

         1. I didn’t take is as disrespect – everyone has different opinions. QMII has a very idiosyncratic style and I know more about her because she’s my Queen.

            Agree about Max and orange. I still think she looked lovely.

      2. I think Maxima wears orange a lot because they are the House of Orange-Nassau (Oranje-Nassau). AH, Mary has worn the rubies with an orange dress before, so she must think orange and red go together.

         http://us.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2013010210586/princess-mary-denmark-new-year/0-53-565/mary-fred-smile–z.jpg

         This is one of my favorite Queen Margrethe gowns. It screams, ‘I am a fairy tale queen from the land of Hans Christian Andersen’
         http://www.danishmuseum.org/images/across_oceans_across_time/2007_050_072-Queen.jpg

         1. Yes, she has worn the rubies with orange. I had forgotten that. I really have no idea why she chose the wedding tiara – she also wore it at the New Year’s Banquet – with this white dress. She may just think that this dress goes well with tiara. However, I’m still not pleased when the earrings outgun the tiara.

            Daisy does know how to pull out all the stops when it comes to a gala. This is a new dress and I bet that we’ll see it for her birthday next month. The detailing seen on the bodice in the close-up is exquisite!
            The dress in the pic is one of my favorites too! I love the moire effect with the pale blue and mauve in the fabric. I hope this will be at the exhibit mentioned below.

            In honour of her 75th birthday next month the museum at Frederiksborg Castle is opening an exhibit with her gala gowns. I’m really looking forward to seeing it – I will of course report back to you all. 😉

            1. I love your posts, ArtHistorian. Can you provide some background about Princess Marie? I don’t know much about her.

            2. Please do report back on the exhibit. QM has some really interesting gowns from what I’ve seen. And very unique to her personality as you said above.

            3. Marie is French and Prince Joachim’s second wife. They met at a dinner where they were the only French speakers – and they struck up a conversation. When their relationship became public it was rather hard on Marie because she was completely unprepared for the press intrusion – and it was, according to both her and Joachim, really really bad – like camping on her doorsteph bad. She was afraid to leave her house! She got cold feet and broke it off but he convinced her to give it a go anyway.

               I have all of this from a Tv program about Marie – where both she and her husband were interviewed. She seems like a very sweet and thoughful woman, who isn’t comfortable with the whole press aspect of her role but who made that sacrifice for love. She was quite clear on that in the interview – her love for him was the most important thing.

               She also seems to on good terms with Joachim’s ex-wife, the Countess Alexandra – because both she and Joachim participated in Alexandra’s 50th birthday celebration.

               Wikipedia link:
               http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marie_of_Denmark

            4. I think Marie has done a great job as step-mother too. She went through the same situation as a child, so she knows what it is like. Joachim and Alex’s sons really seem to love her.

      3. What is the title of the book about Margrethe’s clothes?

         1. It is called “Dronningens kjoler” and is an interview book with the queen. I don’t think that it is translated but I’ll keep an eye out when I visit the exhibit if they have a catalogue in English.

            1. Awesome; thank you.

      4. Thanks for the info on tiaras. I love looking at them, but I really don’t know much about them and their histories. Where do you get your information? I would love to learn more!

         1. The Royal Order of Splendour is a good source of info – the have detailed posts on many many tiaras.
            http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.dk/

            Other than that, I use pinterest – that’s where I found the pics of the different ways the Dutch Sapphire Tiara can be worn.

            I can also recommend Geoffrey Munn’s books on tiaras.

            1. Thanks!

   3. Re Max’s orange dress: I think it is the sheen of the fabric that is causing that effect.

      I totally agree about Margrethe’s fur wrap. It just looks ugly paired with those beautiful dresses and jewels.

      Yes, Mary has only ever worn the three tiaras you mentioned. I too would love to see her wear others.

      1. Those are only ones she has access to. QMII isn’t a great sharer when it comes tiaras. Furtermore, quite a few tiaras have left the main royal line. The Alexandrine Drop left with the divorce of Princess Alexandra. And the late Queen Ingrid shared out a lot of her tiaras among her daughters – fx the Khedive (taht I really wish would have stayed with the Queen), and a few other that I can’t remember but I think they belongf to Benedikte.

         I think the Khedive would really have suited Mary. Alas, that is not to be. The Perle Poire is gorgeous but since it is one of QMII’s signature tiaras I doubt that we’ll see Mary in it until she is Queen Consort.

4. When I first saw Max in that tiara I was a happy camper. I love the big bling and that tiara is amazing. Then I saw Mary’s and it was just like “oh, okay”. I also really like Max’s orange gown.

   The other ladies brought it too. I love seeing how the families interact with each other. They really look like they genuinely like each other. There is formality, but there is familiarity.

   And Max looked like it was a party regardless of where she was. But that is one of her best qualities.

   I really wish the BRF interacted more with these families, they are literally like they are out there floating on their own.

   Oh well, I’ll just keep watching these ladies have fun with their clothing and tiaras.

   1. For some reason I get the feeling the BRF thinks they are different from the other royals. Many royals seem to attend weddings and funerals, but sometimes there isn’t a representative from the BRF.

   2. There’s a very close realtionship between the Danish and the Dutch RFs. Margrethe is Willem-Alexander’s godmother – and that was something that came up in the speeches in a lovely and personal way. At one point Margrethe spoke to him directly as her godson and W-A also mentioned that he had known her his entire life and that Denmark felt almost like home.

      The fact that both Mary and Frederik received the Order of the Netherlands Lion before they’ve ascended to the throne says a lot about their warm relationship with the Dutch. This order is very rarely given to anyone below the level of monarchs and consorts.

      Maxima received the Order of the Elephant. This one is only given out to heads of State and members of the DRF. Sometimes it is given to Queen Consorts as well – I think that both Silvia and Sonja have one. However, they are in a sense part of the family since there are very strong familial ties between Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The only civilians who have received the Order of the Elephant are the physicist Niels Bohr and the industrial tycoon Maersk McKinney Møller, who built the new Opera House in Copenhagen as a gift to the Danish people.

      1. Hasn’t there been a lot inter-marriages between the Scandinavian Royal Houses through the generations?

         1. The Norwegian royal house descends from the Danish since it was a Danish prince that became King of Norway in 1905 after almost two centuries of Swedish rule. Denmark was forced to cede Norway to Sweden after the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. Before that Norway was part of Denmark as the Kingdom of Norway-Denmark since the Danish king also had been the heriditary king of Norway since the 15th century. Since Margethe I was married to the king of Norway – thus her son became King of Norway and she got him elected King of Denmark with her as regent. She was the architect of the Kalmar Union that united Norway, Denmark and Sweden under her rule. She ruled until her death even though her heir was of age.

            Historically, there’s been a lot of intermarriage between Sweden and Denmark – often as part of peace treaties since Sweden were Denmark’s largest and most important enemy until the 19th century. More recently, QMII’s mother, Queen Ingrid was a Swedish princess and QMII and the Swedish king are first cousins. Furthermore, Ingrid took the young Queen Silvia under her wing and mentored her personally – something that Silvia has spoken warmly about. QMII is also very close friends with both Silvia of Sweden and Sonja of Norway. I know that QMII and her family sometimes holdays with the Norwegian RF. The CP couples of all three countries are also very close.

            1. Wow, awesome info!

   3. Lol that’s the same thought I had about Mary’s tiara.

5. I disliked every single dress, but absolutely loved the jewelry…OMG!!!

   1. At least they brought it with the jewels!

6. Queen Maxima at her best. She looks smashing in the blue and the muted orange.

   I have read many of the royal ladies (Mary, Charlene, Sophie, Princess from Japan?) seem to have a close friendship with Queen Maxima, so she seems to be as warm in person as she appears in public.

   1. That’s true – Maxima seems to be an incredibly warm and caring woman on all counts. There are multiple photos from this visit where Max and Mary seem to have a grand time. I think that Maxima is one of those people that just make everything seem so much more fun when she’s around. I have a friend like that and the atmosphere always go up a notch when she’s around.

      Maxima has by all acounts been very sweet and supportive of both Charlene and Masako of Japan. Even the Japanese Imperial Household has publicly credited Max with the recent improvement in Masako’s health. W-A is also a close friend of Masako’s husband, the CP of Japan. Queen Beatrix also invited their family for a 2 week long summer holiday in Holland almost 10 years ago – so there are strong personal bonds between the Dutch RF and the CP couple of Japan.

      1. You are a wealth of knowledge Art Historian. I love reading what you have to add to the discussion and appreciate the time it takes to give us background history.

         1. I’m a big history buff and my head is crammed with all sorts of weird little factoids. I find history to be a fascinating subject – and many times history is literally stranger than fiction.

   2. Many kudos to Max for retaining her vibrant and warm personality while maintaining the dignity of the positions of CP and Queen. It must have been difficult for her to squeeze her large personality into the ridged confines of royal life, but I’d say she’s done an excellent job of it. I hope that some day Kate will be wise enough to strike up a friendship with her. I bet Max could work wonders with her.

      1. I think Max could work wonders with Kate – and she certainly fit the mold of a fragile princess to be taken under Maxima’s wing.

7. Thank you, KMR, for covering these royals. I’ve learned a lot from your reports and from the posters’ comments. I’m a nut for glamour and sparkle…I think they all looked great, with the exception of Margrethe’s pink dress and Princess Marie’s peplum.

   As others have pointed out above, they all seem to be genuinely happy to be together…I enjoy watching that!

   1. I love that they seem to enjoy interacting with each other. It’s not something we normally see in the BRF, so it’s great to see from other royal houses.

      I’m glad that these other royal ladies get so much love from you guys. 🙂 And I agree with you on Margrethe’s pink dress and Marie’s peplum.

8. God news. It’s tiara time. Thanks, KMR. Loved this post.

   I thought all the ladies looked stunning. Maxima is a gem. Bright, engaging, beautiful and such a great example of what royalty is.

   As for the peplum — I loved it. I’m a fan of the peplum look. Have several vintage dresses in my closet from the time when the peplum took off. I always feel so feminine when I wear one.

   Mary is lovely, too. Her warmth and vibrancy shine through.

   And, Marie’s black dress with the beading on the bodice was amazing.

   Thanks for giving us an inside look at such grandeur, KMR.

   1. I’ve seen a few peplum dresses that look really pretty, but I’ve seen far more than look bad.

      I love that Max is always so expressive and seems so warm. She also always looks like she’s really enjoying being where she is and who she’s around.

      1. I have a sneaking suspicion that peplum dresses only look good on models.

         1. Especially a peplum this big and immobile. Marie is only 5’2″ or 5’3″. There’s a lot of width in this dress, top and skirt, that she cannot counter with height.

         2. They only look good on people without hips since the peplum accentuates the hips.

9. Oh, and KMR, as if you don’t have enough to do — are you covering Charles and Camilla’s trip to D.C. ????

   1. Yes, I definitely will.

      1. Thank you so much. They went to the MLK statue yesterday and I was so impressed. Rep. John Lewis was there to. Mr. Lewis is a civil rights icon in his own right and is an amazing man.

         1. Yes, Rhiannon. The visit to Martin Luther King’s statue was so impressive.
            It gives me chills every time I read or hear the I Have a Dream speech.
            I love the fact that PC and Camilla were given such a great tour of D.C.
            Thanks, KMR for saying you will be posting on this trip. As a Yank, I felt great pride in welcoming Royalty to our nation’s capitol.

10. I had to pick myself from the floor. I passed out because all of the glamour and jewels. This is how you trot out the jewels and the fashion. All royal women looked beyond amazing. Max always brings it. She just radiates and knows how to wear bold jewels and colors. Mary looked nice, but my favorite look was when she met Willem-Alexander and Max at the airport. This is what Kate needs to do. Mary’s coat was bland, but the purple shoes, gloves and bag bade it pop. I don’t know much about Marie, and would love to learn more, but she looked lovely as well. I like that she and Joachim walked in hand in hand.

    Max slayed it with the orange gown. I adore her. But, I need to shout out Queen Margarethe. Her necklace was stunning. Not too many women would be able to pull that necklace off. Well, maybe Max could. But still. This is what I live for.

    1. Love it, Rhiannon. “This is what I live for.” Great!

       Max in the orange gown — smashing. Also in the blue.
       And, the necklace that Queen Margarethe wore was pretty amazing.
       Ah, the grandeur. I think there is a “princess” inside most of us just screaming to get out!

       1. The feminist in me makes me want to wail, but she can take a back seat. To me, it’s the fairy tale, pageantry and history. Also the little details. I love to look at Max’s accessories – nails, purses etc. to get inspiration. But then the feminist in me loves what impact Max, Mary, Rania and Leti have on the world.

          1. I love the pageantry as well – and the jewels. I’m into jewellery design big time so I love it when the ladies bring the bling.

             However, the important thing is what these royal ladies do with their resources and their platform – and Mary, Max, Rania and Leti are are all doing a very good job, not just in the national arena but on the international stage as well.

             I think that championing social causes will become more and more important for royalty if they are to survive in the future. It isn’t any longer enough simply to turn up at a hospital, etc. and shake some hands. The traditional patronages need to be followed up with a more active approach – fx through a foundation like the Mary Foundation or in collaboration with fx the UN or other world-spanning organizations. They need to be seen to make an impact and a charitable visit now and then just doesn’t cut it any more. It is the Jolie approach – use the glamour and fame to direct attention to a cause and follow up with a real initiative. I think that we expect much more of royalty to day than people did in the past.

             1. I agree. And i think the BRF hasn’t caught onto that fact yet. Some members are slowly seeing it, but others are not.

             2. Oh I agree, the BRF has definitely NOT caught on to this. I have been slammed for this opinion before but I think that QEII is not an imaginative monarch – she has mainly continued to perform her duties as it was did in her father’s time – and I think that is one of the reasons that the BRF seem so out of synch with the rest of the world.

                I think that Charles is the only one that has caught on – just look at the Prince’s Trust. He had most definitely created a very distinct profile about his causes and he has created a foundation that directly can fund initiatives that fit his causes.

                I know that a lot of people really like Princess Anne. She has an impressive number of patronages and she visits them a lot. But I want to ask: how big of an impact does she really have? Does her patronage raise the profile of the institution in question? Sure she’s a workhorse but does anyone know any of her patronages? She hasn’t the same press as Charles or the Cambridges but I think that having over a 200 patronages confuses the message – I think it would be much better to have a smaller number of patronages that are affiliated to a select number of core causes.

                But Princess Anne’s many many patronages and official engagements are the way that the BRF has traditionally operated. I makes her look busy but I have no clue what institutions she’s working with and to what extent a royal patronage raise their profile or benefit them in other ways. I don’t mean to disrespect princess Anne here but I do think that it is a valid question – in terms of how royalty need to define their charitable efforts in the 21st century because the conditions are vastly different than the midt20th century when QEII became queen.

             3. I very much agree with you ArtHistorian. I too think Liz is very old-fashioned in her approach and does not really change with the times well unless the changes are forced upon her. She is the type of person who buries their head in the sand until the fire is burning their backside and they are forced to act. In my opinion, it does not matter what changes she and Philip made in the 1950s and 1960s (as someone pointed out the last time this conversation came up), it’s 2015 and those changes are long since out of date. The BRF still operates as if it were decades ago. This is the internet age and the age of social media, the old ways of doing things just don’t work any more.

                To answer your question about Anne: I have no idea what charities she patronages. I don’t even know what kinds of charities she patronages; what causes she supports. She never gets any press at all so I just don’t know. Clearly the impact her royal patronage is having is NOT bringing public attention to the cause, because most of the public have no idea what causes she’s supporting. One of the possibilities is that the royal patronage brings in more or bigger donors because they will get to meet Anne, but if so that’s done completely by the organizations themselves because the press don’t bring any attention to her activities. She gets out there and does a lot of engagements, and I’m sure she’s meeting a lot of the public (which is nice), but in terms of bringing awareness, her royal patronage doesn’t do much for the organizations.

                I agree with you about Charles. He has lots of ideas and clear causes he is interested in and created a way to support those interests.

                I agree that having a smaller number of patronages with a clearer focus, where the royal is more involved and visits more, is the way to go.

             4. Anne has been the President of Save the Children in the UK since 1970. That is her big patronage, the one that gets most of her behind the scenes time.

                I think the balance is important. A few high-profile patronages, but they also need to do all the local appearances to be seen as HM says. Problem with W&K is, they think they should ONLY do a couple of big things, but never do the small community visits that are what keeps people invested in royalty in the UK.

                Those local appearances often often listed under the title “patron” (Princess Royal visited, as patron of St. whatever church, etc.) but don’t have the global impact as being patron/president of Save the Children, etc. They need to do both. If William only focused on one big wildlife charity in Africa, and did nothing in the UK, he’d be even more useless than he is now.

             5. I’ll bring up Mary again because she’s the one whose work I know the most about. When she got married, she and Frederik received a gift of 1M Dkr (£100.000) from the Danish people. It was suggested that she might start a foundation with that money. Of course it was not enough – but she could hire a professional staff and get them an office. Then they went about fundraising and the Mary Foundation now has a capital of 150M Dkr (£15M). They also have working relationships with some big Danish companies, like LEGO, for specific projects. She meets with them regularly and appears to be very involved in the running of the foundation.

                The foundation focuses on a number of interrelated causes: bullying, loneliness among children and help to children who have mentally ill parents or parents with addictions. It also has a second focus on domestic violence. The foundations doesn’t just had out money, it organizes conferences and fund their own initiatives – some of which are inspired by similar initiatives in Australia, Mary’s homeland.

                In recent years, she has branched out into issues of women’s and children’s health in third world countries and she has a working relationship with the UN. Some of that work also ties into her work on domestic violence.

                She has built up an impressive portfolio of charitable endeavours over the last decade – and she has had professional help for that. She has a professional advisor who specializes in this type of work and he has helped her to shape her work in a focused manner. I believe that Jolie also has such an advisor.

                This is just an example of how to work with social causes, both domestically and internationally, in an focused and effective manner – and I think that the BRF really could benefit from professional advice to formulate such a stringent and focused approach to select causes. I also think that it is very important to see how different social problems are interrelated and take a multi-focus approach to them, fx drug addiction, mental illness and homelessness are intimately connected.

          2. The feminist in me loves that Max can do all sorts of appearances; that Max can give a speech and speak intelligently on serious subjects like financial education and security for the younger generation.

             But also, the feminist in me is secure enough in herself to admit that she loves looking a big jewelry.

             1. ^Exactly!

             2. The fact that she can give those speeches in 5 languages is always a plus!

    2. I bow to Max the Magnificent in her glorious gowns and jewels. The other women were not shabby at all indeed. I live for these sightings of major bling from ladies who know how to rock that royal look with such style and panache. The tiara hair is just sublime, too.

    3. I just love the Dutch Sapphire Tiara; I was so happy when Max showed up in that one. I agree that the way Mary dresses Kate could learn from. Kate needs to learn how to style her outfits better. Or hire an actual stylist to do it for her.

       1. Mary has a stylist to help her – she asked for one when she got engaged – and it has made all the difference to her fashion choices.

          The dress coat and her whole look at her engagement interview was markedly different from her more casual style that she had had as a civilian.

11. I’m in awe of the beauty of the women and their gowns and jewels. I loved Maxima’s gowns. The orange was so stunning. She truly is an amazing woman. So stylish, so smart, so very engaging. I love how she represents her country and the role model she is for other women.
    I love Princess Mary, too. She seems so genuine and smart.
    There is something very magical about this evening of royalty. It brings out the romantic side in us and yet, it also shows how amazing these women are. It’s not all about fashion and jewels. Each time they are shown at an appearance, they give their all.

    1. You are right! We love some of these royal women because they are the whole package. Not easy to do.

       1. Exactly.

12. ArtHistorian, why did Prince Joachim 1st marriage end? did J cheat with Marie or another woman? What happen with the 1st wife? I know it’s none of my business, just curious!

    1. Nobody really know why Joachim and Alexandra got divorced – the whole thing was handled very discreetly and smoothly. Joachim didn’t meet Marie until after the divorce and there hasn’t really been any big rumours about cheating. Alexandra did meet her present husband in a professional capacity while still married to Joachim but there hasn’t been any rumours of her cheating.

       I do, however, remember an interview she gave about a year or so before the divorce where she stated that she wouldn’t stay in a marriage just for the sake of appearances. I think that they just grew apart – they also seem to be very different personalities. Alexandra is much more outgoing than her introverted husband – and she was the big star of the DRF until Mary came on the scene (the divorce happended not long after Mary and Frederik’s wedding). There may have been an issue of Alexandra outshining her husband, being the second most popular royal after the Queen. Or they may not have suited as well as hoped. Another factor could be that Alexandra didn’t really like to like near a tiny village in the country – she used to live and work in Hong Kong!

       . Marie seem to be much more like Joachim in temperament. She also seemed to like the country living until they had to sell the estate.

       All of this is just speculation.

       Alexandra has also remarried – a handsome and much younger man. She is now styled the Countess of Frederiksborg. Her sons with Joachim live with her although the eldest is in boarding school now.

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