The Duchess Diary

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Royal Wedding Rewind: Kate Middleton Wanted Flowers In Her Hair, Camilla Said No

kate middleton laura parker bowles wedding 2006

Chris Jackson/Getty Images

I have SO many thoughts about this.

First off, this coming Friday marks five years since the royal wedding.

To celebrate the union of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, it’s key that we remember moments leading up to and during the greatest live event of our time.

Fans (me) were insatiable when it came to wedding plans for April 29th, 2011.

Who would design Catherine’s dress?  What would her and William’s titles be?  Are there really going to be trees inside Westminster Abbey (my father’s question)?

Reporter Catherine Ostler penned a most intriguing story for the Daily Mail, in which the Duchess of Cornwall was (allegedly) trying  to convince Catherine to wear a tiara for her nuptials.

Camilla Duchess Cornwall Boucheron Tiara State Opening Parliament

Stephen Lock / i-Images

“The latest battleground is that Camilla is said to be desperate to persuade the bride to wear a tiara — even asking friends to intervene on her behalf — because Kate is said to be considering wearing flowers in her hair,” Ostler wrote at the time.

It’s worth pointing out here that few women in this day and age have a justifiable reason to wear a tiara.  A real, historically-rich, priceless tiara that wasn’t purchased in a bridal shop.

And here was Catherine, opting instead for a few flowers to pop in her (albeit gorgeous) hair, a la Fergie at her 1986 nuptials (which looked ridiculous, PS).

You’ll notice that since the wedding, Catherine has only worn a tiara three times; twice to diplomatic receptions (below in 2012), and once to the 2015 Chinese State dinner.

kate middleton tiara diplomatic reception london 2013

Jesal / Tanna / Splash News

“While Charles and Camilla have no wish to be seen as extravagant or out of touch, they believe there is a level of formality and grandeur beneath which a royal wedding must not sink,” Oster wrote.

“To a certain extent, they [William and Catherine] want to have a royal wedding, be like their friends and be ‘of the people’ — something that Camilla would regard as trying to have their royal wedding cake and eating it.”

I side with Camilla on this one.

“Though Kate is not averse to headgear — after all, she single-handedly triggered a renaissance in the feathered headpieces called fascinators — she knows her long, glossy hair competes with her legs as being her stand-out feature,” Ostler continued.  [Read more…]

Princess Charlotte: So Cute, They Named a Lipstick Shade In Her Honor

princess charlotte laughing stuffed animal

The British Monarchy

Prince George got a bilby, so it’s only right that Princess Charlotte should receive something equally as cool.

Marc Jacobs launched its beauty brand in the UK on February 5th, unveiling several shades of Le Marc lip cream lipstick, including “Charlotte.”

“We wanted to commemorate this major brand milestone by creating a custom shade of Le Marc lip crème,” the brand’s global VP, Catherine Gore told Women’s Wear Daily.  [Read more…]

10 Times Kate Middleton Nailed The “Mom Fringe”

kate middleton bangs range rover crathie kirk

Jesal / Tanna / Splash New

In 7th grade I asked a stylist to give me the “Rachel” cut,  AND MY MOM ACTUALLY ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN.

So when I read that the Duchess of Cambridge reportedly isn’t too “keen” on her bangs, I empathized.

According to The Sun, Catherine told friends that she’s not feeling the “mum fringe” celeb stylist Richard Ward created.

“I was a bit unsure about it,” Catherine allegedly admitted.  “I call it my mum fringe.”

Word has it that the Queen has made “gentle suggestions” regarding Catherine’s hair ever since seeing her “glamour girl hair do” at Wimbledon.

Her Majesty recommended “a length deemed more appropriate for a high profile member of the royal family,” according to the Daily Mail.

I’m disappointed that the Queen doesn’t consider Catherine’s hair a national treasure.  Therefore I will express my frustration by assuming I know what Catherine thinks about her glorious, heaven-sent, ocean-parting hair.

  1. Do these glasses make my bangs look frumpy?  JK, I’m glorious.
INFPhoto.com

INFPhoto.com

2. Thank you, darling.  I AM beautiful, no matter what they say.

Kate Middleton Blue Reiss Coat Prince William Twickenham

James Whatling/Splash News

[Read more…]

Hello, This is Kate Middleton. Do You like My Hair?

kate middleton phone calls ICAP charity day

Jeremy Selwyn/NMA-Pool

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are the best sports ever, joined ICAP’s brokers in its London office today to help close deals and boost trading volumes during ICAP charity day.

SkillForce, Sportsaid and Place2Be are among the charities benefiting from William and Catherine’s participation.

The staff at ICAP don costumes for the occasion, and this time a few of the brokers dressed up as “Dave” from MoneySuperMarket’s #EpicStrut advertisement.  [Read more…]

BREAKING NEWS: Kate Middleton Has Bangs. Again.

Hurrah! After taking the summer off to tend to the little ones, the Duchess of Cambridge is ready for her close-up.

Today, Catherine and Prince William joined Prince Charles for Sunday prayers at Crathie Kirk, on the property of Balmoral Castle.   Catherine wore her burgundy Hobbs coat, according to What Kate Wore, an item that made its first appearance in February 2012

The Cambridge family are on holiday up in Scotland, and dined with the Queen when she broke a record on September 9th, becoming the longest-reigning monarch in British history.  [Read more…]

6 Reasons Why It’s So Important To Shape Your Eyebrows

It’s believed that next to teeth, the eyebrows are the most important features on any face.  That’s why it’s worth going the extra mile to have them done by someone who truly understands what it means to “shape” one’s brows.

I haven’t lived in my home town in ten years, yet I make an appointment with the same exact woman each and every time I’m back. Her name is Dimitra Zontanos and she is a genius.

If you’ve ever seen a photo of me, you’ll notice that my eyebrows are very…pronounced, which means I have to be very careful about who I let near them.  [Read more…]

Would You Buy Christian Louboutin’s $90 Lipstick?

Early last month, Christian Louboutin announced he was expanding his empire to include lipstick, a clever move that comes more than year after his brand – famous for its red soles and impossibly high price points – made its foray into beauty with a nail polish line.

Now, Louboutin is offering his customers another piece of art, this time resembling a vial inspired by the beauty and power of Nefertiti, complete with a crown cap and gold base that can be worn as a pendant.
[Read more…]

Heir & Grace Candles Celebrates The Royal Birth With a Good Cause

 

Princess Charlotte Heir Grace

Splash Images/Heir & Grace

 

Any royal occasion is cause for celebration, but for Heir & Grace owner Anna Evans, the birth of Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana of Cambridge meant doing some good as well.

Following Charlotte’s May 2nd birth, Evans’ Windsor-based luxury brand introduced a new limited-edition candle known simply as “Charlotte.”  Each of the 100 candles is hand-signed and marked with an edition number.

“We essentially wanted to created a modern, fresher take on the classic cotton fragrance to represent the fresh, white cotton we imagine Charlotte will be wrapped in,” a rep for Heir & Grace explained via email.  [Read more…]