101 thoughts on “Spain-UK State Visit Days 2-3: Letizia flawless in blue at Guildhall banquet”

1. Letizia is so elegant and poised. I absolutely loved the deep blue gown, the shape was lovely. You just know Anne had that dress from about 1981, but she looked good! I didn’t particularly like the first day’s yellow outfit, but other than that, some good looks, and some fabulous rocks! Interesting that she never wears a wedding ring of any kind.

   1. “You just know Anne had that dress from about 1981, but she looked good!”

      This gave me a good laugh.

      1. Me too!

      2. The puff sleeves was the giveaway.

      3. I’m impressed Anne has kept her weight down enough to fit in a thirty-six year old dress. Good for her!

         Anne was recycling clothing long before Waity showed up on the scene.

   2. As I understand it, she did used to wear her wedding & engagement rings but with all the hands she had to shake her hands were in agony so she dispensed with the rings in public which were exacerbating her discomfort.

      1. Oh right, do they wear wedding bands on the right hand in Spain?

         1. Not that I know of. I expect she shakes whatever’s thrust at her from whatever direction but because her hands are so tiny she was getting battered and bruised and in extreme discomfort…….or so I read.

            1. In most catholic countries in Europe people wear the wedding ring during the engagement on the left hand. At/after the wedding they put it on the right hand. The extra engagement ring was never a part of European “wedding culture” except for the rich and Royals. This engagement ring thing started with American movies since the 80ies.

            2. Thank you…..I never knew that. My Mum and my Gran have always wore theirs on left hands since they got engaged.

      2. Didn’t she stop wearing her rings when it came out that her engagement ring was tied to to the corruption scandal?

         1. Yes, you’re right. I’ve been looking into it and she took them off because they were purchased by the brother in law and it was linked to the money laundering scandal. I’ve also looked at pictures and the rings were on her left hand, as is common.

            1. So is the taking them off because they were hurting a myth then?

            2. Maybe the scandal was the reason but the handshake problem was the public explanation. Does the king wear a wedding ring? Once you’re queen and king, who needs rings? Wear the bling-bling when you want to, leave it off when you don’t want to.

2. Letizia is so good at accessories (and up do’s). I hope Kate took notes.

   1. I believe she has a stylist, and a d@mn good one at that. It really shows in how well she is put together.

3. Flawless… don’t need to add to that.

   1. I agree!!

   2. +1

4. Interesting that King Felipe gave Harry, Anne, and Andrew an additional Spanish order, but not William or Kate for that matter. Very interesting….

   1. I imagine it was because Anne, Harry and Andrew each played the role of “host” / RF representative at certain events during their visit.

      1. That’s what Richard Palmer said it was the reason for it.

      2. Why Harry and not William being involved in the visit? Just makes you wonder…..

         1. Kate had to spend time with the kids before going on a tour…..oops a tour where she’s taking the kids. And she has to get ready for men’s final at Wimbledon although she couldn’t be bothered to watch the British woman in the semis for the first time is …what…40 years? Or indeed the Spaniard winning today . What a shame the King and Queen weren’t there to watch her.

            1. It was a shame they weren’t there to see it. Felipe’s father was there. I saw him on Tv, he was talking to her after the presentation.

5. God, I can’t even. That blue dress is just gorgeous and she wears it like she was born in it. She looks like a statue of a goddess, with the way the gown drapes…

   I’m with you KMR, aside from the yellow outfit from the arrival, all of Letizia’s clothing has been just beautiful and flawless, in my opinion. I can’t think of another royal lady who can top her.

   1. +1

      1. +2

         1. +3

   2. When I first saw that yellow outfit I thought Lettie was emulating HM’s style at first meeting. No surprises, the kinds of outfit HM would see on the balcony for Trooping. That outfit was one HM could relate to. More modern outfits could be used later.

6. That blue gown with that tiara- ethereal. Though I thought the earrings Art Deco in style and out of sync with the rest of her lovely outfit. And her separates game is very very good. I don’t know another among her peers who wears them so well. She is an intuitively stylish woman.

   1. +1

   2. She is sheer perfection. That dress! How amazing she looks in it! She is a style icon.

   3. Leti is style personified. Elegant, classy, just gorgeous. She carries herself beautifully and appears to be really interested in all the places she goes and the people she meets. What a lovely, lovely woman. Her husband is not bad, either! Wow!!

7. I hadn’t realised that she wore Burberry for her tea at Clarence House. Sartorially she was absolute perfection during this state visit. Whoever her stylist is, she’s worth her weight in gold.

   1. +1. Letizia and her stylist provided a masterclass in elegance. The King is equally distinguished, warm and well-mannered.

      1. The colour coordination with that Top Shop skirt makes me swoon. Perfection.

         1. Agree; very sophisticated colour palette.

         2. I know, and it’s TOP SHOP! We can all look like that!! (if only…) Leti is perfection.

            1. She makes regular brands look classy and expensive whereas Kate wears high end fashion and always makes it look dull and cheap.

   2. Add her hairstylist to that too! I don’t know if it’s because of her past in media that helps but her hair, makeup and clothes are some of the best out there. I may not be a fan of some of her leather ensembles but she gets points for trying something new

   3. Has a good stylist — and listens to the stylist advice. All the sartorial and protocol and deportment advice in the world won’t matter unless she listens to it and learns from it. Evidently, she does.

8. Letizia’s blue gown is amazing!! My favorite gown by far for any royal this year!

9. Letizia dresses so elegantly and that posture! She and Felipe both looked amazing. I always enjoy seeing them. The thing that really impressed me is the prices. Quite a few of her pieces this tour have been very affordable items but she makes them look worth so much more. I have stopped looking or commenting on Kate articles because I can’t stand the spending. I hope she goes back to the high street pieces she used to wear.

   Princess Anne looked good too but the photo I loved most was her curtsey to Felipe. That’s my first time seeing her curtsy and she does it well! I guess I shouldn’t have expected any less from her.

   1. I agree about the spending, and high spending on similar outfits. Some of Letizia’s outfits are pricey, but she re wears them quite a lot. Some have been repeated for quite a few years now.

   2. Also, Letizia uses a lot of separates (Decent blouses, skirts and trousers) which give her more flexibility when she does reuse them. I thought she dressed really well for this tour, and the nods to British design (Top Shop and Burberry) were nicely chosen

      1. Yes, that’s true. She has some quality separates, good trousers and skirts and varies the look. Always business like for day, elegant for evening.

      2. We don’t see very many public examples of Kate using separates unless it’s jeggings, striped tops, cut-out jackets, and wedges. Separates do make for a more versatile wardrobe, something Lettie learned while working a non-monarchy job.

10. I too think that blue dress is perfection. Filippe is such a gentleman.

    1. The best thing in he knows it! He so clearly adores her.

11. The yellow outfit (especially the ruffles on the hate) from the first day remind me of Big Bird. It was my least favorite. Everything else? Wow!!

    Holy bling for this outfit! Lookit the size of those sapphires on the earrings! Dang! Love the tiaras she and Anne have brought to the table. Yes, I know that Anne’s dress is probably 30-35+ years old but you know what? She’s almost 67 and still has a wonderful figure and can still pull it off so kudos to her!

    Also, I like the burgandy/red shoes she’s wearing with an outfit that would’ve been seen as very bland. The champagne skirt design is simple yet pretty and isn’t wrinkled.

    The two-piece at Westminster Abbey is lovely, somber for the location (and occassion) but still has a summery feel to it.

    Whew! We’re officially in the “dog days of summer” here in Florida and we’ve been having an unusually up-swing in thunderstorms; not the usual afternoon rain that’s short, sweet and light but out-of-the-blue thunder and lightening storms that truly scare my dog (and me, for that matter). I cannot believe it is already mid-July.

    Where has 2017 gone?!

    1. Oddly enough I don’t hate Anne’s dress at all. I love the colour and fabric and it suits her. It actually seems like a timeless old fashioned ‘princess’ dress. Moreover, she is not trying to be a girly girl or a princess. It works!

       1. And no make up except for that zingy red lip- I love it!

12. How come Letizia didn’t receive an Order? Frankly the BRF does do the pomp and pageantry well, but then show their guests meanness too: like not giving an Order for Letizia to wear though she’s a queen consort and serving your royal guests radishes and beans at a State Dinner, no less.

    It’s hilarious to see the always uppity and arrogant Anne who’s known to be more pleasant to horses than people, falling over herself to bow to The Spanish Monarchs! Hahahahaha! If she lives long enough to see Willie and Waity Kaity as Monarchs, ? that she curtsies to them like this too! Hahahahaha

    Interesting that WK being the direct heirs weren’t more involved in planning and participating more in this State Visit. They like to lord it over the peasants, but don’t want to bother showing due respect and regard to royals higher than their rank.

    Letizia is gorgeous and now that’s what you call a style icon! Kate won’t ever match up to that in 10 lifetimes! Since people are paying for Letizia’s wardrobe, I as a public actually want to see my queens looking fashionable and elegant and beautiful, almost all the time.

    Felipe is so handsome and gentle!

    1. I think Anne might take to a wheelchair before she bows to William and Kate, should the monarchy still be in place then and in its present over-funded form. The BRF is arrogant – too much undeserved privilege and zero humility. Too much money is frittered away on keeping them feeling superior.

       1. Interesting point, Jen. Would they continue to feel superior with only a title and no bags of free money? I’m thinking of all the great houses of impoverished aristos- either they marry money or work their inheritance which depends on friendly association with plebs- their bread and butter. For instance what would the likes of the princelings do if the money stopped? Do a David and mooch off the rich for the rest of their lives? What would it take to humble them? It would be so sweet if they could no longer afford PR.

       2. “I think Anne might take to a wheelchair before she bows to William and Kate” – LOL.

       3. Jen: ”I think Anne might take to a wheelchair before she bows to William and Kate…”
          Anne would never let them see that she can’t curtsey, she’ll just adopt a new curtsey, the Waity dip. Put one foot back a little bit, bend a twinge, bob the head, straighten out. Either that or she’ll beg off the engagement and send Zara as her rep.

          1. Or send one of the horses if Zara begs off? I was joking re. the wheelchair; can’t imagine Anne even considering bowing to Kate – Beyond The Pale.

             1. Loved the wheelchair joke. If I were Anne, I would refuse to curtsey to Waity. Tawdry arriviste. What are they gonna do- jail me?

                That was a gorgeous curtsey. Still, I cringe when I see it.

    2. HM never gives female consorts an Order or anything. Throwback to how she was raised, I’d imagine. Stupid, isn’t it, but I think she mentally is clearly in the 1930s with a lot of her views.

       The food seems fine to me. Typical uppity stuff. The beef sounded delicious! There has been far worse at US state dinners.

13. I thought Letizia did an amazing job planning her wardrobe for this trip. Both evening gowns are great, though I am fighting the urge to tell her to pull up the strap on the left side of the blue one. As many have said, I like her use of separates. A couple of her earring choices were a little questionable – the turquoise and diamond in particular seem more evening than day and were really over the top with the outfit but, they are pretty and big enough to be seen so I’ll give her a pass.

    I only have two major problems with her style – her hair and her shoes. I admit I have never been a fan of really long hair. When Letizia cut her hair to the shorter bob, she looked amazing, modern, professional and polished. I realize the longer length gives her more flexibility for putting her hair up, but her daytime looks have gone down hill. Her hairstyle on the last day was, to my mind, more suited to her pre-teen daughters than to her. It lacked polish and sophistication. I could see it if she was on her own time and wearing jeans but not when working.

    Some of Letizia’s shoe choices are truly hideous. Fortunately she left those at home. My big problem with her shoes is the height of the heel. If you look at pictures of her feet, she is walking and standing on her toes and part of the ball of her foot. Humans weren’t meant to stand that way. In some pictures, you can really see the veins on the top of her feet popping put due to the stress she is putting on them. It is not very attractive. When she is wearing sandals, her toes are bent in a way that shows they are becoming permanently curled from being crammed into close-toed shoes. She is ruining her feet and will be facing some very painful foot surgery in the future if she wants to be able to walk when she is an old lady. If she is trying to minimize the height difference with her husband, she needs to just accept it. As you can probably tell, I don’t buy into that Louboutin idiot’s philosophy that glamour requires pain. I will now get off my soapbox.

    1. To me super high heels are akin to foot binding. Kate’s feet have turned out to be ugly too, due to the contortions necessary to wear them (Exhibit A: those strappy purple shoes where she looks on tippy toes). Both are fashion victims, IMO. It’s not like they walk to the car, and spend the rest of an event sitting.

       1. Very true. I don’t think very high heels are particularly elegant, and they do damage the feet. I would like to see more modest heel height worn,!

    2. I thought Letizia’s hair on day 3 was very pretty.

       I agree with you on the “beauty requires pain” thing. Total rubbish.

       1. Like Leti I’m surrounded by very tall husband and sons. I love me heels even if they hurt sometimes. Flats make me depressed. Sad I know but true..

          1. If I may ask, why do flats make you depressed?

             1. Being a very short person I don’t like flats either, I am always looking up at everyone, including teenagers! So I always wear some kind of heel, usually cute low-heeled sandals or wedges for summer. I’d kill for some of Kate’s wedges, honestly, haha.

             2. I just don’t feel good in flats. I don’t feel dressed up or smart. I wore flats yesterday to a family event and everyone commented on how short I was….well most people there were 6 inches taller than me and I’m not short. At home I wear no shoes.

             3. I am short too (5 foot) and love, love, love flat shoes. I only do Italian shoes, beautifully made, and am immensely comfortable. You can get edgy little numbers in flats through to the more conservative, as the need arises. Apart from the fact that people would fall over laughing if I wore very high heels, the very real prospect of me falling over in an attempt to walk keeps my short, comfortable and with feet in good nick. A designer who wants to inflict pain on a wearer just doesn’t like women.

    3. Notice with Louboutin, he’s only talking about women….

       1. I recently watched a programme about Louboutin.
          He now designs “shoes” for the fetish market taking suffering for beauty to a whole new ugly and painful level.
          For example, stilettos joined back to back at the heel. Conjoined almost.
          I found this aspect of his business disturbing.

          eve: I wouldn’t be surprised if men do wear Louboutin. In private. 🙂

       2. I suppose the Louboutin philosophy is ‘if you’re off your feet, heel height doesn’t matter’ hmmmm. I think that’s why the recent fad for platform shoes was so popular. The raised platform gave height without distorting the distance from toe to heel. Shoe fashion is very rarely about comfort and always about featuring a shapely leg. 🙁

       3. Yes. ‘Mansplaining’ as they say these days. He shows his nasty disdain for women and a freaky interior life.

14. Thanks for the wonderful post KMR!!!

    With the exception of the yellow arrival outfit, the fashion on this tour was perfection and the jewelry selection was sublime.

15. I adore Leti’s sapphire earrings, but the blue gown was boring for me…

16. I absolutely love the blue look! You should have shown a pic of her hair from the back that just added to the perfection! It was some braided do ?
    I’m with you, I loved all of Leti’s looks but the yellow. I still think she looked nice in it but it wasn’t to my taste
    I think it’s the mayors wife but I find it interesting that someone would say dye everything but the bangs please!

17. The Spanish queen is sooo elegant. Can’t add anything to what’s been said, except that I even liked the yellow outfit, which I thought was a subtle nod to HMQ’s style.

    1. Yes!

    2. That’s a credible explanation, and a thoughtful nod to the Queen whom Letizia would be meeting/working with at that engagement. Every other outfit was superb. What an elegant, refined and mature couple Felipe and Letizia are. A world away from the Cambridge’s approach to their roles.

18. Gorgeous! Letizia looked amazing this whole trip. My only small criticism is the diamond and sapphire earrings with that tiara. I love the earrings/brooch/bracelets with the dress, but the tiara seems oddly mismatched. It would look better with the Prussian Diamond Tiara. IMHO. She still looks amazing though.

    1. It’s odd but the tiara/earring combo works as a concept- it seems architectural in design- rather avant-garde, and fits with the sculptured lines of the gown. The choice seems counter intuitive. I imagined matching earrings to the tiara and it would look pretty and feminine, but not striking and assertive like this combo. As someone mentioned above the entire look launches her into greek goddess territory. (Ha! If someone explained this to me the way I have, I’d snort at them). I’m left ambivalent about the combo, but in a good way.

19. I think you’re doing a post on Victoria but I just saw pics and had to laugh. Maybe someone in Madeleine’s camp reads your post because they totes switched the kids up. Madeleine held Nicholas(can’t remember swede spelling) and Chris had Leonore =)

20. “I think it’s the mayors wife but I find it interesting that someone would say dye everything but the bangs please!”
    Another LOL.
    I have enjoyed reading comments to this post.
    There have been some rather amusing and pithy one-liners.

21. Kate’s at Wimbledon…well it is a men’s final, she couldn’t possibly watch women. And guess what? Another new dress. If Leti can recycle on a major State visit, why must Kate have new every time she walks out of the house? It really is becoming obscene.
    Does she even know that a British lady got to the semis this year? Shouldn’t she as patron support the British players even EVEN the women? I give up on her.

    1. I’m watching Wimbledon now… caught a glimpse of Kate but yet to see the outfit; at first I thought it similar to the one she wore to the museum the other day? A new one you say? Why on earth would she need a new dress? Her spending is really out of control. However, I’m unconvinced that the Queen or Charles care a jot; it’s not their money when all is said and done. And they don’t exactly go without themselves.

       I agree with your take about not being there for Konta’s semi-final. Unacceptable given the circumstances. Just not keen on supporting women who achieve through ability and hard work – a completely foreign concept to Kate. She hasn’t attended much Wimbledon this year; didn’t we joke that now that she was patron she may not want to turn up since it would be considered work? Pippa and Carole meanwhile have been parading around like they owned the joint. Back to what counts – the game!

       1. Hoping for Roger , and hoping for a good match. Don’t know quite what happened to Venus yesterday.

       2. The bottom of the dress had a floral pattern. So it’s a new dress. She is so wasteful. And what has she done but go to watch tennis and visit a museum the few times she has done anything this month.

          She has yet to visit her neighbours at Grenfell Towers. Not that I respect her, but she is moe shallow than I thought.

    2. I like the dress, despite it being appalling how much money she’s wasted this year and for what?

       What are the purple and black ribbons some of the ladies, Kate included, are wearing? Awareness ribbons?

       W&K are only going to the Men’s finals, they won’t go to the other ones.

       1. The purple and green (not black) are the Wimbledon colours; I think the bow is just the feminine version of support colours. Not sure if the purple flowers worn by some previous women champions had special significance or was just an honour extended to them?

          I’m glad the Duke of Kent presented the trophies; nice to see the four Federer kids in attendance this time too.

          1. Ahh. Thanks Jen!

    3. Kate’s not wearing another new dress is she? I thought it is the one she wore to the museum function? Im rather stunned if it is something new, it looks so close to the Preen dress.

       Not impressed that she didn’t go to the women’s final. Will be really unimpressed if she does the presentation at the end of the mens final as that is for the Duke of Kent.

       1. It’s definitely not the same dress as the Preen. This one has a floral print from the waist to the hem.

       2. Oh come on Cathy Kate can’t wear the same dress twice…what are you thinking. It’s new, it is probably expensive and she didn’t stay for the Brits in the mixed doubles. Shame on her.
          This patronage is a complete joke.

          1. Shame, shame, shame on Kate.

             If I were Johanna Konta, Heather Watson, or Jamie Murray, I’d be furious that Kate didn’t care enough to visibly support her nation’s own players in the last rounds of the tournament of which she is patron. And for a sport she supposedly is so passionate about. It’s disgraceful. Kate’s no true fan of tennis only of male sports celebrities.

             The Middletons successfully stalked William and now they appear to have successfully stalked the Federers as well. Such obvious opportunistic and manipulative social climbing is disgusting to witness.I’d love to see Roger successfully compete in more Wimbledons, but don’t think I can stand seeing the Middletons’ smug faces seated among Federer’s team again. Bad enough that they make frequent use of the royal box.

             1. Lizzie, I was surprised that Kate did not come and support Johanna Konta or Heather Watson. Surely staying for the Mixed doubles would have shown some solidarity for Jamie Murray. They showed an old photo of Kate with a friend at Wimbledon pre engagement and she looked a lot happier aside from the new hair cut. I don’t understand why Federer would even want something to do with the Middletons. All that blubbing from Federer today. I just thought why cry over a match. It was nice to see Federer’s kids. First time I have seen them. Isn’t Kate’s job to present the trophies?

             2. “All that blubbering from Federer today”. That is natural and normal for athletes, elite or not, when they win OR lose during major championships. I’ve seen it in all levels in all sports. They train and prepare and focus relentlessly. When all that hard work comes to fruition it is intensely emotional.

             3. Hi Laura, the Duke of Kent as president of the All England Club is the person who hands out the trophies. Traditionally really nothing much has ever been expected from the patron, I think–the Queen only attended a few times–but since Kate has such an interest in tennis it would be nice if she would do more than just watch men’s singles. And it’s such a joke that doing no more than that counts as “work” for her.

                And re the crying, even I had a few tears today! My heart went out to Cilic in that second set, and for Federer, setting a record, winning a 2nd grand slam in a year that was very uncertain, and doing so at an “advanced” age with his young children present. Very emotional.

          2. Birdy – Does Kate know you can wash a dress and that means you can wear it twice? Or even more than that?

22. Letizia has a lot of class!

23. off topic Princess Beatrice went on a vlog to talk about cyber bullying the Be cool be nice campaign. She appears at 6:24 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgudqprtQIo

    I will be interesting to see what more come of this

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