The Wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William: The Day After

The title sounds dramatic--too bad there wasn't some near-miss cataclysmic natural disaster to go along with it, like in the movies.

Date:  30 April 2011
Place:  London
Event:  Day after the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

First we see the happy couple walking the grounds of Buckingham Palace, preparing to depart for the first leg of their honeymoon.

In fact, this is just a mini-honeymoon for the couple.  They spent a few days at a yet undisclosed location somewhere in the UK.  They left the palace via helicopter--a great way to keep people off the scent.

The newly minted Duchess looked lovely in what seems to be her signature color--blue.  The dress is a pleated, sleeveless, belted number from a store called Zara.  In fact, the dress was available for sale online, but seems to have now sold out.  Inventory in-store varies, and yes there are Zara stores in America!  (Mainly on the east coast.)

The Duchess also wore a tailored black jacket (designer yet unknown) and a pair of patent wedges that we actually saw her wear the day before the wedding, as well.  The "Greta" wedges are by LK Bennett and are in the process of being reissued, as they are a slightly older model, to meet the demand to dress like Kate.

Finally, we have the sister of the bride leaving the hotel the day after the wedding with her family.  Rumor has it that she was up partying until 5 a.m. and only managed a few hours of sleep before this photo was snapped.  I want to know what her secret for looking so well-rested is!  Anyway, Pippa, too wore Zara the day after--in this case, she is wearing a Zara blue blazer.  (Did they plan that, do you think?)  She is carrying a Bristol medium grab handbag by Modalu London.  There's been a feeding frenzy for it, too, but if you're interested in buying, look here.  My favorite part of her ensemble is her footwear--she's purportedly wearing a pair of Tory Burch ballet pumps.

So, now we conclude our royal wedding 2011 coverage.  That is, until Zara Phillips gets married in a couple of months.  Hurrah!

Now, back to the regular schedule!  Thanks for reading and stay tuned.

The Honeymoon of Elizabeth, Duchess of York

88 years ago and a plethora of photos!  Let's look back at the honeymoon of the future King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Date:  April - May 1923
Place:  England and Scotland
Event:  Honeymoon of the Duke and Duchess of York (Elizabeth and Albert, later King George VI)

Elizabeth's honeymoon wardrobe was very much in the style of wedding dress--baggy and very ill-suited for her womanly figure.  Here, the newlyweds prepare to depart London for the first leg of their honeymoon at Broadlands.

Elizabeth's hat and outfit looks quite different from opposite angles--but it is the same outfit!

Once at Broadlands, the newlyweds posed for photographs playing golf and enjoying the grounds.

How sweet do the newlyweds look here?

In the next photo, the couple are seen leaving a church service at Bookham while on their honeymoon.

In the next photo, the Duke seems to be wearing identical clothes.  Indeed, Elizabeth's outfits appear at first glance to be the same but there are slight differences:  different handbags, different waistlines, a large front pleat in one skirt and not the other, and most noticeably quite different hats--the first being rather wide-brimmed and the second a smaller, cloche hat.  The second photo is believed to have been snapped at Glamis Castle, Elizabeth's home in Scotland, where she "unromantically" caught whooping cough.

As we will explore eventually here at Fashionably Royal, Elizabeth's style certainly evolved over time.  She eventually dumped the baggy, formless dresses seen in these early photos for much more becoming outfits.

Stay tuned to Fashionably Royal for more honeymoon fashions and the evolution of the Queen Mother's style!

The Honeymoon of Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth II)

Today, we continue our look at royal honeymoon fashions with Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II).

Date:  November 1947
Place:  England and Malta
Event:  Honeymoon of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip

As one looks farther back to royal fashions, the less is known about specific designers.  That is the case with Princess Elizabeth's honeymoon fashions.  Nonetheless, they're worth looking at--her fashion sense has remained timeless over the past six decades!

Here, the Prince and Princess set out for Waterloo Station from whence they traveled to Broadlands for the first leg of their honeymoon.

Once at Broadlands, the couple were photographed walking and enjoying the grounds.

In 2007, for their 60th wedding anniversary, the Queen and Prince had a second honeymoon returning to the Broadlands (and also Malta; see below) as pictured here.  Notice that she's wearing the same jewelry and Philip's suit is very similar.  Perhaps we can guess that her 1947 suit was blue, as well.

Following their time at Broadlands in 1947, the royal couple traveled to Balmoral in Scotland just as her parents had twenty-four years previously.  Sadly for us, there are no public photos of the couple at Balmoral in 1947.

Philip was on active duty as an officer in the navy.  So, as his honeymoon ended, he returned to service.  He was posted to Malta and Elizabeth followed him there.  Before she became Queen in 1952, she spent much of her time in Malta and it is considered the last leg of their honeymoon.

Save for some changes in button and pocket styles, these clothes could well be worn in the twenty-first century.  While the Queen has rarely taken fashion risks, she is still undeniably a solidly fashionable woman!

Stay tuned to Fashionably Royal for more royal honeymoon fashions in the days to come!

The Honeymoon of Sarah, Duchess of York

More honeymoon fashions!

Date:  July-August 1986
Place:  England (London and Portsmouth)
Event:  Honeymoon of Andrew and Sarah, Duke and Duchess of York

Following their July wedding, Sarah and Andrew left Buckingham Palace and took a helicopter to Heathrow Airport.  From there, they boarded a jet and flew to the Azores.  There, they were met by the royal yacht Britannia and spent about a week exploring the islands.  Then, they set a course for England and returned there, docking at Portsmouth, on 2 August.

Sarah wore this floral dress (designer unknown) while leaving Buckingham Palace and Heathrow Airport.

The carriage was reportedly filled with flower petals by Princess Diana and included a huge teddy bear and humorous signs ("Phone Home") attached to the back provided by Prince Edward.

Sarah and Andrew were not as pursued by cameras during their honeymoon as Diana and Charles. They also chose a slightly farther afield destination. Thus, there are fewer photos of the honeymooners.

Sarah was photographed wearing this patterned, white sweater (unknown designer) when the royal yacht Britannia returned to England at Portsmouth.

Stay tuned for more honeymoon fashions in the coming days!

The Honeymoon of Princess Diana

All right, now that the royal wedding madness is dying down a bit, let's look at some retro honeymoon fashions.

Date: July and August 1981
Place: England, the Mediterranean, and Scotland
Event: Honeymoon of Princess Diana and Prince Charles

Leaving from Buckingham Palace for Waterloo Station (where a private train was waiting to take them to Broadlands for the first leg of their honeymoon), Princess Diana wore a peach/salmon colored suit created by Bellville Sassoon.

The hat was created by John Boyd; Diana would repeat this style of hat throughout the next several years.

Following their time at Broadlands, Diana and Charles boarded a plane to Gibraltar.

Once in Gibraltar, the newlyweds boarded the royal yacht Britannia for a cruise around the Mediterranean.

The white and blue floral dress Diana wore in Gibraltar while setting sail on Britannia was designed by Donald Campbell.

Once on the yacht, Diana wore a number of dresses.

Including this polka dot dress (unknown designer).

And this striped, one-shoulder dress (unknown designer).  EDIT:  I have been informed that it may be a Mondi!

When they went ashore for time on the beach, Diana wore this bandeau-top bikini (unknown designer).

In Egypt, Anwar Sadat came aboard.

Diana wore this striped dress (unknown designer).

Eventually, the honeymooners made their way to Scotland.

On arrival in Scotland, Diana wore this white coat (unknown designer).

In Scotland, Diana and Charles spent the rest of their honeymoon at Balmoral.

A photo-call was arranged with the couple and Diana wore this iconic, tweed outfit designed by Bill Pashley.

Stay tuned for more (honeymooning) royal fashion!