135 thoughts on “Royal Round Up: Kate, Sofia, Victoria, Madeleine, Charlene, Maxima, Camilla (updated)”

1. Maxima just rocks! And it is awesome that she’s working with the UN. It is certainly taking her “job” up a notch, actually working for real change rather than the ususal meet and greet at a patronage (which she also does).

   Both Leonore and Estelle are all kinds of cute.

   I really really dislike the British hat fashion with these small, feathered saucers/fascinators perched precariously on the forehead. Sophie wears it the best since her hair is up, but this type of hat with long hair worn down is, IMO, just a sloppy look.

   1. I’ve seen a few royal “hats” that I’ve liked but for the most part I think they look silly.

      And I totally agree that Max working with the UN is so great to see from a royal.

      1. At least the fascinator trend has moved away from bird-that-has-crash-landed-on-your-head, which was a really unfortunate look.

         While some milliners like Philip Treacy make hats that are terribly unflattering when worn by actual people, I can still admire them as works of art that experiment with the limits of the form.

         1. Philip Treacy hats may be works of art but they look terrible on most people. Camilla has some Treacy hats and they don’t look too bad, but those Treacy hats the York girls wore to W&Ks wedding were horrid.

            1. Yes they were. It takes a great deal of personality to carry of one of his hats. Isabella Blow could, possibly Daphne Guiness – both women with a very unique and independant style.

               The thing is that couture has evolved to be an art form rather than just gorgeous bespoke clothing as it was in the late 19th and early 20th century. Couture designers like Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Franck Sorbier present collections created over specific themes that function as an artistic statement rather than simply fashion. The clothes that is sold is rather different and much more wearable.

2. I like the typo(?) Kate Middleton sighing. I sigh every time I see her out shopping. Does she do anything else? She really is the most boring of royals. Really comes across as shallow and only concerned with spending money.

   When is Louise going to get a new coat? Hasn’t she been sporting that pink coat ever since she’s been photographed? Why does Autumn Phillips always look so tired? Rumors are Bea is looking to work in NY. Apparently she can’t find a job in the UK either.

   I love how the Spanish Royal Family is never photographed with Juan Carlos anymore. But Queen Sofia is front and center. She didn’t abdicate!

   It took me awhile to decode the new monogram – really busy – don’t care for it. Love the Swedish sisters and family.

   1. Hehehe, Kate makes us all frequently sigh.

   2. And new shoes too! For God’s sake, is there some law that was written against it and we just don’t know!

   3. LOL I didn’t even catch that typo. Fitting, though.

      There were more reports about MORE vacations from Beatrice, and she’s attended all sorts of parties in the UK. I think all her talk about searching for a new job is total BS.

      I agree about the monogram. I had a hard time deciphering it, too.

3. Thanks for another great Royal Roundup! And Happy Springtime to everyone!

   It’s great to see Charlene again after such a long absence. I don’t know if it’s because she’s laid off the botox that she supposedly was using, but her face looks so much softer since the birth of her children and her and Albert look so much happier together. Parenthood definitely agrees with her.

   I realize that what I’m about to state isn’t a popular opinion around here, but the more I’ve been reading about Sofia Hellqvist the more I like her. I like that fact that she co-founded a charity and will continue to work at this charity after her wedding. I like the fact that she is obviously comfortable speaking in public, see the above photo of her on stage with a microphone. I feel that she is much better prepared for a royal life than Kate is 4 years in. The fact that Sofia has a rather sordid past doesn’t bother me in the least. I like that she doesn’t shirk from her past, she acknowledges it but has clearly moved forward with her life.

   Wow, Max is certainly an inspirational woman. I am very intrigued by micro-financing and the possibilities it opens for people. With these micro loans women are able to start their own businesses, better the lives of their families and give hope to their daughters. Max is certainly setting the Queen bar really high and I look forward to seeing the future Queens of Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands reach these great, new heights.

   Well, I thought the Queen looked nice today, but I’m not thrilled with the rest of the Windsor women. However, surprisingly Anne looked nice today. Anne can be such an….interesting dresser, that when she looks good, like today, I almost don’t recognize her. I am curious as to why Lady Louise continues to dress like a much younger child? I’m certainly not suggesting heels and short skirts but the white tights and this too small pink coat need to go. She is almost 12 but these outfits make her look like she’s 6. Is this style traditional to the English country set?

   The Spanish royal family looked great today, but I would have liked to see Leti in more springtime colors. It’s great to see the young princesses out and about, they look very comfortable greeting others.

   1. I agree with you. I’m not naturally a very judgmental person (opinionated though!) and I have never understood why people are so harsh on Sofia. I don’t judge her for her past, think she has taken to Royal life like a duck to water (and she’s not even a Royal yet) and makes Kate look even more useless than she does without the comparison. I think she’s really beautiful and I love her gap in her teeth and hope she stays natural and doesn’t give in to pressure to have a fake, plastic set like Kate’s. I am excited to see how she grows as a Royal and expect good things. 🙂

      1. The more I see people make derogatory comments towards Sofia, the more I dislike the derogatory comments she receives. Do I like the profession she chose to go in to? No. Would I do it? No. Do I think her parents are horrible people for letting their teenage daughter pose nude? Yes. Do I think she was a huge famewhore? Yes.

         I used to be very against Sofia and everything she has done, but now I just don’t care, and I don’t think she should be ashamed of what she did like most people think she should be. She said she was not ashamed of her past, but has grown and wouldn’t do that stuff now.

         I don’t understand why we can’t let people grow up and move on with their lives. It’s the same with Camilla. Some people just refuse to let her be anything other than the third person in Charles and Diana’s marriage. That was so many years ago, and she’s most likely grown since then. Why can’t we just move on?

         Yes, Sofia was a nude model and bragged about making out with a porn star (which I find super tacky), but she doesn’t do that stuff now. And even if she did, attacking her physical features (by calling her “meth mouth” and stuff like that) is just mean and an ad hominum attack that does nothing to further any sort of argument against her.

         If people want to call her a famewhore and criticize her for her past, that’s one thing, but making fun of her physical features for no other reason than to put her down just doesn’t sit well with me.

         Sorry about the rant, but I needed to get that out.

         1. I totally agree. It’s almost classist in that it assumes people can’t improve themselves. There is, or should be, nothing wrong with acknowledging your mistakes and trying to be a better person.

            1. I think acknowledging one’s mistakes and actively trying to be a better person should be applauded.

         2. Agree. Her past is her past – she can’t change that, what matters is what she does in the future. I think that some people wants her to feel ashamed because her past is so openly sexual and that she has made money on her sexuality – and to some people that means she is a bad person. I actually think that it takes a lot of guts and integrity to own up to her past instead of trying to explain it away.

            1. That’s why I am warming to her. I think that she acknowledged it and has moved on. If she has, then I can. I am far from perfect. What I do not understand is that people want her to continuously atone for it.

            2. “What I do not understand is that people want her to continuously atone for it.”
               – I think this particular issue has a lot to do with the fact that women are still very much shamed for their sexuality, even in otherwise progessive societies. It was actually something that would sometimes be debated when I gave guided tours to high school students, often when I gave a historical context to the art works I was talking about. A lot of the girls were really frustrated about the fact that they would be called whores and slut for having had a number of boyfriends whereas the boys would be admired for the same thing. And this is in Denmark where the sexual mores are a lot more relaxed than in many other countries.

            3. The weird thing is that even women who claim to be so forward thinking and all for gender equality still shame women for their sexuality. Not going to lie, I used to be one of them, but I’m getting away from that. I’m fairly small-c conservative when it comes to that sort of thing personally, but I understand that most people are far more small-l liberal when it comes to that stuff. I try to be more even and level-headed when judging this sort of thing now, instead of being emotional about it. Just because I wouldn’t do what Sofia did doesn’t mean she’s a bad person for doing it.

         3. I agree 100%. 🙂

   2. I know, right? Louise is 11 not 5. She needs to stop wearing those childish tights and shoes. I don’t know if it’s Sophie refusing to dress her daughter like the 11 year old she is, or if it’s Louise refusing to dress like the 11 year old she is. Either way, someone needs to have a talk with them.

      Not to nitpick, but I want to point out that Maxima *is* the Queen of the Netherlands, unless you are talking about seeing her daughter becoming Queen many years from now.

      1. Yes, I was referring to her daughter. Sorry I didn’t make that clearer.

         1. Oh okay. I was confused because Victoria is the future Queen of Sweden, but Leti and Max are already the Queens of Spain and the Netherlands so the next Queens would be their daughters. Sorry about that; I was confused.

            1. I was on a bit of role and tend to forget that not everyone can read my mind:) I’m very excited that the next generation or two of monarchs will be Queens, of course with the exception of Prince George of the Chubby Cheeks 🙂 Speaking of which, I was surprised that a photo wasn’t released of him for Easter.

            2. It is interesting that there’ll be a lot of reigning queens in the next generation – it is only in England and Denmark that have male heirs because the first borns were boys – even though the laws have been altered to absolute primogeniture where the first-born regardless of gender will be the monarch.

               So, in the future Spain, Belgium, Holland, Sweden and Norway will have queens as monarchs.

            3. Yes, it’s interesting that most of the next generation of monarchs (or children who will be monarch at some point) are female. George is one of the few male heirs out there.

4. I wonder why Kate and William did not attend church with the Queen? That seems really disrespectful.

   I must say though, I am really tired of seeing Lady Louise in the same white stockings and those horrendous mary janes whenever she comes out. Sophie has dressed her like this since she was 2 years old. Time to dress her more like a young girl than a newborn IMO.

   1. W&K don’t usually attend Easter at Windsor, this isn’t unusual for them. I don’t remember them being there in the four years they’ve been married (but my memory could be wrong). Charles and Camilla aren’t there either.

   2. Oh honey, newborns and toddlers alike been left Louise eating their dust in the fashion department. I really don’t understand it. Does Sophie really not know that they make all kinds of flats and Mary Janes in cute colors, patterns, and styles. That there are different coats besides pea coats, I love a nice pea coat now but damn. She puts more thought into her own wardrobe than her kid’s.

   3. Have they ever attended Easter service with the Queen? I don’t think that’s something they do. And Charles and Camilla weren’t there either.

      I totally agree about the way Louise dresses. I was shocked when I looked up her age and found she was 11 since I had judged her to be much younger (like maximum 8) when seeing her pictures at Christmas. It’s because of the way she dresses – much too young for an almost teenage girl.

      1. I wonder why this is, that they do not attend church with the Queen. I honestly had not noticed that they do not attend easter with the Queen. Thanks for pointing this out!

         And yes, Sophie puts way more effort into trying to dress similar to Kate and not enough on her daughter. I really hope they get her together soon because she is going to grow up and cringe at these photos in a few years.

      2. Eleven?! I am shocked. I think Sophie does spend more time on her own wardrobe than her daughter’s. The child dresses more like an 8 year-old from the l970s, or so.
         Children gain a wonderful sense of self-esteem from dressing in a way that they love.
         I think making them into fashion slaves is ridiculous, but not tending to their sense of self-worth is not good, either. Unless, Lady Louise likes the way she dresses. Who knows?

   4. I don’t think Kate and family (and I include William in that family), are pious, Church-going people, unless it serves an advantageous purpose for them, or they are mandated by H.M. You’d think by now, there’d at least be a sighting or two of the Middletons going about their regular Church visits at their Bucklebury estate. But, no, the Middletons have been sighted as far as the other side of the world, but no sign near a local Church.

   5. Kate’s family don’t regularly attend church so Kate possibly finds it’s a hassle. I do wonder why William would marry a girl who comes from a non church family when he will be “defender of the faith” when/ if he becomes King.

      1. It’s entirely likely by the time William ascends the throne that the Church of England will not be the official church. I am a practicing member of the Anglican Communion but I find the idea of an established church in a multicultural society like the UK to be slightly ridiculous today. I’m very glad they got rid of the ban on marrying Catholics. It was a rule from the 18th century, not the 21st. The UK’s had Prime Ministers who were Catholic, senior members of the Government who are agnostic or even atheist, Muslim, Jewish, etc. If a non-Anglican becomes P.M., they still have to make appointments of bishops to the Anglican Church. The Middletons aren’t particularly religious people, like most nowadays. Willy and Harry go for baptisms, weddings, funerals and state occasions but I doubt every Sunday like the Queen, Philip or even Charles.
         It is amazing how Princess Louise of Wessex is dressed at the age of 11. She IS legally a princess. A press release is an announcement. A letter patent is an official legal document expressing the monarch’s will. Until the Queen or a future King Charles issues a letter patent to expressly deny the title, style and dignity of Prince/Princess of the UK on Louise and James of Wessex, they legally retain that title, regardless of what they are called by courtesy.

      2. Kate was not even confirmed until after her engagement. That is a bit strange if they were planning to get married. I would think William had some kind of spiritual faith.

5. I agree. Kate signed up for these appearances when she married William. I guess Lady Louise is keeping it smart for the Easter Service. I like the Mary Janes shoes and they are a sensible choice. Plenty of time for Lady Louise to develop her own style when she is older. Princess Beatrice actually looks quite nice and has it right. I like seeing the Spanish Royal family celebrate Easter as we don’t get much news of them in the UK.

   1. I would also like to add that at least Sofia is doing some charitable work before marrying CP. If I remember correctly Kate spent all her time shopping during her engagement.

6. Bravo on this round up! I’m starting to not mind Sofia. She is trying and for me, that means a lot. I don’t like that first look – too old and severe. The SWF looked great as always. I do love Maxima. She is so accomplished and really wants to impact and influence change.

   Beatrice looked so pretty. I always root for the York girls because they get a lot of flack due to their parents and work, or lack thereof. Autumn always looks off to me. I don’t know why.

   1. Hi Rhiannon, I agree this blue dress on Sofia is rather matronly, not her best look to date.

7. Lauri from California, sophia will be working for the king after the wedding! Doing what nobody really knows? This charity is very vague & there are rumors the money raised for the children went into you know who’s bank account. I am not trying to tarnish anyone reputation! Lets hope this is not true! Some people think this charity is front to make s.h. be respectable! S.H. did not co found this charity according reports. I hope everything is & was legal!

   1. Halia,

      Having done a little bit of research, it doesn’t PP doesn’t seem vague at all! In fact, it is one of the largest employers in the Langa area of Cape Town, South Africa. It looks to be a very well-documented organization and it has been featured in a documentary on the Swedish TV3. They have a centre in Langa that is open 5 days a week where they offer various initiatives in sports, help with home work, health and nutrition as well as programs aimed at children with physical handicaps. They also provide the children with a daily meal.

      I have no idea where you get your information from but then you are rather vague on that. However, I’ll point out that most of the information I’ve found is in Swedish so if you don’t read that language then I can understand why you don’t know much about the project.

      I’m curious why you claim that Sofia didn’t co-found this initiative? Do you have any documentation?

      I have thought long and hard about how to respond to your post because to me, despite your disavowal, it does look as though you are casting aspersions on both Sofia and this organization that appears to do a lot of good work, all based on vague innuendo and unfounded rumours.

   2. “there are rumors the money raised for the children went into you know who’s bank account.”

      Here’s the thing, part of the money raised in *any* charity goes to paying the expenses of running the charity, including paying the staff. Sofia worked for Project Playground as the General Secretary, so it is perfectly normal for her to take a salary from the charity. And all staff salaries come out of the money raised by the charity – this happens for *all* charities, not just Project Playground. So yes, Sofia’s paycheck would have come out of the money raised by Project Playground. This is normal and nothing to be alarmed at.

      It’s when the amount of money going to pay staff is greater than the amount of money going to help the people the charity supposedly helps that’s the problem. That’s why it’s important to look into a charity’s finance reports before donating. And this, too, goes for *all* charities, not just Project Playground.

8. I feel sorry for Louise, her Mother/Nanny needs to be told that she is not 3 any more.

   Those Spanish girls are going to be stunners when they grow up, they are so pretty.

   Also, am I the only one thinking that Victoria might be expecting again? She has been wearing flowing tops lately and looks to be a little bit fuller.

   1. Oh, I hope Victoria is expecting again!!

      1. So do I – it would be wonderful for Estelle to get a little sister or brother.

   2. I agree about the way Louise dresses – much too young for an 11 year old. And it would be so lovely if Victoria were pregnant again.

   3. I thought the same thing when I saw this photo. Hope this is the case, since I think they seem like loving parents.

   4. Louise could be selecting the clothes she is wearing so cut her some slack? My daughter at the same age would insist on wearing a favorite dress, from when she was 8! It was a bit big at the beginning which is probably a good thing as it would come out of the wardrobe for the following 4-5 years after that. So please don’t think that Sophie is not dressing her appropriately. Louise probably wants to be wearing clothes she is comfortable in when out in public like going to church when there will be cameras and lots of people watching her.

9. Rhiannon, sophia has stated in public that she does not regret her actions! She has said that rape victims have no self esteem that, that is why they were raped! Please keep in mind that s.h. past actions have been whitewash to make her acceptable to the public! the queen & princesses vic & mad has done a lot of work to help children! It would be shame if the press after the wedding release a major scandal about sophia that could damage all the great work the royal ladies have done go down the drain! I would not put it past the media reveal more teerible things about s.h. that we do not know? Victoria, Sylvia & Madeliene are keeping their distances from S.H. for a reason! Please believe that i hope i am wrong about Sophia! I am not turning anyone against sophia!

   1. That is shameful comment. As a rape victim myself, I find that comment to be vile and horribly irresponsible. Thank you for sharing that, Halia.

      1. Sofia did not say that women are raped because they have low self-esteem, she said that women who have been raped often have low self-esteem *because* they’ve been raped. She made the comment in the context of talking about what Project Playground does to help young women and girls in Africa. She said (I’m paraphrasing) lots of the girls PP works with have been forced to have sex with men in order to get things they need (like clothes), and many of the girls PP works with have been raped and therefore their self-esteem is very low. Condoms may help stop the spread of HIV but it does not help the girls overcome their low self-esteem, so one of the things PP does when working with these girls is help them gain self-esteem and self-respect.

         1. Thano you for the clarification, KMR!

   2. “sophia has stated in public that she does not regret her actions! ”
      – why is that such a horrible thing?

   3. “sophia has stated in public that she does not regret her actions! ”
      – why is that such a horrible thing?

      1. It’s not a horrible thing. I think it’s laudable in it’s way. She doesn’t deny it and she’d like to move on from it. Nothing wrong with that. If we were all held to who we were in our late teens I think some of us would be screaming! I know I would. What a shallow idiot I was back then.

         1. You’re quite right! It simply annoys me that people think that she ought to be shamed for it or that makes her an inherently bad person.

         2. I never did anything scandalous, but I was a huge moron back then. I’ve changed so much as I’ve aged.

            1. We all do 😉

10. I love Princess Bea’s Easter look. Fabulous, pretty, appropriate and flattering.

    1. Agreed.

11. Another great round up. I love reading about all the other royal families and learning more about them. I agree with Art Historian about the fascinators. I am so tired of seeing those things attached to the foreheads of these women. Bring on the hats!!

    My main problem with Sofia is that she will be looked up to by young girls as a role model of sorts because she is marrying a prince. It’s a fairy tale dream come true to some. If she were to work with some sort of group or set up something to encourage girls to use their brains and their talents, not their bodies (and definitely not starting at 16) to achieve their goals I would look at her more favorably. As it stands right now, at least for me, she just comes of as “yeah I did it and I still got a prince, so whatever.” She is the exception rather than the rule for girls who get caught up in the “glamor” model role. She’s very lucky it didn’t take a bad turn for her. She could have easily ended up in a sex trafficking situation.

    She seems to be diving right into the role with the appearances she has made. She’s definitely not shy about handling a mic and answering questions. I just would like to see her use that energy for something that will encourage those girls looking up to her to not think they can achieve similar goals by following her former career path. She could make a definite statement if she chooses to.

    1. Hi Lisa, just an fyi, Sofia co-founded the charity Project Playground. Here is the link,

       http://www.project-playground.org/

       You will need to translate this page unless of course you read Swedish 🙂 If you go to the about us page and look up the Board of Directors you will see Sofia and now Carl Phillip there. Sofia will continue on as an active honorary president after the wedding.

       I agree that if Sofia had done nothing but catch a prince there would be little to recommend her. But it seems that she has quite a bit behind the scenes to be of service to others.

       1. Actually, my understanding is that there is some confusion as to whether or not she actually co-founded PP. Quite a few believe she didn’t attach herself to PP until after it was already established and she was dating CP in an attempt to show a charitable side. If it got her working and is actually helping kids then great. I’m not trying to be obstinate, and I’ll be the first to applaud her working with something that helps kids, but a lot of whitewashing has gone on with her CV.

          Everyone deserves a chance to get it right. I’m kind of feeling like a salmon swimming upstream right now about Sofia. The past is the past, but don’t completely forget it or just brush it off because it can come back to bite you in the rear when you least expect it.

          1. I don’t know all about that, but the website does show her as co-founder. I can’t imagine that they would lie about that but you never know.

             As someone who has had a wild past I certainly understand how it can come back to haunt you. But I’ve found that by being honest and open about it with those I care about, it can’t bite too hard:)

             I am not trying to come off as a sugar about Sofia I just don’t have that much of a problem with her past as some do. I agree that going forward will be the true test and I wish her well.

12. Here’s a little bit about Sofia and Carl Phillpe’s wedding that I found on a site called Happy Swedes, speaking of who will be maid of honor and best man.

    “…. Also Crown Princess Victoria is an option, she was the first of the family to meet Sofia and made sure she was accepted in the royal family. They is said they have a good connection. And of course little Estelle will be flower girl on her godfather’s wedding. Aw, I’m dying when I think about how cute she’s going to look.

    And what about the best man? First choice is of course Prince Daniel. Ever since Daniel was dating Carl Philip’s sister Victoria, they are very close. Carl Philip was also Daniel’s best man. They are like brothers…”

    I was surprised to see that Victoria went out her way to make sure that Sofia was accepted by the family. Also, in her engagement interview, Sofia said that the family was very warm and welcoming to her.

    Here’s the complete link if interested.

    http://happyswedes.tumblr.com/tagged/sofia+hellqvist/page/3

13. Another great Royal Roundup. Hope everyone had a good weekend . A Happy Easter and a Happy Passover to all who celebrated, too.

    I just adore the photos of the little Swedish princesses being held by their dads. Too cute! Love those dads, too. And, the moms are very special ladies.

    The Spanish princesses are darling. They look very happy and secure, too.

    So, Kate went shopping? What else is new? Yes, her image needs to keep being polished, Jason. She does spend an inordinate amount of time in stores buying clothes.

    Onward to more interesting business being conducted by either Royal Ladies of Europe. Maxima is a true champion of all that is worthy.

    Oooh, and am I the only one who thought Beatrice looked awful Autumn, too? Yikes!

    1. Mary Elizabeth, you’re not the only one who thought Beatrice and Autumn looked awful…

       1. Thanks, Babbalou. I thought I was solo in my criticism and now don’t feel so alone!

    2. I think Beatrice and Autumn looked terrible.

    3. You guys aren’t alone, I thought Autumn looked awful and Beatrice didn’t look much better.

    4. I wasn’t crazy about what Autumn and Bea had on either. You are not alone. 🙂

    5. Especially Autumn! The spring floral pattern of the skirt, paired with what looks like a navy wool cape, is wrong together. I wonder if she planned on wearing another coat, but the weather turned cool. If so, this may explain why the skirt and hat do not go with the cape.

       1. The first thing I thought on seeing the pictures of Autumn, was that she was expecting. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if an announcement was made…after Cambridge2’s arrival, of course!

    6. No you aren’t. And Sophie needs to take a look at Louise’s wardrobe. She’s 11 or 12, not 4!

       I liked Sophie’s coat and shoes, though. The hat, not so much.

14. Personally I think it must be difficult to dress a preteen girl in the public sphere like this. Do I think Louise is dressed very “young”? Definitely. But I read a comment on another website about how some parents might be uncomfortable letting her wear sheer tights at that age, which is a completely foreign concept to me because I don’t think I’ve ever been dressed in white tights. And she’s wearing a pretty fashionable Dolce & Gabanna dress under that coat, and if I were advising her I’d definitely tell her to keep wearing flats as long as she can.

    But I also saw people say Leonor’s skirt is too short. Which sort of befuddled me, I don’t like the idea of policing young girls’ skirt lengths or sleeve length or whatever because I feel like it pushes adult standards onto a kid who’s probably growing like a weed and has “more important” things to care about than fashion.

    I dunno, this was kind of a rambling post but girls’ appearances and clothing choices are always made a big deal of before they should be.

    1. I have never worn white tights (that I can remember, possibly when I was baby but I don’t think even then), but I did start wearing nude tights when I was about… the first memory I have of them was at my grandfather’s 70th birthday party when I was 8. So I don’t see the problem with a kid wearing nude tights, but that’s just me.

    2. I have to admit I find it a bit odd that people are so up in arms about what Lady Louise wears. From my experience children can be very particular about what they like to wear, even at a very young age. So I don’t think we immediately should assume that Sophie is dictating her daughter’s clothes. Louise may just possibly “like” these clothes.

       1. I agree Art, I had my granddaughters visiting, they are 4 and 6, and very particular about what they wore. I took them cowboy boot shopping and they insisted on wearing their long, princess nightgowns, we were quite a sight walking down Main Street. LOL I even wondered while I was writing my post above, that Louise might have been the one to select this outfit and not Sophie.

          1. Hehe, my cousin has a daughter who insists on wearing sparkly things and sometimes even a pink tut. I fact, I have often seen little girls wearing tutus while their stressed out parents try to get the shopping done. 🙂

             PS.
             I bet your grand-daughters had fun. 🙂

       2. I wouldn’t say up in arms, but I do wonder if Louise likes her clothes. Mostly because she’s at that age where most girls really want to feel a bit more grown up, which is hard to do in white tights and school sandals. And a pink coat that looks much too small! but maybe you’r’re right and she’s got a fondness for it.

15. I don’t know how any of them walk around on cobblestones in heels.

    1. I know right

    2. My feet are sore just looking at those heels. I used to be able to run in 4″ heels, getting old is no fun 🙁

       1. My ankles hurt just watching them try to negotiate those cobblestones. It is a wonder that they have not sprained/broken an ankle by now

    3. I agree with you Dag Tagart! Those cobblestones in Stockholm, especially in Gamla Stan, are hard to walk on even in a medium height heel! Even worse when there is snow, or melted snow, on the ground.

16. Friends, I am not trying to turn anyone against Sophia & i respect your opinions! When Madeliene become engaged to Chris, Vic & Dan public state their congratulations. When C.P. got engaged Vic & Dan have remained silent! When Victoria was recently in Korea, someone asked about her about the wedding she said that it is march & basically did not state any thing about C.P. engagement! Vic & Mad are very good friend with Carl Philip’ s previous girlfriend! In 1 clip C.P is pushing Sophia toward Victoria at a sports events, Vic just listens & remains silent. Vic & Mad always interacted with their brothers prevous girlfriend. recently Vic, Carl & mad attended a cousin’s baby’s christening. Vic & Mad their family walked to and from the church together. Sophia & C.P. walked alone puting distane the sisters! The queen of denmark is carl philip’s godmother & has not been invited this year to Queen Margethe birthday party! Is It Is it because of Sophia i do not know? Previously c.p. has always been invited! No reason has been stated publicly! C.P sprang the engagement on the public, just like bill did! Sophia has shown no interest in charity before carl Phillip! Queen Sylvia’s body language was very telling at the engagement anouncement! Why did Sylvia had to rush back to Sweden & what was the rushing back for? Could it not wait? I am not casting aspirations or have it in for Sophia! Carl Philip & s.h. both cheated on his former girl! When some one says they do not regret their past actions. it tells what kind of a character they have. Decent people regret negative past actions! I regret some past negative actions i have done! I am far from perfect & i am not being judgemental! If S.H. not regret past behavour, why is she allowing people whitewash & erase her past! It comes accross as hypocritical! I do not hate or know S.H. If C.P. were not a royal would she be interested in him? I do not know! Because of S.H. past negave actions she has to prove to be trusted & respected! If & if is a big if sophia do that prove herself to people i woul give her a chance! I will wait & see! Friends thank you for reading my post. Halia!

    1. I agree that her past actions were not good, but many people don’t have the same views about pornography. Maybe the underlying theme of her comment was more about not having double standards for different sexes? If people have no problems with men viewing pornography then they should not have any problems with the porn stars either. Also if Carl Philip treated a past girlfriend that badly then that reflected badly on him first and foremost. However, many people make mistakes and we don’t know all of the details. Maybe the former girlfriend was just in it for the title. Maybe she was being pushed on him as a suitable bride? Maybe he and Sofia genuinely love each other? I think it’s good to give people the benefit of the doubt and not assume the worst – like you said, give them a chance.

    2. Halia,

       I get that you don’t like Sofia for whatever reason, but you are somewhat disingenious in your claim that you’re not casting aspersions on her. In one of your former posts you insinuated that she pockets the proceeds from PP for herself and that is very close to slander in my book! You also insinuated that PP isn’t a legitimate charitable organization, apparently without bothering to do any research on it. Then you grossly misrepresented a statement of hers regarding rape victims, which KMR then corrected. Finally, there is no evidence so far that she didn’t co-found PP, which you claim without any shred of evidence. So, sorry, but I simply cannot believe you when you say that you don’t cast aspersions on her character because that is exactly what your previous posts read like.

       BTW, maybe she doesn’t regret her past because she’s not ashamed of it. Remember that attitudes towards sexuality and pornography are very different across the world and the sexual mores a quite relaxed in Scandinavia. Personally, I find it absolutely horrid that women should be shamed for their sexual past.

       Furthermore, her past hasn’t been whitewashed, everyone know that she worked as a glamour model and did nude photos, so it isn’t being erased – it is just not that big a deal in Scandinavia. On the other hand, had she cheated on her taxes or driven while drunk (or committed anyother crime), she would be in a sh*t-storm of trouble.

       1. AH, the first set of photos she did (with parental permission) are considered child p 0 r n in Sweden. It was illegal to take photos like that of someone aged 16, that’s why she had to leave the country to participate in the photo shoot.

          1. Her parents should be taken to task for allowing it then. When reading about adolescent statutory rape it’s almost always stated that their brains aren’t fully developed and capable of adult discernment and not capable of informed consent when manipulated by an adult for sex. Why should Sophia be held to a different standard?

             1. Exactly, those first photos are her parent’s fault for not only allowing it but helping her do it by taking her out of the country.

          2. My2Pence,
             That means that her parents were the ones in violation – in these kinds of cases it are the adults that are punished, not the minors – and at 16 she would stil have been a minor.

             bluehare,
             Because she’s marrying a handsome prince. The knives have certainly also been out for Mette-Marit, Letizia and Mary in certain corners of the internet. It is just an observation of mine but it sometimes do seem as if the women married to the more handsome royal men attract much more ire and vitriol than those married to the less handsome ones, especially on certain royal forums.

    3. Maddie is also not going to Margrethe’s birthday party.

       Why does not regretting past actions mean someone is a horrible person? What about realizing that past actions – both positive and negative – inform who we are currently? Just because someone doesn’t regret their past doesn’t mean they like their past. They may hate what happened in their past but understand they would not be who they are today without going through that, and therefore they would not regret their past. That doesn’t make them a bad person, that IMO makes them smart because they’ve thought about their lives and analyzed their past actions and learned and grew from them.

       1. Well said.

          Some people are judgmental, even when they protest that they are not.

       2. As far as I know only King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia are confirmed as guests at Margrethe’s birthday.

          I’ve done a little research on the rumour that Sofia and Carl Philip were purposefully snubbed for this event and I think I have a plausible explanation: the Swedish tabloid Expressan ran a story about how it would be great if Sofia could attend the birthday celebration and get som “royal” training on the spot. How that has gotten turned into a story about a deliberate snub is unclear but I guess that it could easily come about through bad translation software or simply someone grossly misrepresenting this story on a royal gossip site (my guess is RoyalDish since they seem to be particularly aggrieved by Sofia and they do tend towards fiction when it comes to the royal ladies they don’t like such as Mary, Sofia and Kate).

       3. I wonder if Sofia stated something along the lines of saying she doesn’t regret her past, but has learned as she has matured. Also, some behavior and postings can be something which will follow you into your future and you never know where you will end up in years to come. What if you fall in love with the law and become an attorney or a judge. For instance, do you want your drunkedy drunk photos shown on the net. Why can’t Sofia go a little further than stating she doesn’t have any regrets. Perhaps, using her history as a teaching lesson for younger girls would calm some of her critics.

          1. Sofia on her time as a nude model and reality-TV star: “For me, it’s pretty boring. It happened 10 years ago, and I moved on with my life. But no regrets. All experiences build a person, although I wouldn’t do it now if you asked me.”

             So not as in depth as we would probably like, but she seems to have realized that even bad experiences make a person who they are. I agree it would be great if she were to use her experiences and realizations about her experiences as a teaching tool.

             1. That’s all I ask for. Use her experiences to move girls who may think it’s okay or a way to become famous, rich, whatever from that arena. You can’t control everyone and people will do what they want, but at least offer the chance to learn.

17. Maybe since Sofia has seen how boring people think KM is, she has decided to mimic her dressing somewhat. Long matronly dress? Deep blue color? Nude LK Bennet Pumps (which still look nicer thank Kate’s)?

    I am a fan of Sofia right now. If she continues to do meaningful work and takes her role in the Swedish RF seriously I think she will be one of my favorites. Also I like her confidence. I don’t like or personally approve of her past behavior, but that’s my opinion and I don’t think it should be in focus in the media. Her work with young women through Project Playground seems to be amazing and empowering. I can’t wait to see her grow into her role.

    I sincerely hope she is not trying to make herself into a boring public figure.

    1. I vividly remember how Mette-Marit was forced to publicly apologize for her wild past on norwegian television when she got engaged to CP Haakon. It was very humiliating and I felt very sorry for her. We all make mistakes, and she made some bad decisions in her youth, but having to publicly apologize for them on national tv was IMO beyond the pale.

       The thing is many of us like the fairy tale – a princes/princess meet an ordinary (non-royal) personal, falls in love and marry for love. This also means that their spouses come with a past, especially in this day and age. If royal spouses has to be completely inoffensive and have a completely spotless reputation (and, truely, who has that?) then the only solution is to arrange a marriage with a teenage virgin. They tried that in Britain with Charles and Diana – and look how that turned out!

       1. Well said.

       2. And Mette Marit turned into one of the most gorgeous royal brides in recent memory. Her dress was absolutely stunning.

          1. I loved her dress – it looked like it had been made by fairies and from spider-silk. Few women can carry off such a simple look.

             1. I love that description, AH. It fits — she looked like I picture Guinevere would look if she were transported to our time.

                The bridal bouquet, while not my favorite, got style points too.

             2. The bridal bouquet is certainly in a rather “unique” style – I didn’t care for it.

       3. I hope CP Haakon realizes what a wonderful woman he has. I don’t know if I could agree to be publicly humiliated in order to marry or marry a man that would go along with that. Oh, the crazy things we do for love. Did I read correctly that Haakon formally adopted her son?

          1. Their wedding was one of the most moving ceremonies I have ever seen – the love between them was just so beautiful to see. There’s also a very sweet photo from before the ceremony where both Haakon and Queen Sonja are adjusting Mette-Marit’s veil.

             CP Haakon was willing to renounce his title for her! At this point his older sister Princess Märtha-Louise was very close to give give up her HRH and her apanage to become a tax-paying business woman – so if both had left from the royal house there would have been no heir. She did the interview after their engagement, when their union had been formally approved. I think it was more case of PR management in order to get the people to accept her. She has steadily worked on winning them over for the last decade but I haven’t much of an idea how her popularity is among the Norwegians.

             The whole family has been welcoming to Mette-Marit’s son Marius. I’m not sure that Haakon has formally adopted Marius – at least, I haven’t been able to find any info on it. However, he is definitely as much part of the family as his half-siblings.

          2. Wonderful? She barely does anything to be considered wonderful and I’m sure all the perks she gets flying around the world, attending conferences on causes that she has nothing to do with on a daily basis and glittering galas with Gwyneth Paltrow have done more than enough to make up for her one moment of so-called humiliation.

             As far as her popularity, I don’t live in Sweden but from what I hear from someone in Sweden, it’s not very good. Anyone else, do give your thoughts on the matter, I’m just saying what I’ve heard from one person. Her schedule is on par with Kate Middleton’s at all times. There are those Royal Watchers who applaud her, so I looked into her and all I could wonder was what for. Must be for just looking pretty. Even now the comments patting her on the back are for her looking good in a wedding gown. Nothing of substance.

             Honestly, I don’t care what anyone says. I find it strange that so many of these princes could’ve had their pick of beautiful accomplished women but all chose to go with those who’ve had to have their pasts whitewashed.

             1. Well, the heart wants what the heart wants – as I said in another post. These princes have married who they love, not whom the public might like best.

                Personally, I don’t think it ought to be necessary to have women’s past “white-washed”, there will always be something that someone won’t like – and an arranged marriage with a teenage virgin (with no past) isn’t really a workable solution anymore.

             2. That’s the thing though. When you’re a prince, princess, King, or Queen you have other obligations and loyalties that go beyond your heart wanting what it wants. That’s why I’m not gung-ho for monarchies, among other reasons. They are the epitome of the sage old advice: Don’t mix business with pleasure, especially in the age we live in. Not that any of these people truly run the countries they represent anymore, but they are still representatives and considered leaders. Their spouses, will also be considered this by extension. To me, it’s all about practicality at that point and having someone stand beside you that only adds. There’s no room for true love and fairytales. If you have it fine but that’s not what’s important in this arena. How you represent the country and what you do for the country and its people is.

                There may be something in someone’s past that someone doesn’t like but that doesn’t mean that it’s so bad it needs to be whitewashed. It seems that with every bride that marries in by a prince, more will be expended in money spent on PR trying to make them acceptable than what they’ll ever give back to the monarchy or the country. I’ll add that I think that these brides the princes have married, and I’ll throw their names out there specifically: Camilla, Kate Middleton, Sofia, and Mette Merrit, very much want their pasts to be whitewashed. I don’t get the impression in any way by any of them that they own their pasts. I’m not saying anyone has to atone for anything (well, minus rape, murder, etc.) but they do have to own it. With Sofia, I just think she plays the game better.

       4. Yeah, I don’t think I would publicly apologize either, regardless of my past behavior.

18. Regarding the Lady Louise’s clothes, I wouldn’t be wearing nude pantyhose right now as an adult (in that area of the world.) No direct sun and colder temperatures = warm stockings or pants for me.

19. Arthistorian, i am only repeating what i have read and do not know the swedish language! There has been white wash i how a swedish lady who says there things that are well known have been removed to make s.h. look more respectable! I am trying keep an open mind on s.h. I did keep an open mind on km & i was wrong! I am not trying change anyone opinion about S.H. I respect your opinion! I do not want argue with anyone! I am simply state i am going to wait see what will happen? I am far from perfect & would not allow anyone to erase or whitewash my past the this situation is being allowed to. Thank you.

20. I hope Prince Carl-Philip shaves his beard/or trims it, and gets a better haircut for the wedding.

    1. I like his beard, but it could certainly use a trim. Ditto on his hair 🙂

    2. The beard is kind of his signature and at this point would look weird without it. But I agree that he should clean it up for the wedding. Trim the beard a good deal and do something with his hair. Just have a cleaner look for the wedding – but still enough of his look to look like himself.

21. Arthistorian, i do not hate some one do not know. Please lets not go on about this. I wish everyone a great day! Halia

22. Pink paint = red herring. At least I hope so.

    1. At least it’s not beige paint. I hope Kate has borrowed some fantastic pieces from the royal collection to decorate their homes, anything to bring some color into a beige home.

    2. I really hope so. I’m going to laugh when the baby turns out to be a boy and people are upset about it after spending 8 months giving all these reasons for, and hoping for, it being a girl.

23. Happy Easter and spring to everyone here!

    Agree with the sentiment of Lady Louise dressing young. I wonder if she chooses to dress like that since she’s a little shy, and maybe isn’t terribly outgoing with kids her age (and thus doesn’t quite know how to dress) because of the issues with her eye when she was younger? Some kids are also “young” 11’s instead of precocious ones, and maybe Louise is on the younger end of her age? (As for Sophie, I love her look. Beatrice looks nice too. But, Autumn Philips needed a better outfit and shoes- I can’t stand those nude heels.)

    The little Spanish princesses are so gorgeous. Both of them are going to be heartbreakers when older! And the little Swedish babies are just adorable (knocking on wood Victoria is having a second!).

    Oh dear. Prince Albert looks like he ate far too much Easter candy ahead of the holiday. But Princess Charlene looks nice.

    All hail Queen Maxima! I love that she has a presence with the UN. She sets a fantastic standard!

    Great post as usual KMR!

24. I just went back and took another peek at our Hot Guy of the Month!! Thanks again, KMR these pictures are sure a day brightener!

25. Hi all,

    Here is an interesting article about Prince George and how little the British people have seen of him.

    http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/camilla-tominey/568415/Camilla-Tominey-Prince-George-public-eye-lottery-winners-bullied-teachers

    1. Great article, Lauri from CA.

       I’m not surprised the British have not seen much of Prince George. They hardly see his “NOT FULL-TIME ROYAL” parents. Sometimes, the only explanation I find for W&K ill-advised decisions is that he will abdicate after his grandmother’s passing and he is preparing for his future life in seclusion.

       I’ve read on here how he is a bit jealous of Harry and how he demands attention for being heir to the throne but I don’t understand why that would be. I have always felt he loathes this “duty” bestowed upon him.

26. I’m not sure if it is true or not, but it is being reported that Kate will take a longer maternity leave this time. She came back to work 2 months after having George and supposedly decided that was too soon and wants longer with the new baby this time around. If that is true, I guess that makes sense on why so many appearances in March. It was to load up her numbers so she can take the Summer off. So much for her starting to work more.

    1. I read this article too, it prompted another Kate “sighing”. 🙂 Here’s the link,

       http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20913575,00.html

       1. Lol, agree on the ‘sighing’. Part of me thinks Kate just doesn’t want to make an appearance until she is back to her normal size. I know she cares a lot about her figure, so when I saw she wanted more time off, I figured it was just so she can get back into shape. Sorry, that is pretty cynical of me :). I’m sure though, there will be many shopping sightings during her maternity leave.

27. The more I see other European royal families out and about, working, contributing to the greater good; the more I realize that the English royal family is a waste of space. They need a complete overhaul to even try and compete with the others. Maxima is incredibly glamorous, I love the Swedes and Victoria is a power house, and Charlene is right up there too; and, say what you will about Sofia, but she’s done more in a short span of time than Kate Middleton has done in 10+ years. What have we got? Lazy Kate, Wee Willie Winge and Charlie and Cam who love their country estate and horse races; Harry is the only hope for the next generation. The Windors better catch up quick because they’re failling further and further behind.

    1. If memory serves, wasn’t it Princess Diana who tried to push and shove the BRF towards the next century. She was labeled so many negative things, and sadly some of the labels have stuck, but she knew if change didn’t happen the future of the family was tenuous.

    2. Katie, I agree with you 100%. I think the hope of the Royal Family of Britain lies with Harry. He seems to get it. He has his Mum to thank for that.,
       I read a blurb from an upcoming PEOPLE Magazine that reports Kate is intending to take a longer maternity leave this time than she did with PG. So, all that work prior to the new baby will mean little if she stops working again until the summer. I don’t begrudge any new mother time off to bond with her new baby and get back to herself after pregnancy and delivery, but do you think Kate will be falling back upon her lazy ways?
       The article also said that she will continue in the future to work on behalf of the issue that is so important to PW and her — help for children with depression and other mental afflictions . Well, that is good news. Hope it’s true.
       Still, Will and Kate are doing little to compete with their other European counterparts.
       I don’t think they care, though. And, therein lies the rub.

       1. I will point out to you all in the “Maxima/Victoria/Charlene vs. Katie” thing, that there is a difference between them and Katie. Maxima is Queen and Charlene is Princess, while Victoria is the Crown Princess. Two of the three of them are consorts of sovereigns (or sovereign prince in the case of Charlene) and the other is Queen. Katie is the wife of the second-in-line to the throne, which is two steps removed. The last time there were three princes in direct line of succession were Queen Victoria’ successors at the turn of the 20th century: Albert Edward the Prince of Wales, Prince George the Duke of York and Prince Edward of York. Like Willy in the military, the Duke of York was a career naval officer who only became in direct line of succession through the death of Prince Albert Victor (or “Eddy” as the family called him). Like Willy and Waity, the Duke and Duchess of York were very popular (depending on whom you ask in the former case) but for the first several years of their marriage, George was criticized for focusing more on his naval career than his duties as a high-profile royal (Sound familiar?).

          1. Oh, yes. Sounds familiar. However, one can only wonder when Charles will take to the throne and how long he will be there. W&K need to prepare themselves. Their laziness and lack of interest in what their future holds is more than apparent to most people. I don’t begrudge them a private life, but I certainly think something is definitely lacking in their approach to what their destiny is.

28. Just awesome. I hope the writers take no prisoners.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3030671/William-Kate-s-puppet-makeover-Duke-Duchess-Cambridge-royals-set-lampooned-ITV-s-newest-comedy-sketch-show.html?offset=0&max=100&reply=82294667&jumpTo=comment-82294667#comment-82294667

    1. How funny! They have Kate’s big *man* hands spot on! (now before I’m criticized for that comment… Kate’s body weight when not pregnant is so low that in comparison it make her hands look huge)

29. Sholux, i agree with you 100%! Halia.

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