On the evening of October 26, 2023, Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon and Queen Sonja hosted a gala dinner for members of the Parliament (Storting - Norwegian Parliament) at the Royal Palace in Oslo. At the traditional annual dinner held for the 105th time, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Astrid were also present. This year, Crown Prince Haakon took over the King's role as the host, since King Harald is on sick leave. The Crown Prince Regent gave a speech in place of the King.
Princess MM is looking very beautiful in pastell-olive gown and Prince Haakon looks quite dapper, too. Queen Sonia is looking beautiful, but personally I don`t like the white outfit, looks a bit like bridal wear.
ReplyDeleteMary
Love the colors of the gala dresses, such harmonious colours . And the ladies all look fabulous, the dresses, the jewellery, so elegant. C
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Beautiful looks on all. CP MM wins the evening iMO, she just stands above. CP Haakon looks so handsome.
DeleteChel
Agree. Fantastic dresses and jewellery. Damsel Dragonfly
DeleteFull agreement. They look great individually and together. Lovely colours. The white is a bridal, true, but the sash counters that enough. Mette-Marit looks beautiful, I love the colour and the design. I don´t usually like her gowns, but this one is wonderful. I think it´s the short sleeves that stand out (from her usual), and the good and flattering fit. Astrid looks great too, and I´m happy to see her walking without any support.
DeleteQS sieht aus, wie eine Braut, zumindest auf Bild 1 reicht MM ihr den Schleier, hihi
ReplyDeleteQS sieht wunderschön aus. Auch die anderen beiden Damen sehen reizend aus.
ungeheuer
Queen Sonja is smashing! Where has she been hiding these magnificent pearl collar and earrings?! Lovely combined with the pearl tiara and the white embellished satin gown. One of her most elegant looks ever. And a welcome change from her ultra modern jewelry or the big emerald parure.
ReplyDeletePrincess Astrid equally elegant and charming in her rose satin gown and tiara. Mette-Marit looks presentable. I actually like the design of the skirt and top, and she is always lovely in the amethyst parure, but the dirty dishrag color of the skirt and top make the overall look rather blah, a pity. S.M.
Always a joy to see this happy family, it looked like a fun and enjoyable evening. Queen Sonja’s white dress and pearl jewels is like a crisp winter Queen. I usually don’t like grey, but the Crown Princess’ dress combined with the red sash and amethyst jewels is lovely. Princess Astrid is a gem in her own right, happy to see her on her feet again.
ReplyDeleteLeo
I totally agree wit all of it!
DeleteMany good wishes to King Harald! I hope that he will recover soon!
DeleteToutes ces dames ont de l'allure dans leurs robes de circonstance ; j'aime beaucoup la couleur saumonée de la princesse Astrid !
ReplyDeleteLa mia regina preferita (aspettando Catherine): adoro il suo sorriso accogliente,
ReplyDeletegli occhi brillanti e il bel viso lasciato naturale.
Rossella
Nice to see Princess Astrid up and about. Hope she is doing well!
ReplyDeleteSomehow I quite never seem to like QS's gala dresses, as in general I consider them too shiny and massive whereas I consider her daywear lovely.
ReplyDeleteI like the colour and pattern of CPMM's dress, but would have preferred to see it with a different type of sleeves as for me these are letting the dress down
I believe a gala dress or gown can go a bit OTT but should remain in good taste.
DeleteSame with the jewel box. Bring everything out but keep it in good taste.
For me, OTT can be a synonym of gala.
Even though this gown as already mentioned as bridal vibes, the Queen looks sensational. This gown she has owned for 30 years and it looks fabulous. Her hair styled in this way to accommodate the tiara looks stunning. Her pearl choker, earrings and brooch were the perfect finishing touch, magnificent. Princess Astrid looks lovely as does CP MM, beautiful presentations.
ReplyDeleteDear @AvaPittman
DeleteI agree on all points.
It’s been a great year for us with a Coronation, gala dinners, royal visits, marriages and other royal events. And it’s not finished yet.
The royal show’ for 2023 is not over yet.
Ava Pittman [27/10/23[ [19:29] apologies for reacting back so late. But, are you serious, is this dress 30 years old and it is still so stunning, jaw dropping! And I can't remember seeing her dressed in it ever before. And yes, the pearl choker is to die for too!
DeleteI only like CP Mette-Marit's gown. If the color had been a bit more brighter it would have been perfect. Now we cannot say if it is a kind of green or grey.
ReplyDeleteQueen Sonja's dress is not bad but the white color is not age appropriate. It looks to much like a bridal gown. Rose
A lady of any age can wear any color. There are no colors that wouldn’t be allowed for a person of certain age./Grace
DeleteTo anon 05:19 "There are no colors that wouldn't be allowed for a person of a certain age." Well, in theory you can really wear anything - even sackcloth or neoprene... the only other question is whether it will fit the lady.
DeleteQueen Sonja looks like a bride (neck to toe) in this particular dress. It is simply very very very much like a wedding dress. Queen Camilla also often wears white or cream ivory, but in her case the cut of the dress (simpler, clean lines) doesn't make it look bridal. Camilla's white outfits (the photo can be searched) are simply better in my opinion.
Stephanie
If I remember it correctly queen Elizabeth wore white gala gowns (and only white) during her last 20 (?) years, in any case during her last years when she was over 90 - and nobody said it was not age appropriate.
DeleteMargot
The nonsense that people make up here always keeps me laughing. Since when is the color white restricted to a certain age bracket? This is right up there with black only being suitable for funerals. I'm surprised we haven't heard the ever popular "it needed a pop of color" or "a belt would have made it so much better". At least she is wearing a brooch so we are saved from hearing how much she would have benefited from one.
DeleteThis is an old gown, she can still fit into it, and how wonderful that she chose to wear it! At a certain age, it is not as important to be trendy. Her message is one of economy and ecology. Yes, she could have reworked the skirt to have a more modern dress, but she likes it the way it is. Maybe it has special meaning for her and it was a way to have Herald there in spirit. We don't know and probably never will. The point is that the royal families know far better that we armchair snoops peeking in through the windows what is correct and proper and what is not. They are also regular people underneath the tiaras and may make decisions for personal reasons on occasion.
Hear, hear!
DeleteIs the issue of wearing white a cultural thing, or just a personal opinion? I have never heard this argument before.
A bride? If so, a stunning bride at 86!
@Golightly :
DeleteSo pleased to read that we make you laugh.
You know a good “pop” of laughter can be more beneficial than medication as my old mum always said.
And the odd bit of nonsense doesn’t do any harm to anybody.
You know, we are just a small community of fashion experts who do our best for the royal ladies and to help them to, one day, become a royal fashion icon.
For example, Camilla never wore her unbuttoned cardigan again after we made our comments.
You know, if our comments get a bit up your nose, just click and move on to another site.
But I think you’ll have a problem finding another hard working group of fashion experts like us (Helen can confirm this).
I think you’ll only find another group of, of what you say, “armchair snoops peeking in through windows”
p.s. love your nickname
Margot is right.
Deletehttps://i.pinimg.com/564x/ac/3e/36/ac3e366ab1c92b6668cad6c3b29036c5.jpg
https://i.insider.com/58f8cc127b2bbb25008b4645?width=600&format=jpeg&auto=webp
https://macleans.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/MAC33_QUEEN_UNIFORM_POST051.jpg
2019, 93 years old https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/queen-elizabeth-ii-talks-to-guests-at-an-evening-reception-news-photo-1587484776.jpg?crop=0.952xw:0.953xh;0,0.0465xh&resize=980:*
Really like all these dresses. Queen Sonja is stunning and that wonderful trouper, Princess Astrid, looks great in her apricot gown. CP Mette Marit’s dress is fine but not as impressive as the other two. Good to see a tiara occasion.
ReplyDeleteAnnieM
Finally a tiara occation at the royal castle in Oslo. No gala celebration for the future king of Norway. Such a disappoinment for us. These photos are just wonderful. I agree with AnnieM.
DeleteGet well soon to King HARALD!!!!
ReplyDeleteQS is wearing a Balmain dress designed by her favourite designer danish Erik Mortensen, first used in 1992 when Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik came to Norway for a state visit. https://www.seher.no/images/64155233.jpg?imageId=64155233&x=0&y=1.68&cropw=100&croph=69.43&width=380&height=214
ReplyDeleteMM is wearing a Biyan top and a Lela Rose skirt. The skirt was first worn in 2010 at Q Margrethes 70th birthday celebration then with a white top. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/58/8b/ba/588bba062a468c52cc8c00426fbadcc0.jpg
They both look fabulous. They know how to be sustainable with their reuse. Good job.
the photo of Princess Mette-Marit also includes a nice photo of Princess Mary of Denmark and a youngish looking Prince Frederik.
DeleteThanks for sharing.
DeleteDoes anyone know why Princess Astrid is wearing the wider sash? It looks the same width as Crown Prince Haakon’s. Joan
ReplyDeleteMaybe I am the only one who thinks that Sonja is in general not a very well dressed queen. In general too harsh strange colours and not suitable models of her galadresses( awful wide skirts in general as part of her dresses). Her choices I am sorry but not very tastefull. Crownprincess Mette Marit like always lovely
ReplyDeleteI have always found Queen Sonja's evening gowns stunning.
DeleteBut to each their own when it comes to taste. 😀
I LOVE Mette Marit's gown. It's such a becoming cut and the details are stunning. Initially, I wasn't on board with the pale grey-ish colour, but it's a nice departure from her baby-blues and pastels, so it's growing on me. I wish her tiara popped and sparkled a little more, it stands no chance against this dress.
ReplyDeleteSonja's gown looks a bit dated as always, but I give her points for re- & upcycling, I acutally think it's wonderful. She also gets to take home the trophy for my personal favourite item of the night: her pearl necklace. My goodness, that's a stunner! And so beautifully worn with the rest of the pearls! She seems to be wearing another dainty necklace underneath, anyone know the meaning of that?
-Nika-
From the photos of the dinner, one thing that hit me in the eyes was Queen Sonja’s 5 strand pearl choker.
ReplyDeleteShe appears to like pearls and she wears them well.
The choker instantly reminded me of the magnificent 11 strand pearl and diamond choker worn by Queen Mary.
I have seen photos of the choker worn by Queen Sonja where it features a sapphire and diamond closure. I assume it is the same choker.
I stumbled across a comment referring to pearl necklaces which would include chokers which said ……..
”according to traditional etiquette, strands of pearls in an odd number are more formal than multiple strands in an even number. So one strand, which is common, or three, which shows you can afford to own more pearls. By the time you get to five or seven strands you are just showing off”.
Queen Mary must have been a great showoff.
TOWN&COUNTRY magazine did an article on pearl chokers in their March 2022 edition and a good line up of photos and comments can be seen via …….
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/style/jewelry-and-watches/g39360951/princess-diana-queen-mary-royal-choker-jewelry/
Going back to Queen Sonja’s choker if I may.
DeleteAfter discussing it with one of my old neighbours who claims to be an expert on everything, I’ve come to the conclusion that Queen Sonja is wearing her 4 strand choker and has added, at the bottom, a pearl necklace with a single drop pearl which then makes it into a 5 strand choker.
From photos on the net, she has worn her four strand choker a lot throughout the years.
All of the ladies looked elegant, and lovely, especially the Queen. Edwina
ReplyDeleteAll the ladies look gorgeous, very individual in their fashion choices.
ReplyDeleteGlad to see Pss Mette- Marit looking so stunning in her gown and healthy, as well as Pss Astrid .
Q.Sonja Is beautiful and enganging as always.
P. Haskon looks dapper too.
Hope the King gets better soon.
Such a wonderful royal family. Prince Haakon and Princess Mettte -Marit carry themselves very regally. They will make head up the country's monarchy in a proud and dignified manner one day, just as his parents do today.
ReplyDeleteGreat look for the RL. The Gowns are fantastic. Love the Tiaras. css
ReplyDeleteI think Sonja's dress is beautiful and exquisite!
ReplyDeleteM
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