Royal Ascot: Day 5

It's over! Royal Hat Christmas is all wrapped up, but not without a final cheeky flourish from QE.

Best in Spring

What an amazing colourful ending by the Queen- loved the colour combo and the multi-coloured hat. The Flame Lily Brooch did look a bit minuscule though. And as Black Caviar's win was a HUGE deal here in Australia, we were lucky enough to have this jovial outfit all over the front page of the paper!

She did channel her inner horse whisperer, which was so touching.

The Curtseying Ladies

Ooh, and Savannah wins this by an INCH. Great to see both ladies in a proper curtsey though.

Nice, bold colour from Bea, but the studded ruffles down her backside? Not a fan. And here's the guys. Great to see Prince Philip, as always, and Prince Michael looking Tsar-y as usual.

Pictures: The Daily Mail/Getty Images/AP

Royal Ascot: Day 4

Finally, finally, QE has a royal winner! Her horse Estimate, decked out in the Queen's racing colours won the Queen's Vase. Ironically, Prince Philip presents the trophy for this race, and so it was a sweet moment when QE received it from her husband, which resulted in me melting.

And to my dismay, that's where her winning streak stops. Unfortunately, she pulled out one of my most hated outfits- the wonky cake. The coat is nice, but the hat is oh so out of proportion the way the brim curves down and bulges, the way the actual top curves in. And THOSE BALLS! or "hat pins." Ugh. 

Class

Hold on to your hats! Princess Michael is in the house! At first glance, it seems strange...no hat? But oh no, oh no, were we wrong, just do a little spin Marie Christine, and there we go- a petite pillbox!

I'll let you guys figure out the rest...

Pictures: The Daily Mail/Reuters/Zimbio/Richard Gillard

Royal Ascot: Day 3

It's Ladies Days at Royal Ascot, and *most* of the *royals* in attendance looked lovely.

Feathery Splendour


Ahh, trust Liz to come back roaring! The feathery hat wins it for me, and reminds me a lot of her mother's one at the wedding of Charles and Diana.

Okay, maybe not on the same feathery scale, but still..

Best New Royal Friendship!


Great to see Phil and Carole Middleton having fun and sharing a few laughs. Carole wore an outfit strikingly similar to the one her daughter wore to the river pageant.

The Ladies

Well it IS Ladies' Day, and they certainly showed up in their numbers. Bea in a so-so dress. Very detailed, but a bit all over the place. Eug played it so so very safe, and bland as well. Anne in my fav outfit of hers, even if it was just a repeat. I adore the lovely spring-like print- the purple and green complement each other so amazingly. The Countess of Wessex was very meh for me, but the hat managed to get her over the line.

And thank GOD for Princess Michael, or else I might have fallen asleep after Eug and Sophie! Got to love her for her signature flair!

And here's an adorable photo chucked in, as the ladies curtsey for the Queen-

Pictures: Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor/Daily Mail/James Whatling

Random Royal Tidbit: Princess Michael and Her Cats

Princess Michael is certainly an interesting character, exemplified by her official website. She is often referred as "Princess Pushy," and the Queen herself referred to her as "Our Val," and as "a bit too grand" for the Royal Family.

She does have her own .org site, which tends to praise her in every way, displaying her numerous interests, talents and achievements. Princess Michael does lectures and is the author of numerous historical novels. One of her fondest loves is.....cats. An excerpt from one of her interviews shows her fondness of the feline species: "My passion for tigers dates from my childhood, when I discovered The Jungle Book. Kipling’s Shere Khan was my secret best friend and for his sake I haunted my nearest zoo, imagining a bond with these magnificent beasts." So here's some amusing photos of her with an assorted collection of cats.

Pictures: Daily Mail/John Staddort/HRH Princes Michael of Kent/Catholicism Pure and Simple