Happy Birthday Prince Louis! Plus, One-Hit Wonders Series Part 1

Happy Birthday, Prince Louis! 

Kensington Palace released a new photograph of the young man to celebrate the Prince’s sixth birthday today. Below, a flashback to April 23, 2018, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge introduced their newborn on the steps of the Lindo Wing.

The photo released today was taken by the Princess of Wales last week in Windsor. In social media posts today, the family thanked people for their good wishes.

We have enjoyed seeing Prince Louis quite a bit this past year, including at last May’s coronation events.

In these photos, you see him at Westminster Abbey with his big sister, Princess Charlotte.

In the Australian State Coach after the service. 

With one of his funny faces on the iconic Buckingham Palace balcony. 

Another view from the historic day. 

The Prince joined his parents and siblings for the Big Help Out event, an initiative tied to the coronation that encouraged people to volunteer in their communities.

This was the Prince’s first official working engagement. Although he has attended events like Trooping the Colour and the Platinum Jubilee Concert, such events are not considered working engagements.

In this image, Prince Louis contributes to a mural with handprints from everyone helping at the event.

In June, Prince Louis joined his family at Trooping the Colour. 

Another view. 

The children watch the flypast from the Buckingham Palace balcony. 

This was one of my favorite photos of Prince Louis at the June ceremonies. 

The Prince was seen with his brother, sister, and father in a photo marking Father’s Day. The image was taken by Millie Pilkington near the family’s Adelaide Cottage home on the Windsor estate.

The next time we saw the Prince, he was at a military air show with his family. 

Last year, the Prince attended the taping of “Royal Carols: Together at Christmas.”

This was the first time Prince Louis was at the taping. 

The Prince as he carried a candle to the family’s seating area.

Another view. 

Here you see the Wales children with their parents in a photo used for the family’s holiday card.

In December, Prince Louis volunteered at a baby bank with his siblings and mother. 

These screengrabs are from a video of the foursome as they helped out at the baby bank. 

And we saw Prince Louis again on Christmas Day. 

Here is a look at Prince Louis in his official birthday photos.

And all three Wales children in their sixth birthday photos.

In the new photo, it looks like Prince Louis is wearing the Thomas Brown Oliver Shirt ($43), with thanks to Bojana for this ID. The shirt is 100% cotton available in several colors.

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Also today, news of a new honor for the Princess of Wales. More from this Victoria Ward story in The Telegraph. 

The Princess of Wales has become the first member of the Royal family appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour.

The 41-year-old has been honoured by the King for her “outstanding” public service and joins an array of notable members including Sir David Attenborough, David Hockney, Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John.

The King created the role of Royal Companion of the Order especially for his daughter-in-law who has been a working member of “The Firm” for 13 years.  

Past members include Sir Winston Churchill, Stephen Hawking, CBE, and Sir Alec Guinness. The Telegraph report notes that membership in the Order is limited to 65 people at any one time. 

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And now, for our first look at the Princess’s “one-hit wonders,” striking designs that merit another appearance. Thank you to everyone who shared ideas for pieces to include; the suggestions have been incredibly helpful! Your input via comments here on the blog, on Facebook, and via email is very much appreciated. Today, we’ll cover some of the basics about styles suggested for inclusion in this group input.

More than 125 dresses, gowns, coats, and separates were suggested. The majority of suggestions shared characteristics:

• Many of the styles mentioned were for items that can be categorized as “dressier” styles.
• A sizable number of formal looks from black-tie and white-tie events were suggested, including evening gowns as well as full-length dresses seen at not-quite-as-dressy functions.
• Several were what I call “statement dresses,” pieces showcasing striking designs and unique characteristics, like the Naeem Khan dress worn at the Taj Mahal or the Alice Temperley seen at the tea held at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Kuala Lumpur.
• Quite a few were from tours, showing the importance of those events in the Princess’s wardrobe. 
• There were three “standout” looks that were clearly favorites for people, designs suggested by at least five to ten people. We’ll cover one of those today. 

A few of the styles suggested were already worn a second time. On this list is a popular piece, the teal Jenny Packham gown. It was most recently worn to the November 2018 Tusk Conservation Awards. Its first appearance was at the “Greatest Team Rising” gala in May 2012 in the runup to the Summer Olympic Games in London. The design was a bespoke version of Jenny Packham’s ‘Aspen’ wedding gown, showcasing a beautiful silk chiffon with light and lacy cap sleeves, a ruched bodice, an ornately embellished waist, and a full, pleated skirt.

Another design that had a second appearance (which yours truly forgot) was the red Preen’ Finella’ dress. The style was first noted during the September 2016 Canada tour and then brought back for a November 2018 Royal Foundation function. The piece featured an asymmetrical neckline with a fitted, draped bodice and a full skirt with box pleats. It was made of a midweight stretch crepe blend of acetate/polyamide/elastane.

Roland Mouret’s “Ella” gown was another style mentioned for inclusion in this category. It was first worn to a private dinner at Claridge’s in May of 2012 (below right) and then repeated in December 2013 at the premiere of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (below left). Made of wool crepe, the style is subtly gathered at the sides, with a high front slit and an asymmetric zip fastening on the back.

Another popular look that has been seen a second time, the Elie Saab separates, first noted at Royal Ascot in June 2019, and brought back for a Buckingham Palace garden party in May 2023. The top was a bespoke version of the designer’s Macramé Pussy Bow Top crafted of a cotton/poly/silk blend fabric, featuring a relaxed fit, button front, and partial lining. The Embroidered Tulle Skirt was made in matching fabric with embroidered dots; it had an A-line silhouette was fully lined.

The most-suggested outfit? This one.

The Duchess wore this Gucci dress for a June 2017 engagement at the V&A. It was a departure from her standard daytime looks, perhaps most noticeably in the length, as it was shorter than many of her dresses. That length makes a second wearing of the dress unlikely.

From our original post: “The piece was from Gucci’s pre-fall collection, constructed in a black and white cotton/nylon tweed that showcases the brand’s signature petersham ribbon (also referred to as web) in blue and red.”

Here is a good look at the nubby tweed fabric, as well as the brand’s navy and red petersham trim.

Some thought the style was reminiscent of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. 

The Duchess accessorized with her ‘Art’ navy pumps by LK Bennett and Emmy London’s ‘Natasha’ bag.

Her hair was in a partial updo, and she wore her Annoushka pearl drops with Kiki McDonough diamond hoops.

In my next post, I’ll reveal the other most-suggested styles.

Here is one of the many formal styles mentioned by several people: a Jenny Packham gown worn in October 2015.

As detailed in a previous post, the gown was worn for the London premiere of SPECTRE, a James Bond film starring Daniel Craig.

It was based on a dress from Jenny Packham’s Spring 2011 collection.

The gown showcased a crossover top in the front and a full, flowing, multi-layer skirt. Beneath a sheer overlay, the dress had a halter-style top. The bodice back was slit open, and the dress closed at the back neck and with a zipper in the skirt portion of the piece. A shimmering rhinestone belt accented the waist, and the skirt was full.

There was also an extended row of rhinestone or crystal buttons/snaps at the wrist. The Duchess wore her hair up.

This allowed an unobstructed view of her Robinson Pelham earrings, the jeweler’s Pagoda style set with blue topaz and diamonds in white gold. (The Duchess’s mother, Carole Middleton, wore these earrings to Kate and William’s evening wedding reception in 2011.)

Here is a better look at the Duchess’s updo.

She accessorized with a miniature version of Jenny Packham’s Casa handbag, a box clutch featuring a crystal-encrusted clasp. Kate also brought back her ‘Vamp’ platform sandals from Jimmy Choo.

This was included in our ‘Most Polarizing Looks’ category, in part because many didn’t care for the upper portion of the dress.

I will see you in a few days with a longer look at more One-Hit Wonders!