The Duchess went with a favored designer, Emilia Wickstead, for today’s visit to Luxembourg.
©James Whatling
Archive for Kate Middleton earrings
We are back with our jewelry polls as well as a delightful giveaway for something I think you will like.
We begin with the polls, which we have broken into three separate categories.
- the first inludes only new pieces
- the second covers items we have previously seen Kate wear
- the final is limited to earrings only
The first new item we saw was at the SportsAid gala when Kate wore the Cartier Trinity Hoops in yellow, white and rose gold.
©i-Images/Splash News/i-Images
The Duchess mixed things up this evening for a Place2Be event at Kensington Palace, pairing an off-the-rack top from Hobbs with a designer skirt by Jenny Packham. Below, Kate chatting with guests; on the right you see Benita Refson, founder and president of Place2Be.
Paul Hackett/WPA Rota/SplashNews.com
Kate and William were back at Wimbledon today for the Gentlemen’s Championships.
The Queen’s Sovereigns’ luncheon is always an important occasion, but especially so in this Jubilee Year; today’s lunch was attended by more than 60 monarchs.
The Duke and Duchess chatting with Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco. 
The Duchess with King Simeon of Bulgaria and his wife, Queen Margarita.
For her first appearance at this event, Kate chose a piece by Emilia Wickstead. Below, having a giggle with Princes Harry and William before everyone sat down for lunch.
More on the glittering guest list from Rebecca English
A sneak peek at the seating plan showed there were 24 Kings and Queens, one Emperor, a Grand Duke and a Sultan.
Eight princesses, an Emir and a lone Empress added a further layer of gravitas to the mix.
Wondering about the menu for such an illustrious gathering? Royal photographer Mark Stewart tweeted about that.
It is an amazing gathering of royalty in an extraordinary setting, but it is also said to be a surprisingly informal atmosphere. We return to the Daily Mail story:
The event had the atmosphere of a family gathering, despite the opulent surroundings, with everyone chatting loudly as they caught up.
The British Royal Family circulated around the chamber mingling with their foreign guests. At one point Prince Harry was engrossed in conversation with the Saudi Ambassador while his brother William and wife Kate chatted to King of Jordan Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania.
We can thank the Daily Mail’s Rebecca English for details on Kate’s frock:
Rebecca English/The Daily Mail Twitter Feed (@RE_DailyMail)
WKW Facebook friend @Kate Spotter made an early prediction on the frock, we thank both ladies for sharing such helpful information today.
The soft pink dress is knee length with a full pleated skirt. It also features a fitted bodice with concealed off-center closure and an inset waistband above the skirt.
You can see many elements found in Kate’s dress in this piece from 2011 shared by Michele Boccard; the neckline, bodice, and pleats are almost identical, the biggest distinction between the two pieces is the length of the sleeves.
Emilia Wickstead/Press Association/Emilia Wickstead
Emilia Wickstead collections generally offer several pieces in pink; below, pink frocks ranging from 2010 to 2012.
Some will recall Kate wore Emilia Wickstead for the Irish Guards event on St. Patrick’s Day. (Our post on that appearance is here.)
Kate recycled her pink satin Prada pumps, thanks to VE. Lina on Twitter, as well as Anna Marie, Nuria, and Ashley Margot on Facebook for quickly identifying them. Kate previously wore the shoes to Peter and Autumn Phillips’ wedding in 2008 (pink jacket over black dress), as well as to the Charlie and Lucy Savory wedding in 2010 (pink Collette Dinnigan lace dress, same pink blazer).
And Kate also reprised the pink Prada clutch we have also seen on multiple occasions, initially noted when carried to last year’s ARK Dinner.
Kate had two pieces of jewelry on today we’ve yet to identify, including a brooch we haven’t seen before. Her earrings have been worn previously, the always-sharp Ayvee of Diana’s Jewels shared that Kate wore them to a wedding last January of 2011 (our post is here), when Kate wore her classic Libelula black velvet Dulwich coat. Ayvee’s site also notes they were worn to the Rosie Bradford – Harry Meade nuptials in October of 2010. Additionally .
A very sharp WKW FB friend, Michelle Wales, did some hunting and wondered if this might be a piece borrowed from HM, the “Queen’s Amethyst Bouquet Brooch,” a gift to the Queen in 1960. But after more examination, Michelle isn’t convinced it is the same piece, nor are Ayvee (mentioned above) or Anna (of royal jewelry FB site My Small Obsessions).
As is often the case these days, social media provided details on the event. We can thank Richard Palmer of the Daily Express for his update on a topic that was hotly debated, royal protocol and curtsies:
Richard Palmer/Daily Express Twitter Feed (@RoyalReporter)
Senior British Royals were in attendance at Windsor Castle, the entire roster of monarchs at lunch may be seen at the BBC site:
Twelve members of the British Royal Family – including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Duke of York – will also be there.
Those attending included:
- Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan,
- Prince Albert & Princess Charlene of Monaco
- King Harald of Norway and his wife Queen Sonja
The BBC’s story is here.
The BBC
The Telegraph/ITN video is here.
ITN/The Telegraph
For those interested in learning more about Ms. Wickstead, here is a great video with the designer, described as a ‘posh young talent’ by Vogue Italy.
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Two more items today, the first is our $500 Spending Spree contest winner, compliments of Shop It To Me. The lucky lady is Alicia, who entered with a comment at 7:40 am on May 11th, saying her favorite designer would be McQueen, except she can’t afford it. Hopefully, this will help out on that front!
Our thanks to both Nicole and Tamara at Shop It To Me for making things go smoothly and offering such a wonderful prize. Alicia promises to let us know what she ends up purchasing, I can’t wait to see what treasures she comes up with!
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Our other note involves an incredible savings opportunity at a place we know Kate likes, Links of London.
Links of London 5 Day VIP Sale
Links of London USA are doing a VIP 5 Day Sale and prices are *amazing* on many items, with some pieces up to 60% off.
For example, the iconic Links Sweetie Bracelet shown below left in rose gold vermeil retails at $385, but it is just half of that price, $192.50 until the sale ends at midnight on Monday. On the right we show the Links Sweetie in 18KT Gold over Sterling with freshwater pearls, it sells at $990 but is $693 (30% off) until the sale ends.
Links of London VIP Sale
Or those looking for a little trinket with a bit of Britain might like the British Flag Welly Boot charm (normally $85, now $42.50), or one of my favorites, the British Bulldog charm (it normally sells at $95, but is VIP priced at $47.50) or the Heart Sunglasses charm (also just $42.50). They are all darling in addition to being great buys.
Links of London VIP Sale
But you need to use a special link to get to the sale online, click here to do just that. The VIP event ends at midnight, Monday the 21st.
Kate’s next appointment is tentatively scheduled for the 22nd, the Garden Party at the Palace, and then we get into heavy Jubilee activities, including Epsom on June 2.
