Queen Elizabeth’s Chic, Colorful Secret

Brolly Good Show, Your Majesty!

Queen Elizabeth has a Charming Secret Reason for Her Chic and Transparent Umbrellas 

In my line of work, I follow a large amount of international news, which I pass on to others via this blog and via social media. I came across this one night and was completely charmed by the Queen’s simple way of letting her public see her, and stay dry at the same time.

I was at first struck by the simplicity and complexity, the yin and yang of the whole notion. But I had to wonder; Did the Queen come up with this idea on her own? Did she hire an image and wardrobe consultant? Is this part of the ‘new and improved’ modern 21st century version of the Queen and the British monarchy?

Regardless of how the decision was made, I applaud the choice. Kudos to the Queen for desiring to be more visible to “her people.” To me, she is now the ‘Chic and Thoughtful’ Queen Elizabeth.

The Duchess takes cue from the Queen 

The following came from the U.K.’s “Daily Mail”-

“When the Queen was caught in the rain outside St Paul’s Cathedral this week, she flourished a transparent umbrella with a deep red trim which matched her outfit. Coincidence? Hardly. She has a delightful and little-known indulgence:

She commissions see-through umbrellas - so the public can see her - that are colour-matched with her clothes. The Duchess of Cambridge also ordered a black-trimmed matching umbrella, which she carried at the War Horse film premiere in January.”

For more on this- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2112488/Queen-Elizabeth-The-secret-Queens-bespoke-umbrellas.html

On HRH Queen Elizabeth's visit to the West Coast in 1983... "the sound of one hand clapping. Her hands never touch."

Several weeks back, my copy of The Hollywood Reporter arrived and I read of how all Tinseltown was abuzz with the upcoming visit by the Duke & Duchess. In the back of the magazine however, there was a nifty article about the visit by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip back in February of 1983. An event that The Hollywood Reporter covered at the time.

The glitterati they met was breathlessly listed... Rod Stewart! Frank Sinatra! Joan Collins! Jimmy Stewart! Lucille Ball! Fred Astaire! George Burns!

... along with what Chasen's served; "The dinner menu included: Papaya with Bay Shrimp, Chicken Pot Pie, Fresh Spinach with Bacon and a Toasted Coconut Snowball." A truly odd assortment, to be sure.

Queen Elizabeth II meeting Hollywood luminaries in February of 1983

One of the more humorous quotes came from the magazine at that time, "... one guest described the queen applauding as 'the sound of one hand clapping. Her hands never touch.'" 

But what really had me giggling was the story about Bette Davis and the issue of her not being issued an invitation; "And, of course, in the entitlement department, the royals had nothing on Old Hollywood. Barbara Davis recalls that her late husband, Marvin – who bought Fox in 1981 and hosted the event – was deluged by requests to attend. One came from Bette Davis, who asked why she hadn't received an invitation. The studio owner told her the event was "full up." She replied, "I want a f----ing invitation." Somehow it was arranged, and at the dinner, the actress shook hands with the studio owner on the receiving line and said, "I'm so glad I was able to change my plans so I could attend."  

Jennifer Lopez immediately comes to mind as I read this story again now. According to actress Mary Louise Parker, when asked if she'd met the royal couple at the recent Hollywood BAFTA event, she responded, "I didn't meet them. I was shoved out of the way by Jennifer Lopez. Uh oh, I shouldn't have said that." I guess that green dress Ms. Lopez wore to the event was not the only thing deemed inappropriate about her behavior that evening!