Commonwealth Day 2018

[Maria]

With all the blood diamonds/jewels with similarly gruesome origins, I imagine are in that vault - frankly, I wouldn’t blame her.

And yet she’s marrying into the family very willingly..

[genever]

No stand-outs for me.

Catherine looks nice, as does Sophie. Not keen on Camilla's coat.

I'm not a hat person so most hats look quite wrong to me.

Re. Meghan, white is nice on her. I'd guess that she prefers oversized clothes in general and stays away from anything too 'fitted'.
The neckline would have looked quite bare with the coat collar down, though I don't imagine she expected such scrutiny of the material (and
to be fair, one would have to be standing very very close to her to notice - or to care).

I hope she doesn't morph into yet another Stepford royal, obliged forever to dress in coat/dresses.

Can't see her as a hat person either and I hope she doesn't succumb to the dreaded fascinator.   

She seems more confident when she is not the sole focus of attention.

[freethespoon]

No stand-outs for me.

Catherine looks nice, as does Sophie. Not keen on Camilla's coat.

I'm not a hat person so most hats look quite wrong to me.

Re. Meghan, white is nice on her. I'd guess that she prefers oversized clothes in general and stays away from anything too 'fitted'.
The neckline would have looked quite bare with the coat collar down, though I don't imagine she expected such scrutiny of the material (and
to be fair, one would have to be standing very very close to her to notice - or to care).

I hope she doesn't morph into yet another Stepford royal, obliged forever to dress in coat/dresses.

Can't see her as a hat person either and I hope she doesn't succumb to the dreaded fascinator.    

She seems more confident when she is not the sole focus of attention.

This is a woman who wore mismatched earrings (very hard to see unless you're looking for it) to make a statement.  IMO, she knows she will be scrutinized.  She wore those earrings to get the pats.

The collar was a misstep IMO.

[Kaiserin]

...

The most "remarkable" outfit is Anne's.
For the simple fact that she first wore it 1980 - i.e., long before Kate & Meghan were even BORN.
Speak about being thrifty, speak about "keeping one's figure" - all the young duchesses and duchesses to be could take a note how easy it can be (or have you ever seen any headline about Anne "starving herself" - nonetheless, she seems to fit right into clothes she wore when being 30 years old ... kudos!)

As for Meghan, the coat was not fitting, imho, it was to lose around the waist when closed, and open it looked too wide.
I didn't like the teletubbi mushroom hat when she first wore the brown version, and I didn't like the White one either. I really hope she doesn't make this her signature piece.
Nothing of interest added to her outfit, even the handbag was bland this time. The lapel thing, though, annoyed me as much as all the others in here.

Other than that, all ladies wore navy. Cams, Cannot & Sophster just look very alike - from the navy outfits, Cams' is the nicest for the closing detail.
What's with Kate's brooch & earrings? Do we have a dlose-up? Don't seem familiar to me.

[DejaVu]

Close-up? Here you are!



https://whatkatewore.com/...for-commonwealth-service/

[Coya]

[Coya]

Close-up? Here you are!



https://whatkatewore.com/...for-commonwealth-service/

Thank you! It’s a very nice set, much better than her Kiki’s

[AddiesGirl]

Close-up? Here you are!



https://whatkatewore.com/...for-commonwealth-service/

Thank you! It’s a very nice set, much better than her Kiki’s

I spent some time looking through HM's brooches because I could have sworn I have seen an Art Deco/1930s brooch that would be a match for the earrings. I also kept an eye out for the little floral brooch that Kate wore, but no luck (I feel like it's newer than the earrings and therefor may be a gift rather than a loan, but I don't think they're a set).

[wisdomheaven]

Perhaps a wedding present? I am sure Kate has a whole chest of lovely jewels she never wears since she isn’t one for bigger pieces.

[AddiesGirl]

Perhaps a wedding present? I am sure Kate has a whole chest of lovely jewels she never wears since she isn’t one for bigger pieces.

Mmmm, I think if it was a wedding present we'd have seen it by now, but could be. I was thinking more like a gift for attending some function (gallery opening, ship launching, etc). There should be a note of it somewhere if it was anything other than a personal (post wedding) gift I would think. Oh well, one of life's big mysteries.

[Lady Lurker]

Yes, I would imagine there is quite a bit of blood on most of the diamonds in the vault.

Ms. Markle  should get a new tiara made of certified, Conflict free diamonds.  Or maybe moissanite as a substitute.

The conflict free tirara she never had.

[Harley]

With all the blood diamonds/jewels with similarly gruesome origins, I imagine are in that vault - frankly, I wouldn’t blame her.

And yet she’s marrying into the family very willingly..

True. But I don’t why anyone would want to do that either.

[Maria]

With all the blood diamonds/jewels with similarly gruesome origins, I imagine are in that vault - frankly, I wouldn’t blame her.

And yet she’s marrying into the family very willingly..

True. But I don’t why anyone would want to do that either.

I don’t know either.

There’s such a strange disconnect between the (rightful) criticism of the BRF (as an institution and the family) and the reaction to this relationship (and in its time W&K’s too).

[Margaret]

I happened upon the youtube vid. of the coverage of the full service at Westminster Abbey from first handshakes at the door till they all filed out at the end of it.  It occurred to me as I was watching Meghan at her first serious gig with the BRF with HM, and with all the heavy symbolism in this historic venue for a solemn celebration, that Meghan was getting her first taste of what life as a fairly senior member of this family means.  She'll have do do lots of these.  I wonder how she felt?  Was she having any second thoughts, or was she just thinking of it as her having a role in an important historical drama?  By that latter remark I am not meaning to disparage Meghan, just to suggest maybe she is able to think of is another role that she can play as part of her life rather than being a bit overwhelmed and thinking - as I probably would - Heck!  'What the hell have I gotten myself into?'  I'd have been bored out of my mind and wanting to escape, but after the 19th May, there's no escape for her.  even now she has to have her wits about her at all times and can't yawn or scratch her nose or squirm in her seat, or even just look around her at the marvellous building she was in.  She has to pay attention and sing every hymn and participate in full in the service - today and every day for the rest of her life.  I don't envy her.  I hope she really loves him and he, her.  

The only think I did envy was being in Westminster Abbey.  I am always blown away by its  splendid Gothic architecture.  Its history predates the Norman invasion. The present building was started in the 13th century!  I hope Megan has an interest in history and will enjoy these places.  

[rosella]

I'm certain that Meghan does love Harry and he loves her, very much. But I think it's inevitable that she would feel overwhelmed (and there's the Trooping of the Colour and the Remembrance Service, also full of symbolism, in the months to come.) The Abbey certainly is a fascinating place, and you could see her looking around. I'm sure Meghan's been there before, with Harry and without, but you'd have to have no imagination at all to not know how much the history of this place is intertwined with the past and the future of the family you're marrying into in a couple of months. 

For the rest of Meghan's life, as you say, there will be no escape. In exchange for great privilege and some glitter for years to come every utterance, sneeze, cough, disinterest, laugh at engagements, every misstep, every time she does something well and is lauded for it, will be reported in the media and by people online. It's certainly not a life I would want and it's in complete contrast to her life before, and in another country.