Last year’s royal Christmas ended up befitting the craptastic year that saw Donald Trump “winning” the presidency. The Queen got some kind of terrible cold/flu, and it was so bad that she had to take a helicopter to Sandringham rather than take the train, on her doctor’s orders. She apparently barely attended any of the annual family Christmas events, and she was being looked after ‘round the clock. Remember that? It led to a lot of speculation that 2016 might be her last Christmas, and then there were all of those macabre articles about what will actually happen in the minutes, hours, days and weeks after she dies.
Now, a year later, the Queen is in good health and she and the Duke of Edinburgh traveled by train to Sandringham on Thursday. I enjoy the Queen’s smaller pageantries, don’t you? Of course she’s wealthy beyond belief, and of course she could probably demand ten helicopters to fly her, the corgis, and Philip separately to Sandringham. But no – she puts on her vibrant purple suit and takes the train and manages to look like a glamorously grim daily commuter. I actually love her outfit. That coat made me sigh and wonder if I could justify spending the money on a gorgeous purple coat like that. I bet the matching scarf costs $1000 or more.
Anyway, this is just a reminder that this year’s royal Christmas is going to be very exciting. The Windsors have waited to give us the “money shot”: Meghan Markle with the Queen, Meghan with the Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan with the extended Windsor clan. They’ll be giving us those shots on Christmas day, during their annual walk to the small chapel at Sandringham. The locals turn up to wish Her Maj well, and photographers position themselves throughout the “walk.” We should get some good photos. I’m excited!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She’s clearly out buttoning Katie Keen! Hope the royal bodyguards are keeping a close eye on them 🙂
Love the colour and the headscarf.
I absolutely love the coat and scarf color! Reminds me of the “When I am Old, I shall wear purple” poem. Very flattering.
I wonder if anyone yelled any anti-Muslim rhetoric at her, thinking that she’s just some women wearing a hijab. The Queen just gets more lovable the older she gets, doesn’t she?
She does! I know she’s The Queen and all, but dressed the way she is (love the purple), she really looks a sweet old gran and I just want to give her a big hug.
I know it’s a fern frond or a stylized feather on the scarf, but I’m seeing fish carcass for some reason. Other than that, I love this outfit! And any time I see people this old not wearing beige, orthopedic shoes they immediately get +10 points from me. She looks amazing. I love the color.
A double breasted purple coat with gold BUTTONS! Kate must covet that coat. I love that the Queen has taken the time to coordinate her makeup with her outfit.
Isn’t that the truth, lp–I was just noticing the coordinating make-up! And the result is both vivid and subtle, which is quite an accomplishment since vivid and subtle aren’t frequent bedfellows.
Kate COVETING her coat !no ,no way ,how can you expect Kate to be dressed like her ,you know, age gap
speaking of MAKEUP COORDINATION with her outfit as i can see shes makeup-free in the pics
I sometimes felt bad for Charles. He never realized the dream to be King. He is flawed, but he and Diana had two sons, of which he seems to be proud of and love. As for his mother, Long Live The Queen!
He’s not dead yet. He’ll be king for just long enough to make the British public relieved to have William step in!
And their stomachs will churn just like ours has with the election of Donald Trump. Charles may be a lot of things but he is competent and has achieved a lot as the The Prince of Wales. William hasn’t even taken baby steps toward walking a similar path. Despite his privilege and wealth, Charles has helped others not of his wealth or rank through his philanthropy. William, just like our orange god-king, has either done very little or nothing at all to help others. So, if I were you, I wouldn’t necessarily be hoping for a short reign where Charles is concerned unless you are wanting to hasten a demise of the BRF as it currently exists. . . cause living under the reign of Trump is to live an politically anxious existence, and I’m thinking that to live with a petulant work-shy Will on the throne will probably usher in equal amount of disgust and disquiet.
Charles has a very strong sense of duty, and has worked tirelessly for his causes. He’s eccentric, for sure, but Camilla has stabilized him, and he will be a respectable, if unexciting, monarch.
Honey, I also think William is a lot like Kushner because they have both been coddled and told they are special for no apparent reason and think they are doing good work but don’t have a clue.
He spent his whole life waiting but maybe that was ok with him? I don’t think anyone wants the responsibility anymore like they used to… just the perks.
I don’t think he minds the responsibility. I just don’t think he wants to see his mother drop dead. That’s the problem with getting the job of King — his mom has to die for him to get it.
Whenever William and Harry are asked about being King. From a PR perspective, I’m surprised they don’t frame their answers around the idea of the older generations dying off rather than whining about the complexities of the job.
For all of her idiocy and inappropriateness of the Panorama interview, Diana had interesting things to say about that. She followed it up with the knife-him-in-the-back inference that Charles should be skipped over, but what she said before that about his character was interesting. IMO he has done the most positive work of any Prince of Wales in history, and the role of monarch would be a huge shift away from that type of work.
BASHIR: Do you think the Prince of Wales will ever be King?
DIANA: I don’t think any of us know the answer to that. And obviously it’s a question that’s in everybody’s head. But who knows, who knows what fate will produce, who knows what circumstances will provoke?
BASHIR: But you would know him better than most people. Do you think he would wish to be King?
DIANA: There was always conflict on that subject with him when we discussed it, and I understood that conflict, because it’s a very demanding role, being Prince of Wales, but it’s an equally more demanding role being King. And being Prince of Wales produces more freedom now, and being King would be a little bit more suffocating. And because I know the character I would think that the top job, as I call it, would bring enormous limitations to him, and I don’t know whether he could adapt to that.
I wonder if William and Harry would be less work shy if Diana had lived. I think she leaned on William in a very unhealthy manner, but she seemed to have been preparing William for his future from a young age.
I also wonder if the BRF is completely over marrying into other royal families, or even other British aristos. William and Harry chose commoners, and there seemed to be little backlash.
I hope, if she’d lived, the attitude towards work would be very different. She wasn’t raising them to be “normal”, she was raising them to respect their role while still doing normal things like going skiing. I think Charles was a loving parent who was too hands-off during their teens because of their mother’s death. After that, patterns were set. Turning the Titanic around is a titanic challenge.
Most of the European royals 30-50 years old have married everyday people, and rarely aristocrats. Philippe of Belgium married a Polish/Belgian aristocrat without much fuss. The Lux heir married a Belgian countess, but she’s done even less work than Kate Middleton in 5 years of marriage.
There aren’t that many high-profile royals W&H’s age. Madeleine of Sweden would have been an option but not Crown Princess Victoria. Until a few years go they couldn’t have married Mary-Laura of Belgium or Alexandra of Luxembourg because they’re staunch Catholics.
I remember Diana was horrified by the stories of Charles’s lack of understanding regarding money and paying for things. I know she also took William on walkabouts at a very young age, to teach him about engaging with the public, and standing for hours and shaking hands.
I agree about Titanic. That family is ridiculous with avoiding uncomfortable moments. Princess Michael should have been dealt with decades ago, and William should have been straightened out when he was much younger. I would think one nasty glare from Philip would have done the trick. But maybe HM should not have turned over all domestic things to her husband – he’s not very good at it, and probably felt it was beneath him.
Royal families probably can’t intermarry these days because they’re fixed on limiting themselves to two children. Kate’s breaking the rules – I swear it must be part of the deal when they marry. J/K
Interesting to see this quoted in detail. That is one a the few things she said during her life which bothered me a lot. Charles didn’t deserve that. He said himself he always felt ambivalent about one day being King because it will mean his mother has died.
That was not a good moment for Diana and it shows. The longer she’s gone the more I realize how cruel and manipulative she was for a lot of the time apparently.
@babykitten…..I do not believe that Charles has a lack of understanding of money. reports I have heard is that he can be very frugal in certain areas. His shoes and coats are very old and just go for repairs, I doubt whether he buys many new clothes for himself.
It’s better for them to marry commoners — it’ll help them produce better looking kids and help get rid of the inbred face. Kate has produced cute kids with William, and I’m pretty sure Meghan will produce cute kids with Harry.
Diana spent a lot of money on clothes using Charles’s money so I’m not sure where she’s coming from in terms of criticizing his spending habits….and I like(d) her (and him). That said, I’d probably be prone to badmouthing him just because of Camilla.
Perplexed: that face is going to take afew more generations of completely unrelated infusions to dilute. Look at all the grandchildren and great grandchildren. With the exception of Eugenie, Mia and possibly George, they all favour the Windsor.
I wonder if they will finally put pants on George or if he will still be wearing shorts with his knee high socks?
He’ll probably start wearing big boy trousers once he’s 7 or 8 I imagine.
That’s funny…lol
I bet Kate picked out that coat for her. Look at the buttons! In seriousness, I’m happy to see her but she has really aged hasn’t she? I know she’s 91. Bless her. I hope she has a happy Christmas.
The Queen and Prince Philip both look like people trudging uphill in San Francisco, with their forward leaning gaits.
I hope they both remain well through the holidays and wedding planning hoopla.
Charles has wondrous genes. By the time William is King Kate will look like Ivanka Trump and he like a knee with spectacles on it.
Lol
Hilarious visual!
I always thought if Charles grandmother and both parents can make it to 100, then why couldn’t he? William might not be King until he’s in his 60s.
Did anyone else noticed that lady side eyeing the queen? She’s probably like “whaaatt”!
It doesn’t look like that to me, it’s just the photo
In another shot I saw, that woman looked to be a royal protection type who got off the train with them. Queen looks great, and Philip looks like the retired life is better for his health. I still think it is all-Windsors-on-deck (Liz’s direct line anyway) for the big events because last year gave everyone a bit of a shiver for granny and Phil.
Like the Thais, this is the royal most of UK has known all their lives. It would be weird (can’t think of right word now) when she’s gone. Merry Christmas Your Majesty. Duke looks pretty good.
Yeah, I suspect that attitudes about the monarchy will change significantly when monarchy is no longer synonymous with QE2.
It will be strange when the Queen is gone. Love or hate the monarchy, she has been the face of the monarchy and the UK for many generations. Living through turbulent times, she has been the touchstone everyone in the UK has looked to for stability.
She looks fabulous for 91 or 81 for that matter. The coat is a great zappy color, she has such presence. When she does go it will leave such a hole (or dim spot in the cosmos), she has been a beacon of stability in my life. You can always count on Queenie.
I Love her. She’s old school and practical! Reminds me of my grandmother in her mid-80’s! I feel like the younger royals could take a hint from gran, and be more relatable and practical at times.
What a lovely coat and scarf. I LOVE purple and this is a great look! She looks so vibrant. I am happy she’s still in good health.
Seems like a double standard. You said nothing about the buttons on her coat!!!
She still looks amazing! Here is to hoping she has her mother’s genes and lives another 10 years, at least.
I’m cool with her taking the train and being seen in public as long as it doesn’t tie up everyone else with security.
Love that her lip color matches the scarf.
There will be no monarchy for me once she passes.
Yes! Gosh she looks good and vibrant.
Where’s Batman?
She looks amazing at her age , Happy Holidays to my Celebitchy friends and Kaiser.
hahahahaha, Was just waiting for the buttons to be mentioned btl and was not disappointed!! Guess they are ok because it isn’t Kate?
Love the colour, and does anyone else think Philip is looking better?
Yes, I do. Retirement suits him.
Oh that coat is lush! the scarf is pretty awesome too. I’d wear the whole outfit.
@Kaiser, HM has a collection of Hermes scarves, so your $1000 isn’t far off. Looking closely, this one has a fern pattern. No, I don’t think she wore this in solidarity with Meghan’s fern evening gown, just a funny coincidence.
$1000 (US) is far too much for an Hermes scarf. They’re less than half that in the retail stores, and since the rumour is she only wears Hermes, I’m guessing she gets a “volume discount”.
TQ and Phillip look good.She looks like she’s aged much over the last year ,and he looks better and younger,retirement must really be good for him.I too think this Christmas the entire royal clan will turn out after how ill Elizabeth was last year at this time.I wonder if her age and health scare last year are also part of why MM is invited even though she’s not married to Harry,you know,like just enjoying her family without as much protocol?Love her purple coat and the scarf 😍💕💕💕
Watching I Love Lucy, where Lucy meets the Queen, it is amazing that Lucy and Ricky are taking about the Queen and Philip. It was so long ago and they are thankfully, still here!
That is crazy! Lucy and Desi long gone, Queen and Philip still out and about.
That coat color is spot on with Pantone’s color of the year for 2018.
Ooh, LOVE that shade of purple.
I love that she’s wearing the color of royalty. Not sure why that makes me laugh, but it does.
I just love the queen, she is never too ostentatious, always graceful, down to earth and modest. To her health!
For the Kate fans out there: Clearly, Her Majesty is signaling her approval of the Duchess of Cambridge by her choice of buttony outerwear. This should end the speculation that HM has not yet awarded her granddaughter-in-law the RFO because she in some way disapproves of her.
I think the Queen is marvelous. An incredible hard working woman. I personally think she should be the end of the line. Get rid of the rest of that wierd family. Make them all get proper jobs and get off their lazy asses. Pour all that wasted money into charities.
Every time I see photos of the Queen I am struck by how beautiful she still is. I think she has always been quite beautiful and striking, but even as she has grown elderly I find her quite captivating to look at. I hope when I am an old woman I look half as good.
Agree. And that skin! Peaches and Cream! And she wears colours that are striking. Bless Queen Bess!
the next generation spends $75000 on a single dress and these people have to travel by train. and no one was even paying attention to prince phillip to make sure he got off ok. he is 95! gosh, we would have at least stood by our parents at that age, to make sure they didn’t fall.
MM gets to purchase a piece of clothing with money she earned herself, regardless of what it cost, if she is the one who purchased it, and if indeed it was that price.
HM and PP don’t “have” to take the train. They take the train for PR reasons. BTW Philip is 96.
Nota, we don’t really know who paid for Meghan’s dress. And she, unlike the entitled family she is marrying into, knows very well how hard she had to work in order to have that 75K. I thought she’d have a better sense of money and how much things cost.
If she paid for it, she has every right to spend the money she earned on a fabulous dress for their engagement photos if that’s how she wants to spend it. The Middletons were said to spend $400,000 on KM’s wedding dress.
She’s a grown woman with her own money. If she wants to flit it away on dresses,’that’s her own thing. Whatever.
@notasugarhere
You can’t compare Meghan’s $75,000 dress to that of a Royal wedding dress. Royal wedding dresses have a place in history and people are curious to see them at exhibitions decades even centuries later. They are expensive because they use the best quality fabrics and showcase local and national craftsmanship at its finest . You couldn’t buy Kate’s wedding dress off the rack. Meghan’s R & R dress isn’t in the same league, it won’t go down in history, its just another over-priced frilly dress.
I can compare anything I want, whatever. She would have purchased this at a deep discount, with money she earned, as a private citizen likely with an eye towards wearing it at an awards show. Doubtful she would have paid more than $10,000 if anywhere near that.
Compare that to the ugly, unremarkable, knock-off dress worn by Kate Middleton costing $400,000? That wedding dress and its cost are ridiculous.
Isn’t there a Royal Train – private rail cars belonging to the royal family – that gets used when they travel by train? Or is it only used for longer trips?
Only for official business. You’d be surprised by how spartan the queens personal accommodation is eg on Britannia
They take the normal train but have the entire car it’s less than 2 1/2 hours as friends take the same train to Kings Lynn. They are probably in first class as those trains aren’t very nice. Doesn’t appear to be the newer ones.
I swooned over this outfit. The colors are so fabulous. And the shots are relatively, for The Queen, casual. Looking forward to some great shots with the holidays and church etc etc.
oh and there is a fabulous photo of her smiling in this set – I saw it on twitter – that I loved.
I love the coat and the scarf. She looks great!
I hope she replicated that top face for Princess Michael and her special pin.