Kate and George

This photo wasn't available to me when I went to press with the polo pics on Sunday and I love it. (I assume she's waving at her lobster. WHOMEVER ON THE FIELD THAT MAY BE. [It's William.])

Kate and George

I think any human who has spent a lot of time with a small child whom they love recognizes what it's like to stand by a hill and watch them roll down it 100 times. It's very very cute and entertaining and also a little bit boring.

Kate and Zara and Mia

I LOVE the idea that Kate and Cousin Mia have bonded over their shared love of striped shirts. I hope they planned to coordinate at this event.

First Lady Michelle Obama Meets Prince Harry

Informative Caption tells me, "Michelle Obama meets Prince Harry at Kensington Palace...to discuss how the UK and USA are working together to expand girl's education around the world. " I believe they also discussed the concerns of military veterans and their families, which is a cause close to both of their hearts. I have a lot of thoughts, mostly that I LOVE MICHELLE'S DRESS and also that I really wish we could see whatever photos of Harry currently live on Sasha and Malia's respective phones, because I believe they were at this event (no other photos were released) and you know selfies were taken.

I also just read that Michelle brought gifts for Princess Charlotte and Prince George, and they're very classic American gifts: A red wagon for George, and a blanket and Amish rocker for Charlotte. Well played, us. USA!

First Lady Michelle Obama

Yes, this consipiratorial wink was in Milan yesterday, but I feel like it was ABOUT Harry and it was meant for us. (Michelle is really working the patterns on this trip; this dress is also fantastic.)

Prince William

This was at the Magna Carta's 800th Birthday Party and these are Special Magna Carta chairs, but this photo so much looks like this dude is saying, "yes, and it's GREAT. You put your royal behind on this flat bit and then you don't have to stand the whole time. We're calling it THE CHAIR and we really think it's going to take off."

Prince William

"Oooh, look, there's my name on a wee plaque. I wonder if Kate will let me put one of these up at the new house. Like outside, by the pool."

Prince William at Order of the Garter

"Speaking of Kate, I miss Kate. I got this grin already to go and SHE'S NOT STANDING OVER THERE." (Kate did not attend the Order of the Garter ceremony this year. I cannot believe she turned down an opportunity to chortle with Harry about how absurd William looks in his wacky ceremonial finery, but maybe she forced him to wear it home and serve dinner to the kids dressed like this.)

QE2

In case you need a refresher, per Informative Caption: "The Order of the Garter is the most senior and the oldest British Order of Chivalry and was founded by Edward III in 1348. " There is also A LOT of Garter Action in The Royal We, some of which we ended up having to cut, but some of which remains, and ergo I have a special fondness for it. (Also, I love wacky feathered hats.) (Also, this week is the Waterloo anniversary, and the Waterloo dining chamber here at Windsor is ALSO very VERY important in the book, so I feel very tapped in right now.) Her Maj looks peppy here, too -- probably because she knows that Ascot starts right after the Order of the Garter and she LOVES THE PONIES.

The Queen

QE2 also was introduced, that same day, to a patriotic dog, which I presume is her very favorite sort of dog.

The Queen

"We're not even LOOKING at it today!"

Princess Anne

Ever vigilant, even at a ceremonial event. (I rather like this outfit on Anne. I bet she's had it for 40 years, but it's come around to being kind of chic on her.)

Camz and Sophs

Speaking of chic, I LOVE this on Sophie at the Garter service. It might feel a WEE bit autumnal with the dark accessories, but I really love the dress and I think she basically looks fantastic. Camilla looks like Camilla. (Actually, her coat is quite good. But it's all very business as usual.)

Prince Charles And Camilla

I truly do think Chaz is possibly one of the only men alive who can really wear the double breasted. ANYWAY, this Informative Caption is WAY informative: "Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, attend a ceremony held at Hougoumont Farm to mark the bicentenary of [Waterloo]...The farm is where British and allied forces successfully held off Napoleon's army during the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Around 5000 historical re-enactors from around the world will take part in three days of events from June 18, 2015 to mark the 200th anniversary of the...battle, [which] saw the overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte and the restoration of Louis XVIII to the French throne." It is also a VERY catchy song and perhaps the worthiest winner of Eurovision ever (certainly, the most successful. Also, you are singing it now, aren't you?). The Wiki entry about the Hougoumont farm is VERY interesting, by the way. Actually, as is the one about all the winners of Eurovision.

Chaz

"But how do I get HOME from Waterloo? Is this a map? Oh GOD, the lyrics say, 'Couldn't escape if I wanted to.' But that's not ME. I'M ON THE OTHER SIDE."

The Wales and the Wellingtons

This is "the Duke of Wellington's Waterloo banquet at Apsley House," and I assume they're talking about their tiaras. I also assume that the 200th anniversary of Waterloo has been circled on the kitchen calendar at the Duke of Wellington's house for A LONG TIME. Additionally, Aplsey House is VERY pretty and quite interesting, and also I just read all about it in Tatler, because the previous Duke recently died at 99, just six months ago. You know that guy really wanted to hang on, too. Anyhoodle, they apparently have a big art collection that, per their website, "originally belonged to the king of Spain, and which were removed from the Spanish royal palaces by Napoleon Bonaparte's brother, Joseph." I wonder if Felipe and Letizia, you know...kinda want those back?

Zara at Royal Ascot, Day 4

Zara, after getting a lot of flack for her (admittedly really unflattering) ensemble on Day One of Ascot, really ENDED STRONGLY. This is maybe the best I've ever seen her look.

Eugenie, FERGIE, Andrew, Bea

The whole York crew came out for Ascot today, in fact. They even let Fergie into the Royal Box, and I have to say, when I saw that, I thought, "Phil must not be there," BUT HE IS. I hope Fergie re-wears her original wedding dress when these two FINALLY make it legal again. Fashion-wise, I think Beatrice takes this one.

The Boyfriends

Eug and Bea brought their boyfriends today, as well. It's nice to see that Eugenie's boyfriend Jack has taken up the mantle of Harry's Yellow Waistcoat. NEVER FORGET THE WAISTCOAT.

Felipe and Letizia

Over in Spain, these two look pleased with themselves and I suspect it's because LETIZIA IS WEARING LUCITE HEELS AGAIN AND THIS TIME IN THE PALACE. ANARCHY!! Who needs art back from that slob Napoleon when they've got a shoe revolution afoot!?

Felipe and Letizia

I alway love her in a full skirt.

Patick Duff, Bianca Jagger, Princess Charlene, Eric Close

Over in Monaco, I feel like, "Patrick Duffy, Bianca Jagger, Princess Charlene, and Eric Close walk into a casino..." is the beginning of a weird and complicated joke. I wish Charlene's sleeves would decide what they wanted to do with their lives, but she looks GOOD and her shoes are delightful.

Charlene and Empire and the Heiress to the Bacardi Fortune

I cannot imagine what Charlene and Terrence are discussing. This entire convo could be intriguing.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Princess Haya bint Al Hussein at Ascot

These two are interesting, to say the least. Haya is one of King Hussein of Jordan's daughters -- so, a princess in her own right -- but she's also this dude's "junior wife." She's got a degree from Oxford, with honors, and is an Olympic equestrienne. She is the president of the International Equestrian Federation (where she's been rather unpopular for, per Wiki, acting like a dictator), and he got convicted by that self-same organization for doping horses. Awkward.

He's also the Prime Minister and VP of the UAE, and basically owns all of Dubai. He literally has a subheading on his Wiki titled "YACHTS." (He owns the world's third largest, which of course makes you wonder who owns the other two larger ones [the LARGEST belongs to his superior, Sheikh Khalifa, the president of the UAE, and the next one down is owned by Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire who also owns Chelsea football club, is friends with Putin, and has a "controversies" section on his own Wiki page that's rather longer than one might wish in an ideal world. On the other hand, he has given more money to charity than any other Russian in the world at the moment. So at least there's that.]). Sheikh Mohammed's "senior wife" doesn't ever leave the house, but! "Their wedding was Dubai's first major public event... A 20,000 seater stadium was built to host the wedding, which featured displays of horse and camel riding, and an aerobatics display by the Dubai Air Force. The total cost of the wedding celebrations was estimated to be around $100 million." I think I speak for us all when I say: !!!!!!

In other words: The ruling family of the UAE have A LOT OF DRAMA swirling around them. And obviously they also went to Ascot, which given their horsey pursuits, DOES make sense. I would not like her life, but I do like her skirt.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde

Lots of royals popped out for the Waterloo Anniversary. Mathilde looks crisp and lovely here, with Jemma and Arthur Wellesley (he's the heir apparent of the Duke of Wellington, and there's an argument brewing on his mother's Wiki page about whether or not she can call herself a princess [I rather agree no; Prussia doesn't even exist anymore!]).

Phillipe and Mathilde

This is " the official Belgian federal government ceremony to commemorate the bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo," and the yellow is jaunty on her.

Maxima

SPEAKING OF JAUNTY, at the same event. (How do the French feel about the Waterloo anniversary? Are they all, "We don't want to talk about it for a lot of reasons, okay?" or is it more, "history's interesting! Napoleon, that guy was really a hoot, right?")

Maxima

"HEY GUYS, WHAT'S UP? I swear these are not culottes."

Royals Round-Up, June 19th, 2015

What a WEEK! We had A LOT of Royal Events this week, and still plenty of stuff you haven't yet eyeballed in the slideshow. Pour another Pimms and let's get it on. I bring you turbans and George and tiaras and the deepest Wiki deep-dive ever, which somehow brings us new knowledge about the world's biggest yachts and also Putin? I don't know. These things just happen. Here at GFY: We had Prince Carl Philip and Sofia's wedding! We also covered their guests, the Wiki-details of which were as diverting as usual. It was Trooping the Colour over in London, and all the Brits seemed mildly cranky, EXCEPT for Prince George, who is a treasure Kate took George out the next day for polo, and it was adorable. Then Ascot began! Here's our coverage of Days One and Two And our coverage of Day Three, AKA Ladies Day And finally, if you read The Royal We, you might be interested in reading about how Heather and I tinkered with British history to shove the current group off to the side, and place our fictional Lyons dynasty on the throne, while still maintaining a giant chunk of history as we know it. We get very detailed about it -- down to a family tree stretching back to Victoria -- over on our book blog. And elsewhere of interest: I've mentioned here before that Netflix is making a series about Queen Elizabeth and her many prime ministers (starring Claire Foy, who was recently Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall, which should be...interesting) and they've got more casting news: John Lithgow as Churchill (???) and Matt Smith was Prince Philip, which..... I feel like a lot of my reactions to the casting of this series is just punctuation. I am not a Doctor Who watcher, but I feel like Young Prince Philip was REALLY HOT and Smith doesn't really ring my bell, so...we'll see. (Hypeable) Hard times when you are a princess who's ALLEGEDLY committed tax fraud: Spanish Princess Sells Mansion To Pay Bail (Sky News) Hello! has loads of details about Princess Madeleine's new baby, wee Prince Nicolas (which we're taking as a shout-out to The Royal We.) This story also has perhaps the jauntiest thumbs-up I've seen in weeks. The outfit George wore at Trooping the Colour on Saturday was previously worn by Wills AND by Chaz, and People's got all the details. I want an interview with the person in charge of Heirloom Baby Clothes Maintenance! People really KNOWS ME, you guys: Kate and Her Striped Shirts: A Love Story Per The Mirror, everyone went out and celebrated QE2's birthday last week at...a wine bar. ALL OF THEM. Philip, too. At 94, dear God, PLEASE let me be tottering out to the wine bar. People says Pips has been out buying presents for Charlotte. They've also got good scoop on the ins and outs of Royal Ascot's dress code. So does The New York Times! Today was Harry's last day in the Army, which actually is very possibly why he seemed so glum this week. He's off to Africa for three months to work on conservations projects. (Hello!) That said, the rumor that he and Jenna Coleman are dating (or possibly just banging) IS picking up steam. That should cheer you up, Harry! At least until you leave for three months. (Town and Country)