How do you speak when the wrong words can spark a crisis or a feud? Why, through your clothes, of course — and this is an art that the royals have mastered.
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00How do you speak when the wrong words can spark a crisis or a feud?
00:05Why, through your clothes, of course.
00:08And this is an art that the royals have mastered.
00:11You could spend years rehashing the bitter feud
00:14between Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and the rest of the royal family.
00:18In case you've forgotten, here's a quick refresher.
00:21I asked for calm from the British tabloids.
00:25I just didn't want to be alive anymore.
00:28Clearly, Meghan has received a great deal of attention from the world's media
00:32since she began her relationship with Prince Harry.
00:34And this is also true for her wardrobe.
00:37Meghan's sleek silhouettes, pantsuits and attention to detail
00:41have arguably set the stage for a new era of royal wear.
00:45And the gown she wore to the Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York was no exception.
00:50But it was specifically her jewellery choice that had some royal watchers talking.
00:55Meghan and Harry were in town to receive the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award.
01:00For the event, Meghan wore Princess Diana's aquamarine ring.
01:04Often referred to as Diana's freedom ring,
01:07the late princess bought the piece in 1996 to replace her diamond and sapphire engagement ring,
01:13which now sits on Princess Catherine's hand.
01:16As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have continued to forge their own path away from the royals,
01:22the hidden meaning behind Meghan's freedom ring is as clear as day.
01:26Times were tough for Britain when Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten tied the knot.
01:31The country was still recovering from the destruction of World War II
01:35and Elizabeth used government ration coupons to pay for her dress.
01:39Nevertheless, the lavish dress was full of intricate detail work
01:43that evoked the nation's place in history.
01:45A beautiful silk satin gown in ivory,
01:49the dress was adorned with 10,000 pearls
01:52and delicately embossed with orange blossom and star lily embroidery.
01:56It took seven weeks to make and cost the equivalent of about $37,000 at the time.
02:02But it was those embroidered details that truly spoke loudest.
02:06Orange blossoms and lilies were Elizabeth's way of representing the awakened spirit of Britain after World War II,
02:13symbolizing a new beginning not only for her and Philip, but for the country as well.
02:18Prince William and Princess Catherine's wedding was one of the events that put their cousin,
02:23Princess Beatrice, on the map.
02:25And not in a good way.
02:27The British media absolutely dragged her and her sister, Princess Eugenie, for their outfits at the wedding.
02:32But before long, Beatrice got her own back.
02:35Over the following years, Beatrice experienced what can only be described as a fashion renaissance
02:41as her style evolved from young princess playing dress-up to leading lady.
02:46After hitting the 2018 Met Gala in a royal purple number,
02:50Beatrice returned to England to attend the Chelsea Flower Show.
02:53Wearing a tulle dress with floral detailing,
02:56Beatrice completed her ensemble with a pair of comfortable loafers and a white blazer.
03:01But it was her handbag that had fashion fans talking.
03:04Her leather box bag from Pop & Suki can be personalized with an embossed name,
03:09but Beatrice opted for the phrase,
03:11Be cool, be nice, a tribute to her anti-cyberbullying campaign.
03:16The 1980s was a big decade for the royals.
03:20Princess Diana and Prince Charles tied the knot in 1981,
03:23and their wedding was followed by the nuptials of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986.
03:29To many, it felt as though the royal family had been given some much-needed youthful vitality,
03:35as both Diana and Fergie were newcomers who intrigued the press and public.
03:39Though Charles and Diana's wedding was obviously the bigger affair,
03:43Fergie and Andrew's was nothing to be sniffed at.
03:46The crowds came out in full force to celebrate the couple on their big day,
03:50and both Andrew and Fergie's families joined each other to witness their union,
03:54which, like Charles and Diana's, turned out to be rather short-lived.
03:59Susan Berantis, Fergie's mother, pulled out all the stops for her daughter's wedding,
04:04carrying a Manolo Blahnik bag that clearly stayed in the family.
04:08When Andrew and Fergie's daughter, Princess Eugenie, tied the knot with Jack Brooksbank in 2018,
04:14Fergie, the proud mother of the bride, carried her own mother's Manolo Blahnik bag.
04:20When you think about royal wedding dresses, a number of designs might come to mind.
04:25Sarah Ferguson's wedding gown has slipped a little under the radar,
04:29especially compared to dresses worn by other members of the royal family.
04:33As it turns out, though, her gown was full of intentional details that all held hidden meanings,
04:39making her dress truly one-of-a-kind.
04:42Fergie's dress was designed by Linka Chirac and featured a number of intricate beadwork designs.
04:48First up was Fergie's family's coat of arms,
04:51with the symbols of both bees and thistles embroidered into the gown.
04:55To honor Prince Andrew and his military career, Fergie had waves and anchors embroidered on her train,
05:01and she had a large A thrown in for good measure.
05:04On the bodice itself were four S letters for Sarah, presumably included in case she lost her dress on the bus.
05:11Fergie also wore a flower crown during the ceremony, but opted to reveal the york diamond tiara
05:18that had been commissioned by Queen Elizabeth after the wedding itself.
05:22The welcoming of a new baby is often celebrated by fans of the royals.
05:26For example, the British media and much of the public rejoiced over the births of both Prince William and Prince Harry in the 1980s.
05:34Princess Catherine was probably well aware of this legacy when welcoming her own babies,
05:39Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis,
05:42and she made a point of choosing meaningful wardrobe pieces to wear as she stepped out of the lindow wing of St. Mary's Hospital.
05:49Catherine chose a short-sleeved blue dress with subtle polka dots by designer Jenny Packham when she emerged from the hospital with little George.
05:58Catherine's dress was a nod to Diana, who also wore a polka-dotted dress when leaving the hospital with William.
06:04When Catherine returned to St. Mary's for Louis' birth, she left the hospital in a red dress with a prominent white collar.
06:11This outfit harked back to the dress Diana had worn when she left the hospital with Harry.
06:16Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot in 2018.
06:20In order to honor the family and tradition into which she was marrying, Meghan made specific requests for her wedding dress and veil,
06:27and, although it was simple and elegant in design, hidden messages existed in the details.
06:34Somewhere in here there's a piece of, did you see it, a piece of blue fabric that's stitched inside?
06:38No.
06:39It's my something blue, it's my, it's fabric from my...
06:41Oh, that's why I have it still in there.
06:42Meghan's veil was designed by Clare Waight Keller, who incorporated the local flowers of each of the 53 Commonwealth countries into the design.
06:51Notably, Prince Harry had been made an ambassador of Commonwealth youth shortly before the wedding,
06:56and Meghan's veil acted as a nod to her new husband's charity initiatives.
07:01The veil was secured with Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, lent to Meghan by the Queen for the big day.
07:08The tiara itself was made in 1932, but its centerpiece dates all the way back to 1893.
07:15As many of us know from our own traditions, religions, and folklore, colors often have significant meanings hidden beneath their hue.
07:24Queen Elizabeth was well known for her vibrant attire, and the outfit she opted for on the day of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding spoke volumes.
07:33The late monarch wore a lime green dress and coat by designer Stuart Parvin, which she paired with purple and grey hues.
07:41Some theorize that the colors Elizabeth chose were indicative of her feelings about their marriage.
07:47June MacLeod, author of Color Psychology Today, told Good Housekeeping that the monarch's choice of green and purple
07:54indicated that the Queen was hopeful that the marriage would usher in a new era for the royal family.
08:00She said,
08:02A person who wears green is the regulator and open-hearted. Purple is a proud color.
08:08It also symbolizes cleansing and indicates a passion for creativity.
08:13Although she was known for the occasional fashion faux pas in the past, Princess Eugenie stunned royals' fans on her own big day.
08:21Eugenie's dress was designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher DeVos of British designer label Peter Pilotto.
08:28It featured a fitted corset top with an off-the-shoulder neckline, and the back of the dress scooped into a low back V-shape.
08:36The bodice elegantly flowed into a full skirt with pleated detail, but it was the lower back detail that really said it all.
08:44As a child, Eugenie suffered from scoliosis and underwent corrective surgery at just 12 years old.
08:50For her wedding day, Eugenie specifically chose a gown that wouldn't cover her scar.
08:55She explained,
08:56I had always wanted a low back. Part of it was showing my scar. I believe scars tell a story about your past and your future, and it's a way of getting rid of a taboo.
09:06Given the many times she has evoked Princess Diana through her outfit choices, it is a little strange to think that Princess Catherine never got to meet her late mother-in-law.
09:16The two seem inexplicably linked in role and title.
09:20Both Princesses of Wales, Diana and Catherine have more or less merged in the public eye.
09:25I would love to have met her, and she's obviously an inspirational woman to look up to.
09:33With this in mind, Catherine's dress choice when honouring Diana on the 20th anniversary of her death was subtly meaningful.
09:41Catherine joined Prince William and Prince Harry as they went to the Memorial Garden to pay tribute to their mother.
09:47The then Duchess of Cambridge wore a T-length dress from Prada that featured long sleeves and a high neckline in addition to its intricate floral pattern.
09:56It was in that pattern that the hidden message to Diana existed.
10:00Poppies, which were a focal flower in the design, are utilised in Great Britain to honour those that have passed.
10:07The design of the dress was also brought together with a pussy bow, which was a favourite design style of Diana's.
10:13Though Catherine has gone as far as replicating some of Diana's looks, it's this kind of hidden tribute that often speaks louder than words.
10:21At the end of the day, all royals can be divided into two categories, those who wear gloves and those who don't.
10:28Maybe this sounds a little strange, but the formal appeal of gloves was very much enjoyed by Queen Elizabeth, who kept a warm but distant relationship with her subjects.
10:38Compare that to Princess Diana, who chose not to wear gloves so that she could further connect with people through touch.
10:45As it turns out, though, there are two other reasons why the late monarch wore gloves on a regular basis.
10:51The first was health. The Queen wore white gloves while out and about, allowing her a layer of protection while shaking hands and greeting people.
10:59With such a busy schedule, it made sense to prioritise protecting the Queen from any kind of avoidable illness.
11:06For Elizabeth, gloves also represented continuity. She began wearing pairs from glove designer Cornelia James all the way back in 1947, and never stopped.
11:17Over the years, the Queen's gloves became as much an extension of her image as her iconic black handbag and colourful outfits.
11:25As any royal watcher will tell you, Britain's monarch is supposed to remain politically neutral.
11:31The late Queen Elizabeth was known for her balanced approach when it came to most things, and this goes especially for politics.
11:38However, on one particular visit, she allowed her accessories to do the talking for her.
11:43Former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump visited the United Kingdom during their time in the White House.
11:51During a separate engagement that took place on the couple's first day in the country, the Queen was seen wearing a green brooch.
11:58Many wouldn't think much of it, but as it happens, the brooch was given to her by former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama to honor their friendship.
12:08Then, on day two of Trump's visit, Elizabeth wore a brooch that her mother had worn for King George VI's funeral.
12:15The day after her meeting with Trump, she donned a brooch gifted to her by Commonwealth country Canada.
12:21At the time, the then-president was quarreling with the neighboring country.
12:25The Queen seemed to allow her jewelry to speak when it would have been out of the question to comment on a political visit.