Best off-duty royal looks
How to dress down this summer, Windsor-style
From the Queen’s headscarf and waxed jackets to Catherine’s jeans and blazers and Meghan’s white shirts, we take a look at the best off-duty royal style of all time.
The Queen: When she’s off-duty, the Queen has long worn a uniform of tweed skirts, waxed jackets and silk headscarves. In 2017 Dame Margaret Barbour revealed The Queen has worn the same Barbour jacket for 25 years and asked for it to be re-waxed rather than replaced with a new one. She teams it with one of her collection of bright silk headscarves, which she gets from Hermes and Burberry.
Princess Diana: Whatever she wore caused a sensation and Princess Diana could even pull off sporting a baseball cap and charity sweatshirt. She was the queen of 1980s jumpers, and knew how to make smart-casual her own. This shot, in 1988, showed her at the polo in a British Lung Foundation sweatshirt, of which she was patron, blazer, jeans, boots and cap.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge: Perhaps with a nod to Diana, Catherine has blazed a fashion path through the pandemic with her blazer and jeans combos, which she’s worn from Zoom calls to football matches. Although she still loves skinny jeans, lately she’s been going for more straight-leg denims and sneakers, like this Chloe jacket, Ralph Lauren top and & Other Stories jeans.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: Of all her outfits, our favourite is Meghan’s trademark white shirt, which she dresses up or down, with shorts, trousers or jeans. She first rocked the look in a Misha Nonoo shirt and ripped Mother Denim skinny jeans at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, her first public appearance with Prince Harry.
Princess Margaret: In our minds, Princess Margaret will be forever known for her fabulous kaftans she wore on the island of Mustique, a place where she felt she could truly be herself. Interestingly, many of her clothes were hand-me-downs from the Queen, including a salmon kaftan by Hardy Amies.
Anne’s letter to the Olympians
Princess Anne penned a moving letter to Team GB, after its athletes came in fourth on the medal table, winning 22 golds. Posting on the Royal Family’s Instagram page, the Princess Royal, who is president of the British Olympic Association, wrote, “Despite the many difficulties in training and getting to the Games during the pandemic, everyone involved in Team GB has played a significant role in a magnificent performance.” We can’t wait for Paris 2024, ooh la la, bonne chance Team GB!
Cambridge v Sussex: Who is top of the class?
It was GCSE and A-Level results month in the UK (congrats to Maria’s daughter Elsie on smashing her 11 GCSEs), which got us thinking who is a right royal clever clogs?
Prince William: Leaving Eton with 12 GCSEs and three A-Levels (A in Geography, B in Art and C in Biology) he scooted up to University of St Andrews after a gap year to study History of Art (where he met Catherine), later switching to Geography and gaining a 2:1. A for king-size brains.
Duchess of Cambridge: 11 GCSEs and three A-Levels (As in Maths and Art, B in English) meant her time boarding at £40k-a-year Marlborough College, Wiltshire, was a sound investment. Catherine graduated St Andrews with a 2:1 in History of Art. A* for our scholarly future Queen.
Prince Harry: His 11 GCSEs and a B in Art and D in Geography A Levels are not to be sniffed at, yet it’s no secret he’s not the Einstein of the family. He did shine on Eton’s famed playing fields though, becoming the brilliantly-monikered House Captain of Games and representing the school at rugby, cricket and polo. He enrolled at Sandhurst and enjoyed an exemplary army career. B+ for brawn over brain power.
Duchess of Sussex: Obviously Meghan didn’t take GCSEs or A-Levels and the actual SATs grades she obtained at LA’s Immaculate Heart High School (a private, all-girls Catholic college) are a bit of mystery. But they were more than enough to get her into Northwestern University, Illinois, where she graduated with a degree in Theatre and International Relations. During her time there Meghan interned at the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina and learned Spanish. A* for the academic American.
The Royal List report card: The clever Cambridge couple edge it over Sussex sass.
All of a flutter over Princess Charlotte
William and Catherine shared this sweet snap of Charlotte cradling a Red Admiral butterfly last week, promoting the Big Butterfly Count initiative taking place across the UK. You have until the end of August to submit any counts you made between July 16 and August 8, head to the website here.
This adorable pic also reminded us of the six-year-old’s great-gramps Prince Philip, snapped in 1988 totally entranced by the Monarch butterfly’s migration and shared by the Royal Family shortly after his passing.
Royal bake-off: Biscuits fit for a queen
If it’s good enough for Queen Victoria, it’s good enough for us. This week, Kerry tried her hand at making some Queen’s Drop Biscuits, from an English Heritage recipe from Audley End cook Mrs Crocombe. They’re super-simple and taste like a cross between a cake and a biscuit. Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
225g butter
225g sugar
3 eggs
340g plain flour
225g dried fruit
A few drops of almond extract
Method
1. Cream the butter and add the sugar. Mix well, before adding the sifted flour and eggs. Mix until light and fluffy and tip in the dried fruit and almond extract.
2. Drop equal quantities of the mixture onto a greased baking sheet, well-spaced out. You’ll end up with a cross between a cookie and a cake. Bake at 180C for about 10 minutes or until firm to the touch.