Here are some photos of Queen Elizabeth II at the Investec Derby Day 2017 at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Saturday. Since it’s slow today, I thought maybe you guys would enjoy these photos of Queen Liz looking like a literal ray of sunshine. Part of her sunniness is that she just seems to radiate from within. And she looks extra happy in these photos because she gets so much joy from being around horses. Seriously, she’s always absolutely delighted to be at a racetrack or derby or whatever, as long as it involves horses. From the smile on her face as she was watching the races, I have to think that her horse came in. I wonder how much she bet.
I’m assuming that the Queen’s suit is by her long-time personal dresser, Angela Kelly. The hats are specially made to match the suits, and of course no outfit is complete without one of the Queen’s brooches. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this brooch before – it doesn’t come up on the list of the Queen’s favorite brooches, but I seriously doubt this is a new piece. The Queen likely has enough brooches to wear five brooches every day for a year and never repeat one.
Meanwhile, there’s a minor-ish piece of gossip about the Queen’s mother, the late Queen Mum. “Royal diarist” Sir Roy Strong said in a recent interview that the Queen Mum was quite racist in real life, and he claims that during one lunch, “The Queen Mother leant over me and said ‘beware the blackamoors’. I thought, ‘I can’t put that down, it’s too awful’. But one knows she was colour prejudiced.” Yeah, it wouldn’t surprise me. To be fair, I don’t think QEII is racist at all. Her husband is, but QEII doesn’t seem to be very prejudiced whatsoever.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She looks fabulous for 90 years old. And pulls off bright colors like nobody else!
She does. And I’m amazed she can wear yellow with her coloring. Mine is very similar to hers and if I wore that color I’d look like I have jaundice.
I feel her ladies don’t enough love. Look at how elegant they are.
That horizontal cream and black number is lovely.
I rarely notice ladies-in-waiting with the Queen. Do they always accompany her to events? I’m assuming it’s a life long position and a position of honour, but what do they do? Are they the write thank-you notes, arrange her wardrobe for events, plan menus, play go-between for her and her staff, people? Do they attend events in the Queen’s stead? Do they get paid for this position, and does the job come with a home?
Lady D: Yes, the Queen’s ladies accompany her everywhere. Most of the time people focus on the Queen and don’t really notice the ladies. Also, they tend to walk apart from her such that focus is on her.
This article (scroll to the bottom) explains their duties better than me. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/the_queens_diamond_jubilee/9074791/Her-Majestys-A-Team.html
Thanks for the link, LAK. I’ve discovered I need ladies-in-waiting in my life, especially l-i-w that have the ability to read your every mood and need. Fabulous!
Lady D: i tend to think of them as companions above all else. The role is unpaid, and these ladies are the closest to besties the Queen will ever have.
The rest of the royals mind them too. Technically they represent HM and are her eyes and ears even where she is absent eg the ladies on the balcony at the annual service of remembrace are better behaved when one of these ladies stands with them. No hair twirling and appropriate expressions.
The funniest illustration of them at work was a recent post-christmas church walk at Sandrigham. WK attended with their Middleton entourage, but were intercepted as they walked into the church by one of the LIW who’d arrived with HM and next thing, they were attending a clearly unplanned engagement with HM after the service and entourage sent back to Amner without them!!!
I really enjoy her matchy matchy approach.
She does look good, but why wouldn’t she, without a care in the world. Did she even come out wit ANY statement to her people after the London attack?
She visited some of the victims of the Manchester attack and it’s likely she is being advised on the media approach with each particular attack. She is not head of government, and it’s the English way to ‘carry on.’
I know about the hospital visit. All I’m saying is as head of state, as THE QUEEN, I’d think a statement to her country would be appropriate. JMO ¯_(ツ)_/¯
She has people she loves. Trust me she has cares in this world.
She does look amazing! And always with serious hat game.
I’d love to go the the Kentucky Derby with the Queen!
£1 bets? Her steady presence is a blessing. Homegirl loves the track 🐎🐎🐎🐎👑
I dearly love this lady
Doing her job. Her country is in political turmoil and been the target of multiple terrorist attacks. Whst’s a queen to do? Put on some bright colors, a big smile, and show yourself calmly carrying on to encourage others to do the same.
delete, wrong place
That’s how I see it. That sunshine colour is likely by design. (And I love it!)
Yellow is the color of peace (in addition to sunshine!)
Here’s info on the brooch, if anyone was curious: http://queensjewelvault.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-gold-filigree-brooch.html
That’s an excellent site for all your QEII jewelry identification needs.
Cool, thanks!
I love the mint green and bright yellow colors combined in the print of her dress.
The coat is by Stewart Parvin and her hat is by Rachel Trevor-Morgan. Here’s the brooch: http://queensjewelvault.blogspot.co.ke/2012/10/the-gold-filigree-brooch.html?m=1
She looks amazing, for any age. Her makeup artist loves her dearly. I would love to see the dress underneath- the pattern looks amazing.
I could never pull this off…maybe in 30 years…a woman can dream.
The fabric looks cheap / roughened and not smooth.
The cut is boring.
The white gloves with that yellow dress are awful colourwise. Even more awful are black patent leather shoes with a bright yellow dress.
And a gold brooch on a bright yellow dress? Seriously? A small flower bunch would have looked very nice. A brooch in summer colours would have looked fresh and nice.
There was a recent terror attack. Surely some kind of showing compassion would have been nice? There are red poppies sold for veterans. But what about terror attack victims. Should the queen as head of state and as the symbol of the unity of Britain be the one who introduces such a symbol?
Apart from that everything was ok for you?
Bwahahaha
ZING!
Hahahahaha, best laugh of the day!
The Queen made an unprecedented visit to one of the hospitals treating the victims of Manchester. Perhaps you missed it?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/25/queen-arrives-manchester-childrens-hospital-meet-young-bomb/
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/queen-meets-with-victims-of-manchester-terror-attack-on-visit-to-royal-manchester-childrens-hospital-a3548631.html
Secondly, this derby visit and photos was during the day on saturday. The London attack happened on saturday night. She might receive security briefings, but i’m sure she isn’t psychic enough to predict where an attack will happen before it does and act accordingly.
Zarathustra is talking about the recent attack in London. The Queen visting the Manchester victims has nothing to do with that
And…LAK pointed out that the photos were taken during the DAY prior to the London attack at NIGHT.
Again, the Queen is not the head of government; it is not her place to make public statements after every crime on British soil. She surely coordinates with her staff liaison to the government. It is the prime minister’s place to comment, as well as local officials such as the mayors of London and Manchester.
I agree with what you say WATP, but would it be so wrong if the Queen were to comment on the situation, even just offering condolences?
@Lady D: It’s entirely possible that she’s being asked NOT to comment. If the Mayor and Prime Minister are trying to downplay what happened and emphasize that life will continue as per usual, the last thing they want is for the Queen to start making public statements. Right away, they’d have made this into a special event deserving of special attention. If the message is to keep calm and carry on, they want QEII doing exactly what she’s been doing — going about her day-to-day life with nothing to say on the matter.
In case you’re curious, which I doubt you are, HM is known to pick a lot of the fabrics herself. She picks them for how they bear up under repeated use, if they are all-natural fibers, and if they hold their shape instead of creasing. The shape of her clothes is also based around function not fashion.
+1 And she’s 90. Do we have to remain hot and au courant till our dying days now?
This may be the best I’ve ever seen her look. I can almost smell her! Lavender, lily of the valley, gardenia…one of those, but just a hint.
Fangirling on TQ. Huh! I can think of worse Mondays.
She really does nothing except roll out of bed and wave and shake hands. And occasionally she signs government papers which are often legal papers. Does anybody seriously believe that a Queen without any kind of meaningful educational degree is capable of reading legal texts? When she signs those legal texts I claim she doesn’t understand what she signs.
You’re making her sound illiterate, just stop with your ridiculous hate of a 90 year old woman!
LOL! One doesn’t need a law degree to understand legal text. And after 70 years of reading government papers she just may have learned some legalese.
Replace the pronouns and “Queen” with “President” …magic!!
A member of the British monarchy is racist?!? I’m shocked! Shocked, I tell you. I think I’d be more surprised to find they weren’t.
Here’s the thing though: If you’re married to a “known” racist, doesn’t that kinda make you a racist by default?
Judged by the company you keep and all that?
Yes, the Queen Mum was racist. She was a Hitler sympathizer until it became politically impossible. Thank god her daughter doesn’t feel the same way.
I think that sometimes we forget how much attitudes and culture have changed over the last century. Are we really surprised that a British woman born in 1900 was racist and/or held prejudices that we now consider to be taboo? I always struggle with holding those much older generations to the same standards that we hold ourselves. She had the attitudes that came with the times that she grew up in. That doesn’t mean that she was a bad person, or that we should hate her. She didn’t know any better, and maybe if she was raised in a different era she would have had a different view of the world.
I love this lady – I dread the day she is no longer with us.