Ok, it’s time to catch up a bit on November. I’m going to back-date this post to last week so as to cover two engagements that the Cambridges and Sussexes carried out, and then we’ll turn back to this past weekend for the actual Remembrance Day events later today.
As has become the norm, the biggest news around the Royal Family is what may or may not be going on behind-the-scenes. As far as we know, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are still planning to take an elongated break from right about now through the Christmas holiday. That means we likely won’t see that at Sandringham this year, as the latest speculation places them in LA for December to visit Meghan’s mother.
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, if the couple needs downtime – and it appears that they do – then go for it. Harry has revealed that he’s having to actively manage his mental health, and Meghan seems burnt out, and tending to those issues comes first, in my opinion. I also think it’s understandable that Meghan would want to spend time in the United States, and that she would want to show Archie – and Harry, for that matter – LA and where she grew up. On the other, I do wish that the couple had better used this past summer when there was built in and expected time off.
I’ve seen some comparison with how the Cambridges used to disappear for chunks of time earlier in their marriage – indeed, they used to be pretty invisible for the month of January, for example. The big difference, though, is that that schedule is from a time when Harry and the Duke of Cambridge (and therefore, the Duchess of Cambridge) weren’t full-time working royals. And coming on the heels of that documentary and the recent onslaught of negative press, this feels less like a planned-for holiday and more like a thing of necessity. Which it may well be, but it’ll be interesting to see how things play out when both Sussexes are truly under the radar for an extended bit…assuming they aren’t photographed in public while in California.
Anyway, last week: both couples carried out engagements on Thursday, November 7. William and Kate attended the launch of the National Emergencies Trust, while Harry and Meghan attended a ceremony at Westminster Abbey’s Field of Remembrance. Starting with the Cambs, the new charitable organization was started in reaction to the Grenfel Tower fire and the series of terrorist attacks that London dealt with throughout 2017.
The couple spoke with organizers and victims of these events about the importance of targeted and organized care. For example, one woman affected by the Grenfel Tower fire noted that while people were generous with their donations in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, she and her neighbors had nowhere to put the food and clothing shared, creating a rather unfortunate predicament.
For the day, Kate chose a royal blue Emilia Wickstead dress with a matching belt. The dress may well be familiar given that it’s a similar cut and structure to the lavender EW debuted in Germany in 2017, as well as a green version that she wore in May of this year. It’s a silhouette that Kate has been favoring over the past year, much like how she opted for those rather flowing midi dresses for a while. Anyway, it’s not my favorite, but after the Pakistan tour, it does serve as a bit of a palate cleanser as we return to her standard London style.
Moving over to Harry and Meghan, their engagement started on a shaky note when they were mistakenly taken to the wrong entrance of the Abbey, and when the Duchess of Cornwall, scheduled to join them, had to bow out due to illness. The couple made up the time by staying a few minutes longer than scheduled, both making sure they met with as many veterans and service members in attendance as possible.
Meghan wore a navy and black bucle Sentaler coat that while new to her royal wardrobe, is a piece I imagine she’s had a for a while given that it’s from 2015. She fastened it with a black Prada belt, a navy Philip Treacy hat, and tall leather Tamara Mellon boots.
There was a lot going on with this look, but I will say that from the waist up, Meghan looked amazing. She clearly glammed up her makeup a touch and I loved the vintage hat. I also like this coat and the navy and black combo, but I will say that it looked a touch too small for her. She made up for it by wrapping it a bit and belting it, but it didn’t quite work in my book. I’m also not in love with those boots, the slouchiness of with made this ensemble look more casual than I think it was meant to.
Aaand with that, let’s catch up with this past weekend 🙂