Princess Iman at her sister's Sandhurst graduation

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Sorry for the long time between blog posts, but we are back with a new post on Princess Iman’s recent outfit at her younger sister, Princess Salma’s Sandhurst graduation!

For the event in late November 2018, Princess Salma dressed in a light blue Miu Miu coat with a mink collar. She also carried a Saint Laurent leather bag in gray and wore a pair of burgundy Jennifer Chamandi leather pumps. Sadly, the other pieces of her outfit have not been ID’d.

Photo: Copyright 2018, Royal Hashemite Court

Photo: Copyright 2018, Royal Hashemite Court

Queen Rania’s outfit has more pieces discovered, as her Press Office released a statement on the Jordanian and Arab designers she’d worn over the past several weeks. The Queen makes it a point to highlight Arab and Jordanian designers.

Photo: Copyright 2018, Royal Hashemite Court

Photo: Copyright 2018, Royal Hashemite Court

Her office explained, “wore a coat by Saudi Arabian designer Abadia. The white coat featured a modern red and black collar design, adding a Jordanian spin to the outfit. The Queen completed the look with a handbag by Egyptian label Okhtein, designed by sister duo Aya and Mounaz Abdelraouf.”

Fashion finders also saw that she wore a white pair of Jimmy Choo pumps, black Burberry gloves, an Anita Ko 18-karat white gold diamond earring, and a pair of Maria Tash diamond stud earrings.

Photo: Copyright 2018, Royal Hashemite Court

Photo: Copyright 2018, Royal Hashemite Court

Salma, 18, just recently graduated from the International Academy Amman in May. Her time at Sandhurst was shorter than that of her brother, Crown Prince Hussein. Salma’s training was part of a Short Commissioning Course.

In attendance was her proud family (minus little brother Prince Hashem): King Abdullah, Queen Rania, Crown Prince Hussein, and Princess Iman.

Both Rania and Hussein posted on their Instagrams that day to praise Salma.

Royal Central did an entire post on the graduation, which you can read here.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 33: A Right Royal Catch Up (Featuring The Royal Watcher)

Laura is joined by Saad Salman again. Make sure to follow Saad’s website and his Twitter. They discussed the news of Harry and Meghan’s move, Royal Variety, Charles’s birthday, Monaco National Day, the Belgian State Visit, and the Dutch State Visit.

As always, it was a pleasure to have Saad on, and we thank him for joining.

Finally, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

Black Friday: Royal Sales

Well it is that time again, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The days where people go crazy for deals and begin the panic to get the perfect gifts for Christmas. While we have never seen any royal partaking in these sales, I am sure that doesn’t stop them from sitting at home and snagging some of the fantastic online sales!

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We decided we would do some digging for you and bring you the best deals from the Royal’s favorite brands and some of the pieces that they have worn that have been now heavily discounted!

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With so many royals wearing pieces from J Crew (Meghan, Kate, Madeleine, Mette Marit, Autumn Phillips to name a few!), we would be silly not to mention that their entire site is on sale at 50% off using the code TGIF- so you can go snap up Meghan’s Coat, Autumn’s Coat, or maybe even Meghan’s boots!

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We’ve also seen many royals favoring Hobbs in the past few years (Kate, Sophie, Sofia, Meghan, and Eugenie for example) with Kate and Sofia both wearing the brand this year. While Hobbs has a 30% off sale on their entire site, Bloomingdales has the same 30% off plus free shipping. So regardless of where you purchase it, Sofia’s jacket is on sale saving you over $100 USD!

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Another great place to stop by and shop this Black Friday is Shopbop who has a HUGE sale on their site right now using the code MORE18. You can snag Meghan’s Stuart Weitzman boots, Madeleine’s Star Blouse, Mary’s Heartmade Dress, Eugenie and Madeleine’s favorite Rag & Bone Harrow boots or Kate’s famous LK Bennett Sledge Pumps!

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Nordstroms is another big site having a sale this weekend, shopping now through Monday you can save up to 60% off pieces like Eugenie’s Rails button down blouse or Beatrice’s Rebecca Minkoff Bag so it is certainly worth a browse through their site.

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Our Swedish Royal Fans will know that H&M is a staple in the ladies wardrobe, so we were very excited to see that they have a sale today as well. It is actually Princess Beatrice’s pleated skirt from H&M that we have our eyes on today! Farfetch also has Victoria’s Zadig et Voltaire dress 30% off today as well!

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Another brand that is having a massive sale today is Zara. You would have to be hiding under a royal rock to not know that this brand has been a favorite of royals from all over for years! Everyone from the Duchess of Cambridge, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Caroline, even Queen Silvia have worn Zara over the years. Zara currently has 30% off their entire site meaning you could snag Princess Beatrice’s Minaudiere Woven Bag for a discounted price. And while Kate’s exact dress was from Alessandra Rich, most of us don’t have that kind of money to spend on one piece- but Zara has our back and can offer a near identical dress for a fraction of the cost (especially with the 30% off)!

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For those of you who are expecting a new little prince or princess, be sure to stop by ASOS and shop their Maternity collection. ASOS has 25% off with code EPIC25 which means pieces like Meghan’s Wiggle Dress (also available in regular sizes, not only Maternity) is even more affordable!

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And if you want to check out even more LK Bennett products, Laura just informed me that they also have 25% off their entire store when you use the code FRIDAY25. This means that you can snag Princess Sofia’s Montana Silk dress for a discounted £221.25 (a savings of £73.75!) While you are there, snag yourself a new pair of shoes- you deserve it!

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What sales have you found? What sales have we missed? What sales are YOU going to be jumping on? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Amsterdam City Swim for ALS: My favorite royal event

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We are starting a series about our favorite royal events, and we detail why they are our favorites and important to us. If you know me and have followed my social media and work with Royal Central, you’ll know I’m an ALS (MND if you are in the UK) advocate after losing my mother to teh disease in 2016. Naturally, my favorite royal event relates exactly to that.

Back when she was still Princess Maxima, the current Queen of the Netherlands swam in the murky Amsterdam canals (which have not officially been designated as safe to swim in) in the Amsterdam City Swim in benefit of ALS on September 9, 2012. She would finish the course in under an hour.

I actually wrote about this event in a Flashback Friday piece for Royal Central, which you can read here.

During her swim, she had a cheering section consisting of then Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange and their three daughters: Princess Amalia, Princess Alexia and Princess Ariane.

Although Maxima participated years before my mother was diagnosed and passed away from ALS, it meant so much to find out about this event in late 2016. ALS is a disease that does not get enough attention in regard to awareness and funding for research. So to see someone like Maxima, who has such a powerful influence across the globe, participate meant the world to me - and I’m sure to so many other people related to ALS (whether that be having the disease, being a caretaker of someone with the disease, or just a friend/family member of someone with ALS).

There are several royals who are taking part in the fight against ALS in various ways. But Maxima’s participation in the Amsterdam City Swim was one of action, and I can’t tell you how much I respect her for that.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 32: Tiara Mania (Featuring The Royal Watcher)

On this episode, Saad Salman (aka The Royal Watcher) joins Laura. Before discussing all the glam from the past week, Saad and Laura discuss the recent diagnosis of Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway. Then, they discuss all the tiara and jewel happenings of the past week. Make sure to follow Saad’s website and his Twitter.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 31: Victoria's Middle Eastern Trip and the Sussexes Down Under

On this episode of the podcast, Laura and Brittani (follow her on Twitter here and read her work for Royal Central here) talk all about Victoria’s trip to the Middle East, the news that Meghan is pregnant, and Harry and Meghan’s tour.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

Thumbnail c/o: Linda Brostrom/Swedish Royal Court

UFO No More Podcast Episode 30: A Royal Fashion Hypothetical

On this episode, Laura answers a great question sent to her by Cecilia (follow Cecilia on Tumblr here). The question is: “Do you think that it would be accepted by the public if a duchess/princess/queen would perform official engagements without makeup and without high heels?”

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 29: حب (with Special Guest Dina)

This week, Laura was joined by her good friend Dina (lovingtheroyals on Tumblr). Dina, who is Egyptian and a Muslim, felt very connected to Meghan’s first official solo project as a royal supporting the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen and helping them raise money through a cookbook. The ladies discussed the initiative and the launch event in detail. Dina also details a mistake Harry made at the event in a very informative and important way.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 28: William's Slip Up

ICYMI, this week Prince William made a mistake. He reference Chinese food at the opening of the Japan House. He quickly corrected, but the moment caused a lot of discussion online. On this week’s podcast, Laura shared her personal perspective of the moment as Laura is part Japanese.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 27: Race (with Special Guest Lee)

On this episode of the podcast Lee (ginghampearlsnsweettea on Tumblr) joins Laura to discuss race and royals.  She provides a lot of historical facts as well as insights on her experiences as a black woman.  It was a really deep and nuanced discussion filled with not only facts but also important insights.  We can't thank Lee enough for reaching out and offering to appear on the show.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 26: Feminism (with Recurring Guest Host Jessica)

On this week's episode, recurring guest host Jessica (follow her here and here on Tumblr) joins Laura for a deep dive on royals and feminism.  Major props to our friend Melissa from Tumblr whose question sparked this episode.  Laura and Jessica discuss the sexism in royal structures and how that varies around the world and the sexism of royal coverage.  They end on a happy note by discussing royals advocating feminist principles and causes.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. If you listen on one of these sites, please consider leaving a rating and review.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 25: Madeleine's Big Move

On this episode of the podcast, Laura discusses the announcement that Princess Madeleine and her family will be moving to Florida and shares her conflicting feelings about it.  She also talks about Meghan's recent fashion and her hopes for the upcoming months and the British Royal Family.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. Please leave a review for the podcast!

Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Royal Court, Sweden

Photo: Anna-Lena Ahlström, Royal Court, Sweden

Crown Princess Marie Chantal Celebrates Crown Prince Pavlos' 50th Birthday and Princess Maria-Olympia's 21st Birthday

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On July 2, 2017, Crown Princess Marie-Chantal celebrated her husband and daughter's birthday in a star-studded joint birthday Bash. However, it is safe to say that the party was more for daughter Maria Olympia's 21st birthday which would happen on July 25th. Among the many guests were: Queen Maxima of the Netherlands,  Crown Princess Mette-Marit and husband Crown Prince Haakon, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Paris and Nicky Hilton, and Valentino Garavani.

For the party, Crown Princess Marie Chantal wore a custom Gucci gown that was embroidered with the words "Revolution" and "Prince". The dress also was embellished with what looks to be a sequin strawberry or pepper. She teamed the unique dress with an even more unique Philip Treacy star head piece.

Maria-Olympia's outfit has already been covered by the lovely Brittani, but just in case you all forgot, "Olympia" wore a Steven Khalil embellished one-piece outfit with a train, platform Gucci sneakers, and a Philip Treacy head piece. 

This birthday bash was one of the most extravagant royal birthday parties that took social media websites by storm, showing a different side of the royals we all know and love. Guests were even encouraged to use the hashtags #5021revolution and #princeandrevolution to show the multiple experiences happening at the party. 

So fun 💕 #5021revolution

A post shared by Marie-Chantal Of Greece (@mariechantal22) on

UFO No More Podcast Episode 24: Royal Scandals Past and Present

On this episode, Laura discusses several royal scandals.  She starts off with the recent Swedish Royal Academy scandal that forced the cancellation of this year's Nobel Prize in Literature.  Then, she discusses the Countess of Wessex's scandal from 2001. Finally, she discusses the many scandals of The Duke of York.  The Telegraph article she mentioned can be seen here.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. Please leave a review for the podcast if you are so inclined.  As Laura mentioned on the show, the summer schedule may be a bit different as royals take their holidays and because of Laura's busy schedule.

UFO No More Podcast Episode 23: Recapping William's Tour of Jordan, Israel, and Palestine with Dina and Debby

The podcast is back after a week hiatus.  On this week, Laura is joined by two of her good Tumblr friends to recap Prince William's historic tour of Jordan, Israel, and the Occupied Territories of Palestine.

First Dina (aka lovingtheroyals on Tumblr) joins the show to talk about the tour.  Dina is an Arab woman and spoke of how seemingly small details or light-hearted engagements were very significant to her and how the tour personally connected to her. She also talked about the recent news that Kate won't attend the RAF 100th Anniversary Service.

Next, Debby (aka avidroyalfan on Tumblr) joined.  She is Israeli and actually got to meet William in Israel.  She talks about the impact of the tour from her perspective and what it was like to meet William.  For more information about her meeting, check out this link.

Laura is so grateful to Dina and Debby for joining. It was a fun and interesting episode to record. Make sure to check out both of their blogs.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher and leave us a review.

 

UFO No More Podcast Episode 22: This Week in Royal Fashion

On this week's episode of the podcast, Laura recaps all of the major fashion moments from last week in royal fashion, goes on a bit of a rant about royal protocol, and answers a question about Madeleine's kids speaking Swedish.

As always, you can subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher and leave us a review.

Programming Note: Barring any breaking news, I'm tentatively planning to take next week off from the show.

Swedish royal ladies at the 2018 Polar Music Prize

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I thought the Swedish royal ladies really hit it out of the park for the 2018 Polar Music Prize; so, I thought we would go ahead and highlight the outfits they wore last night, 14 June. Those in attendance at the event at Grand Hôtel in central Stockholm included King Carl XVI Gustaf, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia and Princess Madeleine. 

Others in attendance last night were famous Swedish faces: Marie and Tomas Ledin, Niklas Strömstedt, Jonas Karlsson, David Lagercrantz, Petra Marklund and Karl-Johan Persson among many others. 

Without further ado, here are the looks:

Crown Princess Victoria: Victoria wore a red, one-shouldered caped red gown by Stylein A/W 18. She also wore a gold "Spike" headband by Maria Nilsdotter, as well as the Cherry Valley earrings by the same brand.

Princess Madeleine: The Princess was in a lighter green, floral gown by Giambattista Valli. She carried a pink clutch by Valentino, as well. For me, I can't decide between Madeleine's outfit and Sofia's for my favorite of the evening! 

Princess Sofia: Sofia was in another favorite of mine for the evening. She was in a deep green, high necked gown by what we believe is Ida Lanto (a customized version of their red similar gown with a train). Laura has reached out to them to get confirmation, and we will let you know when we get it!

What was your favorite look?

Our favorite royal gowns

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We've compiled our favorite royal gowns, and we included your picks, too. Thank so much to all of you who responded!

Brittani:

I didn't want to repeat choices I've already made in similar posts, but there are plenty that I just adore! 

I really like the gown Princess Tatiana of Greece and Denmark wore to the wedding of Prince Carl Philip of Sweden to Sofia Hellqvist in 2015. It was an off-shoulder, glittering bespoke gown by Celia Kritharioti. 

I also really like the pink Lela Rose gown then-Meghan Markle wore as a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding in 2016. 

@meghanmarkle/Instagram

@meghanmarkle/Instagram

Last but not least, I like the blue Bruce Oldfield gown Sophie, Countess of Wessex wore to the gala for the 60th anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in June 2016. 

Heaven:

I am pretty biased on this one but one of my favorite is the Elie Saab gown Princess Marie wore for the gala dinner for Crown Prince Frederik's 50th birthday. I love Elie Saab and I love Marie so this was my dream combo and I loved the result! I think the decision to removed the sleeves was the right decision as the sleeved version would have overwhelmed her I think.

Another favorite is the Rochas gown Queen Rania wore in 2006. It's one of my all-time favorite for Rania, it's so flattering, the color is beautiful and I loved the floral embroidery.

My third choice is the Ole Yde gown Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore in 2010 for Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel's wedding. It was a very beautiful gown and I love the color and the styling! 

 

Laura:

Fadi el Khoury Victoria wore to Madeleine's wedding. It was so exquisite. It was wearable art. And the picture of Victoria in it carrying Estelle was the epitome of modern royalty in my opinion.

By Frankie Fouganthin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26551717

By Frankie Fouganthin - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26551717

Par Engsheden red gown Victoria wore to the Nobels. It just screams grand and regal. It was also the perfect gown to showcase that amazing cross necklace.

Finally, a Erdem gown Mary wore to Harald and Sonja's 80th birthday. It's not as grand as other gowns, but the print just sings on Mary. She just owned this look, there's no other way to describe it.

Samantha:

Elie Saab for Victoria at her wedding concert the night before her wedding in 2010. 

Another Elie Saab, this time the gown Princess Madeleine wore to Prince Carl Philip's wedding. (Royal Central's Deputy Editor, Jamie Samhan told us this was her favorite, as well):

And this Ida Lanto Princess Sofia wore for an official dinner hosted in March 2017 at the Royal Palace. It can be seen in the video below:

Sarah:

This was too hard! I felt like I couldn’t betray these Swedish masterpieces:

Crown Princess Victoria's one-shouldered pre-wedding gown by Elie Saab for the concert the night before her wedding. 

This Fadi el Khoury gown Princess Madeleine wore for the Nobels and Min Stora Dag.

Photo Anna-Lena Ahlström, The Royal Court, Sweden

Photo Anna-Lena Ahlström, The Royal Court, Sweden

Lastly, this Ida Lanto gown Princess Sofia wore to the 2017 Nobels:

© Nobel Media AB 2017. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud

© Nobel Media AB 2017. Photo: Alexander Mahmoud

Your Thoughts:

Asten: The red gown at the 2014 Nobels. The "I'M A PRINCESS" gown.

 

JR‏  on Twitter sent us these:

Madeleine at Nobels and kids tea party in Al Khoury - Madeleine has never looked better and come on, this is the best royal engagement ever right?

Photo Kate Gabor, The Royal Court, Sweden

Photo Kate Gabor, The Royal Court, Sweden

Victoria at Madeleine's wedding in Al Khoury. Amazing, I remember the gasp of the commentators when the camera hit Victoria and I agree - Can you do anything other than gasp. Great accessorising, too - Lilian's tiara, Josefina's stomacher necklace, wee Estelle.

Victoria at her pre-wedding gala in Elie Saab. Baam! Except for her wedding day Victoria has never looked better. I know many don't like the foam but I do. Again great accessorising with the Cupid's arrow worn by her grandmother, the epaulett earrings.

 

Dianne Dunn‏  said: 

I loved Duchess Kate in this Jenny Packham ! It’s such a beautiful shade of blue with just the right amount of sparkle!!

British High Commission, New Delhi/Flickr

British High Commission, New Delhi/Flickr

 

Princess Victoria‏  told us: 

My favourite gown is the Elie Saab Victoria wore on her pre wedding concert. I've seen it at the Royal Wedding Dresses exhibition, it's my dream gown

 

Duchess of Pemberley‏'s opinion. 

It was the Pronovias Sofia wore:

She also added the Alexander McQueen from the BAFTA's in 2017 saying, "Kate, who I love, doesn’t generally wow me with her evening gown choices, however, this one is a favorite"

 

Kat Es‏ thoughts:

Mine are Victoria's Elie Saab gown from her pre-wedding concert, and Letizia's gown from William and Kate's pre-wedding dinner, Madeleine's Elie Saab from Carl Philip's wedding, Kate's light pink Jenny Packham gown she wore in 2011.

(Since the gowns of Victoria and Madeleine have been listed above several times, we aren't reposting those photos. Below are the Letizia and Kate gowns):

Europe Correspondent for Royal Central, Laura Dekkers, sent us her favorites, too:

I loved Princess Madeleine’s Ida Sjösedt gown (or skirt) with those flowers in 3D which she wore at the Polar Music Prize last year.

And a Classic one but still gorgeous is Crown Princess Victoria in Fadi El Khoury at Princess Madeleine’s wedding. A true piece of art! (See the pictures above)

Princess Madeleine in Fadi el Khoury at the Nobel Prize 2014.

 

Queen Mathilde in Jan Taminiau, a red gown that she wore in 2016 for a concert in the Netherlands at Centre for Fine Arts.

 

Crown Princess Mary in a white Erdem gown with flowers from the banquet in Norway and the Birgit Hallstein that she's worn on a couple of occasions (including the gala dinner ahead of King Willem-Alexander's inauguration as King in April 2013.

Reader and guest on our podcasts The Royal Watcher sent us: