I don’t think I’ve ever realized that King Felipe VI of Spain is so tall? Like, I knew he was a tall man, but he absolutely TOWERS over Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh. These are photos from King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s big state visit to Great Britain. The Spanish royals arrived in London today, and they were given a “royal salute” by the Horse Guards Parade. It’s all very fancy. This visit was already canceled/delayed twice this year. Letizia and Felipe were supposed to come in March, but their own government was in crisis. Then they were supposed to come last month, but their visit would have conflicted with Theresa May’s snap election. So, they’re in London now, and the state visit will last for three days and they will be staying at (the crumbling) Buckingham Palace during their stay.
Tonight is the big state dinner at BP, and everyone is expecting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to attend, plus Prince Harry too. I wonder if that’s one of the reasons why we haven’t seen much of Kate at Wimbledon – not only is she doing some last-minute shopping for the trip to Poland and Germany next week, but she also had to get all of stuff done for a state dinner. Fresh dye job and blowout, workouts and perhaps some quick, emergency Botox.
For this Horse Guards Parade, QEII wore a magenta coat by Stewart Parvin. Queen Letizia wore yellow, and I don’t have an ID on this. I kind of hate it? I usually like Letizia’s style a lot, and I think she does a great mix of separates, mass-market stuff and higher-end couture. But this yellow suit is messy and twee. People are comparing it – favorably – to something Kate would have worn. I agree that this looks very “Kate,” in that this is unflattering and not cute.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
He’s almost 2 m tall
Considering seated, he doesn’t look “taller” than TQ, all of height seems to be in his legs. Dolittle would KILL for that! Lol
I wonder if TQ is sitting on something so she could be better seen. She’s pretty short, there’s no way you should be able to see more of TQ than of Philip in his carriage.
Yes 6’6″. I can see why Letizia wears high heels often as she looks so little next to him when she wears flats. Philip used to be 6’0″ but he looks so small next to Felipe now.
I think he’s walking a few steps behind Felipe. You know King and all.
Plus, we all shrink as we get older so that’s probably a factor.
PS I just realized while typing this that they have same name and it made me chuckle.
Mmm, I don’t hate it, especially in the photo of her in the carriage where she looks beautiful. I also assume she wore it as one half of the national colours of Spain, with her husband wearing a red tie as the other half?
It would make sense that it was deliberate. He often matches his tie to what she’s wearing, including hot pink, so him wearing red with her in yellow for the flag works. Unless his tie is hot pink to match HM? It looks different in other photos.
I think it wouldn’t look as “bad” if the coat wasn’t shorter than the dress. I know it’s meant to show the lace work on the hem, but somehow, it looks “off” to me. Maybe it’s the fabric of the jacket….I don’t know…. The dress alone isn’t bad, just paired with the coat…does nothing for me *shrugs*. And yes, I immediately thought it was an outfit KM would wear, including the hat! lol. Considering how chic Leticia looked in the white separates outfit yesterday (day before that??)… oh well… 😊
The outfit from yesterday – the white sleeveless separates and the snakeskin shoes from the ‘awaying’ ceremony? That was much better than this and more her usual style. This yellow outfit reflects BRF dress protocol and the formality of the State visit.
When Leti gets it wrong she still does it better than Kate.
Spice cake 38 +1000
I don’t hate this dress/coat either but imho, the hat isn’t quite working with the dress/coat.
Always beautiful. Tbe dinner even more.
As to waity.- all these years and still dont look right. Lace and CKnot nevklace way too much going on toobusy duuch waity. Cant carry any wear regally – clothes always wear her.
Eh, it’s such a big deal that this is the first I’m hearing about it today
(neither the guardian nor independent nor BBC this morning had any mention in the headlines). Ah well, another party for tax payers to pay for, while public sector workers continue to suffer. Shrug.
I just could never put on a hat like that. Like kudos to her but I couldn’t do it.
Oh please, she was visiting the Royal Family. “Awful” to us commoners is the baseline for hats in the Windsor family. Besides, she’s too beautiful to fail.
I am thankful for the Queen’s flat hat trend!
It’s cosplay! What would I wear if I had the terrible taste of a Windsor?
I think she looks nice.
So do I. Love the colours, like the cut.
I do too – love the dress – the hat, well, they do hats over there
Letizia is gorgeous and usually dresses beautifully. This outfit does remind me of something KM would wear so it’s not that fashionable.
Its probably Felipe Varela. He loves appliques and does make a lot of her more matronly bespoke pieces.
Felipe Varela has made some absolutely bomb things for Letizia, though – I can see why he’s a fave.
Also, that purple Varela number she wore to meet Sarkozy and Carla Bruni while she was still Princess of Asturias? That was the opposite of matronly.
Letizia made up for it with her red gown at the banquet!!! Beyond gorgeous!! And look how she knows how to hold her hands….the benefit of being a professional before royalty.
I think she’s beautiful and that outfit stands out and looks interesting and pretty. And he is gorgeous . . .
Yes, thankfully Felipe has regrown his beard. Without it he looks like his mother.
His sisters look just like their mother. It’s crazy.
The gray beard makes him look old.
If he dyed it, he’d look silly as his beard has been mostly gray for years. Any day I’ll take the gray beard over clean-shaven for him and for Haakon of Norway (who is growing his back after the party stunt last month). They’re both better looking and easier to take somewhat seriously when sporting facial hair.
Yeah, no. The colour is nice, but that lacey hem spoils everything. Her poise and posture are so much better than Kate’s though, and that makes all the difference.
This doesn’t even look like her, she usually does so much better. What happened?
It’s like she’s dressing the way Kate does 🙁
She’s dressing to BRF dress protocol and for a formal State Visit. Her outfit from the leaving ceremony at the Spanish airport was more her usual style.
Yes !! I think so to!..My mother told me many years ago..and I am old now!… that the Windsors are all tiny ..hence the platforms and lift area in the shoes especially when they were younger…Margaret especially….plus the colours have to be bright to stand out for the crowd and the hats off the face..as especially Liz is so small she would look like a mushroom otherwise!
Colour is significant..it is like the old language of flowers idea..so she would be yellow/gold for the Spanish flag as red would not be appropriate as the visiting royal..Infact there was a time I believe when you could not wear purple as that was for royals only!
Notice the PM and Home Sec both in Blue for the Tories..it’s my favourite colour..I wish they would not wear that so much!!
Yes I think Lettie is wearing ‘State Visit’ style a la UK. i din’t think the yellow is the best colour for her and I don’t think big hats with lots of frou frou are her style either. All a bit too embellished this outfit. She doesn’t look awful, just a little over-dressed compared to her usual style.
Yes @ Kaz..She is very beautiful..as a Queen on an official visit you have to think of it in lieu of Crown and long dress..now Tiara..
I expect she will be very sparkly and glamorous for the evening State Dinner..
Hahahaha. Spot on as to Kate’s doings. She may well participate in the state dinner, otherwise it’d be rude not to. And we know she does not have child care problems. I’m so curious to know what they talk about. The two royal families among each other. We won’t, though. So I would be happy to see the battle of wardrobes. And compare their postures. I’ve always admired Letizia’s poise and demeanour. The way she stands tall. Looking forward to see Kate and Letizia side by side. Giggles.
Not sure they do talk. Last time they met, W&K failed to recognized the new King of Spain. That’s how unaware they are of their roles and their colleagues.
ohmygawd. This is so funny. Now we know that WK are studying catalogues with the pictures and bios of the officials they’ll meet on the Poland and Germany tour. I am laughing hard, by myself, picturing WK while trying to pronounce notoriously difficult Polish and German surnames. What they will do in fact will be smiling/grinning and addressing people by the oh so easy pronoun “you” and “Excellency”. Or something like that. I’d love to hear them say a few words in both languages. It’s only wishful thinking. I said on another thread that we could not even hear Kate talking at the Wimbledon. Not even a small chit chat. We’ll only see her grinning and playing with her hair.
@ nota: Willnot and Cannot are truly ignorant to all things around them: the Spaniards are not only colleagues, but distantly related. Prince Philipp is one of the Greek offsprings of the German house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, as is Sofía, Felipe’s mother. Other Holstein royal families are Norway and Denmark.
@SoulSPA: I was going to post similar, was wondering about Duchess of Dolittle convos with Queen Letizia considering the latter was a quite seasoned journalist before becoming a Queen, and Duchess of Dolittle, was, cough, cough.
@notasugarhere: I’ve all forgotten about that. Appalling and embarrassing.
Great. Maybe Letizia will not even understand Keen Kate. Her accent is way to fake. And it seems she does not have the capacity to string complex sentences together. She’ll have to write down the famous chutney recipe! Wondering what was it made of?
It is a similar silhouette to what she’s worn a lot in last few years, like the mint green and long lace overlay coat for their eldest’s first communion. Felipe Varela? It would be better without the lace trim on the dress (but keeping the interesting hemline on the jacket) and without the hat. Spain doesn’t usually do hats, but when they visit the UK it seems to be a requirement.
as a fellow person who also looks awful in yellow, I c an sympathize. but girl, that is not your color.
The color doesn’t bother me. It’s the hat that I hate and the detailing at the bottom on her dress but she the type to wear clothes and not let it wear her so it’s ok. I’ve seen her a few times she dresses very well most of the time.
I’ve never seen her in hats. She always looks sophisticated and chic. But not in this outfit and yes, I can imagine the duchess in this outfit.
Now we need to wait to see 1) if W&K show for the State dinner and 2) if she’s finally gotten the Royal Family Order. She’s the slowest in receiving it as we know at 6+ years in. Diana had hers at 18 months, Camilla at 2 years, Sophie at 5 years (but only the last two of those years was she an official working royal).
Oh so the women who enter the RF receive the Royal Family Order? Do they have to do something/have special merits to receive it?
It is a personal Order given by the Queen for personal service to her. Not all of them do receive it and it appears related to whether or not you work (and work well) for the Family Firm.
Fergie never received one but the marriage imploded before the 5 year mark. Duchess of Gloucester, Duchess of Kent, Princess Alexandra all have them too and they are official working royals. Princess Michael of Kent doesn’t have one, which might be because HM doesn’t like her (don’t know if she does or doesn’t), but more likely because she isn’t an official working royal.
Thanks @notasugarhere. I shall await to see official pictures and articles on the visit with keen interest.
William was at the viewing of Spanish pieces in the royal collection, so they might go to the state dinner. I saw a picture of him on the official the royal family instagram looking at something with Prince Charles, Camilla, and what looked like Prince Andrew.
Kate didn’t have it on. She did, however, have another lace Marchesa, this one with some cleavage showing. Daring!!!!
With god-awful sleeves that make her look like she stepped out of a production of Hamilton. And that amazing necklace is all wrong for that dress. God-a stylist STAT. She’s really going to have to step it up when Meghan marries in-she’s going to run style circles around Kate.
She looks like Cindy Crawford in the first two pics, right? And he is a fox.
In some pictures she reminds me of Renee Russo, esp when Letizia’s hair was shorter and worn wavy.
Gosh, every time I see a photo of Letiza I immediately stand up straighter, her posture is perfect!!! While I don’t hate this outfit it’s not the usual perfection that I’ve come to associate with Letiza, a bit too busy imo.
It’s a bit fussy compared to her usual, more stream-lined style. Maybe she felt she had to be a bit more formal to meet with the rather stuffy Windsors?
It is an outfit that might appeal to Kate but she could never carry it off as elegantly as Letizia.
I don’t think this ensemble is awful, not one of her best looks but it still works. It is a whole lot of yellow but it’s a pale yellow. Yellow is one of the dominant colors in the Spanish flag so I’m guessing that’s why she picked that color. I think the fascinator/hat thing is a bit overkill and she’d look better without it.
Is anyone else craving lemon bars now? Just me?
The hat is tragic. I love the coat. The dress would be better without the applique on the bottom. That sort of cheapens it. Like a high school Home Ec project. She looks great, though. She wears clothes well, clothes don’t wear her, unlike a certain Duchess.
Also, you can’t do emergency botox. Botox isn’t immediate. It takes up to two weeks for the full effect.
Ohh, a lemon bar sounds so good right about now!!! Darn you KiddVicious!!
Felipe is addressing Parliament live now. I’m always amazed at how “British” he sounds. Yes, CBers from the UK, I recognize there is no one “British” accent.
You could say he has the typical posh british accent.
Felipe looks wonderful. I love the grey beard. He looks so distinguished – but, then again, I’ve always had a fondness for silver foxes. As for Letizia – I think she looks great. It does look like something Kate would wear but Letizia wears it MUCH, MUCH better.
I think she looks nice. I don’t love the bottom of the dress and coat, but overall its fine. It’s just not her usual “spot on” style. I’m really interested to see what she wears for tonight.
if kate attends she’ll probably be in another high neck Jenny Packham gown.
Something about it reminds me of some of the yellow outfits Diana used to wear.
I will never ever sh*t on anything Letizia wears. I adore her style and even when she looks bad (not even bad) she’s still stunning. I am jealous!!!
I like the texture of the jacket, and though it’s not my favorite color, it really pops against the carpet and the upholstery of the carriage. This is an outfit that makes her easy to see, that’s for sure.
Maybe I am the only one who thinks she looks good. Well, except for the hat! She is gorgeous and I think she carries off yellow well. I think it was meant to be the colors of the country.
This was her best attempt at British Royal cosplay.
Kate wore Marchesa in millennial pink to the dinner? Can’t wait for that thread tomorrow!
Thoughts:
Letizia is so much more professional, polished and appropriate than poor Kate. Momma Carole didn’t do her baby girl any favors supporting her throughout her 20s. That is a time to learn how to act, dress, behave appropriately. Even down to how Letizia holds her hands at her sides when standing in public, she is just more ready for her job cause she actually did work.
Kate’s wearing Marchesa again? Is Marchesa a British designer?? HAHA! Showing some cleavage, too!! She has some serious bling in that necklace, but no order from the Queen. Sad!!!
The Queen has a serious tiara on – what are those big stones? They look either like very light emeralds or aquamarines. They would certainly go far to repairing Buckingham Palace.
Camilla, as always, looks happy and comfortable. There is a pic of Kate at the table, she looks like a nervous wreck. Once again, the byproduct of a life in which she did nothing useful for ten years.
Letizia is gorgeous, polished and has the most gorgeous red gown!!! Love it!!
Harry was there, sitting next to a fetching young woman. Wonder who she is? Seems terrible for Meghan not to be invited since they are “practically engaged.”
They’re aquamarines. It is the Brazilian Aquamarine Tiara.
I’m sure some will disagree with me, but this amount of cleavage on Kate Middleton isn’t appropriate for her position. Always has to sex it up instead of choosing something elegant. Yes, I think Sophie sometimes has too low of necklines. I also think baby pink and ruby clash, unless you’re looking at old Valentines.
Nothing to worry about or linger on about Meghan Markle not being there. We don’t know if they are or not headed to marriage, but unless they were officially engaged, Harry wouldn’t be allowed to bring her.
I know, I am just kidding about Meghan. 🙂
And thank you for the info about the aquamarines.
I also agree about Kate’s cleavage. Did Diana ever show cleavage when she was in the RF? I think that she knew Letizia would outshine her in every single way, so she had to figure out a way to get some more attention than L. Sadly, she failed.
Harry is seated next to the Marchesa Cholmonderey. She’s stunning. Kate “hosted” that party for the children’s hospice on their estate last year. Not sure how the Marchesa feels about KM because she hadn’t done anything for that patronage which still needs millions for a new building, but KM does run to Ben Ainslie’s charity (which already reached its fundraising goal) at every possibility.
Not crazy about the outfit but she looks beautiful in the pic with Prince Phillip.
So looking forward to tomorrow’s fashion post on Kate How do you wear an evening gown with a plunging neckline and bell sleeves in the same dress?! How?! What I want to know was Kate the only woman to show cleavage tonight? I would love a side by side of Queen Letizia and the Duchess of Doolittle. Queen Letizia brought her A game and it clearly showed.
Due to her professional experiences, poise and intelligence, Letizia could bring her D game and still outshine Waity. Waity is just not comfortable in her role cause she doesn’t do it enough to get comfortable.
Yes, Letizia just shines with intelligence, warmth and poise. Whatever she wears is secondary. And the fact that she and her husband appear to be in sync is lovely to see.
Kate is so out of her depth that it must be painful to herself and everyone around her. She looks absolutely pitiful. Maybe she doesn’t understand or doesn’t care. In the few photos available she’s clinging to Harry in conversation at the reception, but looks lost otherwise. She is unsuited and lacks the qualities essential to a position where she meets world leaders.
It was all for the press attention – she upped her jewellery game as well, someone didn’t want to be outshone.
Queen L looked fab! Waity looked like she was cosplaying Wolf Hall.