What's Up Wednesday (Empress Crystobel Memorial)

With the Imperial Coronation literally only a few weeks away yet another glorious tip of the hat to the past was gestured with the unveiling of the Imperial Victory Memorial in Londinium this week.

The memorial was built over the last few months in remembrance of the upcoming anniversary of Empress Crystobel's death that tragically took place on the  8th July 2012. This falls in conjunction with the popularity the entire concept of Royalty and the restoration of the Scotney and Britanian monarchies. The new site is erected in the square at the Palace of Parliament on the exact spot where the Empress was shot in front of the previous memorial in honour of the Imperial Couple. The old memorial was entirely torn down and plans to honour the Empress's life and death was immediately put in place. Work was finally completed last week Friday and the unveiling took place yesterday afternoon.

The design of the memorial is of a columned half circle surrounding a central pedestal surmounted by a brass effigy of an angel holding a flaming torch. The angel is intended to be a symbol of victory through spiritual perseverance while following the inner call of true conviction. 

The truly imposing memorial does much to evoke hope from forgiveness into a far more positive future as these are the very traits Empress Crystobel is now remembered for. 

For the unveiling the new Emperor Christian-Victor and Empress Odeliah was joined by their closest family who at the same time represented some of Europa's most famous Royal Dynasties. The Duke of Swann flew in especially, immediately after his now famous abdication speech in order to support his cousin the Emperor. All the VIP's can be seen in the photo above starting from left: Princess Augusta, the Duke of Swann, Empress Odeliah, Emperor Christian-Victor, the Chancellor of Britania, the Grand Duke of Hanoveria and Grand Duchess Alice.

The Chancellor took this auspicious occasion as the perfect time to officially announce his personal joy at the tide of Royal popularity and the positive effect it has had on the Britanian economy. 

Emperor Christian-Victor shared some of his personal memories of his mother, Empress Crystobel's life and expressed his joy at finally giving her the honour she may have lacked in her life of exile and her tragic death. 

It was truly an emotional moment when the crowd responded with a standing ovation to the Emperor's speech.

The brass statue is a spectacular work of art and was sculpted by the Most Worshipful Society of Britanian Metalworkers.

Empress Odeliah looked colourful in her spring inspired dress and hat.

A very stylish Duke of Swann looked far less serious than normal in his yellow tie.

After the day's proceedings a surprise dinner was held for the V.I.P's at the Aldarian Palace as a cherry on the cake. In memory of the lifelong efforts of Empress Crystobel, four special Royals were earmarked to receive a once-off recognition award for their efforts in promoting the cause of Royalty on the International Stage. They were invited to this intimate gala dinner to receive their "Crystobel Award".

After the main course and with the dinner guests watching, the Emperor and Empress took to the stage and invited the honoured four to receive their awards.

Their Majesties, the Emperor and Empress of the United Empire, King and Queen of the Scots and Britanians.

The four selected members of the Europan Royal community were, from left: Queen Gloria of Normandia, the Duke of Swann, Lady Arcwhite and Queen Maria of Hispania.

The awards for Efforts to Promote the Cause of Royalty from left are: Best Royal Image, Most Noteworthy Male Royal, Most Noteworthy Female Royal and Friendliest Royal.

Best Royal Image might seem frivolous but Royal style does much for pushing the "brand" and showing the face of Royalty. Empress Crystobel was faultless in her appearance and always conveyed the perfect balance between regality and approachability. Lady Arcwhite was awarded this honour.

Friendliest Royal is awarded for being most in touch with the public and thus bridging the gap between the common man and the reigning dynasties. It also reflects popular opinion polls of the particular Royal in their home countries and quantifies the amount of charity work done in favour of the common man. Empress Crystobel was relentless in the field of charity and in the end reached levels of popularity that has solidified her iconic status. Queen Gloria received this honour.

Most Noteworthy Female Royal is awarded to the Royal who in light of and in spite of their position of privilege, power and responsibility has made the most quantifiable success of forwarding all the positive aspects of the concept of Royalty in their home country and on the international stage. Empress Crystobel is the quintessential " when life gives you lemons..." Royal and has done more through the worst era Royalty has ever faced, to end up " on top" even in death. Queen Maria reluctantly received this humbling award.

Most Noteworthy Male Royal like its female counterpart singles out the male equivalent. The Emperor, visibly moved, awarded this honour to: " my cousin and friend, hero of Europa" , the Duke of Swann. It is believed that this ceremony will be a once-off event, especially organised by the Emperor in his private capacity to personally honour those who have supported His Majesty and the cause of Royalty over the last decade. The event focuses even more media attention on the build up to the Imperial Coronation to take place on the 4th of July 2015.

Wonderful Weekends (2001 Portraits of Queen Maria of Hispania)

Time for a blast from the past. It came as a shocking realization to our editorial team that we have never posted these particular state portraits as they are of such importance and of one of our favourite Royals. Queen Maria of Hispania succeeded her grandmother to the throne in 1996 after the Bloody Revolution. The revolution caused the deaths of her grandmother and father leaving the young 24 year old mother, Queen of Hispania.

The shock and strain must have been enormous and it took a while for the young Maria to emotionally accept her tragic loss and daunting new responsibilities. Hispania also does not enact a coronation or lavish investiture ceremony but rather just features a swearing of oath ceremony. Thus the Queen was spared all unnecessary public appearances and the strains that they might have brought on her fragile state. Her mother and husband decided to keep the entire Royal Family as much out of the public eye as possible. Thus the first official portraits of the Queen were only released many years later in 2001 to celebrate her 5th year on the throne.

The State Portraits are awesome yet seem a little contrived which may be forgiven due to the tense times they date from. It shows the Queen, slightly waxy with the throne, robe and crown in the background. If nothing else the photo is very "official" yet not personal or intimate at all. 

The robe and crown make for a brave assertion of monarchy at a time when Hispania was one of only 5 remaining monarchies after the revolution. 

A feint glimmer of confidence was caught in this photo as Queen Maria smiles and seems to glance at a potentially prosperous future over the cameraman's shoulder. Little did she know it was just on the horizon.

What's Up Wednesday (Lady Arcwhite State Visit to Hispania)

As we said before "State Visit season" has been upon us. For a special treat we have been exposed to nothing other than a State Visit spectacular by Lady Arcwhite who visited Hispania for the first time since her mounting the world stage in 2009. The famous Head of State of the small Island Nation of Arcwhite has some diplomatic publicity to do in order to reassert her nations stability and place in the world after last year's political upheaval. Nobody is more up to that task however than Lady Arcwhite. Her abiltiy to focus and even manipulate media attention coupled with her business savvy and political prowess has done nothing other than miracles for her country and indeed her own image. The State Visit to Hispania was no different.

Lady Arcwhite arrive in state as usual in her white jet and was welcomed at a state banquet held in her honour at the Royal Palace in the capital. She was accompanied by her niece Drealle Mormaer who normally shadows her on these type of trips, as assistant and possible future heir. Queen Maria had her daughter by her side who is also learning the ropes of her future job. 

The two monarchs, Queen Maria of Hispania and Lady Arcwhite are well known fashion rivals and when attending the same functions always create a palpable energy between them. This officially posed photo show the two formidable women exert their characters amicably yet still setting a standard for style that is nothing other than phenomenal. This event was obviously about far more than clothes and jewellery and the new diplomatic ties between the two nations is respectfully advertised by the glitz and handshakes. 

Lady Arcwhite knows how to hold her pose, exude her personality and get the tongues wagging. Her tiara and uncharacteristic black dress looked absolutely stunning yet not over the top as to beg attention. She has never worn the sapphire configuration of this particular tiara and the necklace is very reminiscent of a choker once belonging to the Lancaster jewellery collection.

Queen Maria in green velvet and jewellery from the Hispanian Crown Collection looked the consumate monarch as always. Setting tones of stability and historic continuity, Queen Maria's hosting of an Arcwhite State Visit helps the Island Nation find its feet again by showing support to them after severely troubled times.

On the way back from the Kingdom of Hispania, Lady Arcwhite made a private stop in Pariseum for some shopping and to the paparazzi's shock was spotted on what seemed to be a romantic date.

The paparazzi were constantly following the very stylish Lady Arcwhite around who had almost no security, at least to the untrained eye, while walking through Pariseum streets "incognito".

One evening this photo was taken of Lady Arcwhite arriving at the famous Le Cigne Hotel with none other than the young and handsome Viscount Faraway. An obvious dinner date was on the cards but we can only guess if it was for business or pleasure. Royalty are allowed some free time after all. 

Lady Arcwhite's dress was again very uncharacteristic as she has never worn red in public before. However it was an absolute fashion success. Simple yet devastatingly "in-your-face".

The cosmic Pahlavi Diamond Necklace was the perfect compliment to the red clad Lady Arcwhite who looked happy to smile and wave to the paparazzi.

Ans so our eyes are focused again on Arcwhite and its Lady who is seemingly well on the road to recovery.

Wonderful Weekends (2015 State Portraits of Queen Maria of Hispania)

It has become tradition for the Hispania monarchy to release state portraits of their Queen in January of every year. Today we share the most current state portraits of Her Majesty Queen Maria.

The very regal portraits of the beautiful Queen sees her wearing official jewellery and posing with the famous portrait of her parents. 

Queen Maria often selects the Royal Mantilla (traditional hair comb) made from gold and rubies for her most formal appearances. She also decided to make rare use of the Hispanian Monarch's Chain of Office.

This set of portraits truly captures the Queen's resolute bearing yet fairy tale soft beauty. We are sure these photos do her and her country proud.

Memory Monday (Top 10 Dress-Up Ensembles of the Past Royal Decade)

Today's Memory Monday deals with history but not of the political nature but rather that of style. It is also sometimes good to see relevant topic based photos grouped together for proper comparison. Thus we decided to do a list of the top 10 dress-up ensembles worn by our Royal women over the last 10 years. 

The list is limited to outfits worn to events, but not wedding dresses. Dresses worn in State Portraits are excluded from the list unless also worn and photographed at an actual State Event and where the chosen ensemble was deemed best outfit at that particular event.

1

We will never forget this dress and jewellery ensemble that set the stage and precedent for all events to follow. Lady Arcwhite made her debut wearing this to the 2010 Christmas Ball. The Ice Queen look was fitting to the Christmas theme and the country she represented but was "warmed" with pink tones giving Lady Arcwhite an imposing yet welcome place in our hearts. It is therefore ranked no 1 and has yet to be bettered.

2

The Annual Christmas Balls always brings out the best in outfits and jewellery. To reign supreme att these events takes something special. For our no 2 spot we selected this ensemble worn by the indomitable Empress Crystobel to the 2011 Christmas Ball. It reflects the awe inspiring glamour and style of a true Empress without taking it to extremes. 

3

As befitting of the Queen of the moment, the 2012 Investiture of King Nikolas III of Syldavia allowed Queen Maxima to dress for the part. being a restored monarchy the balance between regality consideration of practical budget was what this look was all about. Queen Maxima strikes that balance perfectly by wearing a dress made by a local designer with simple lines giving it a very modern feel. White is chosen to allude to a bride committing to her husband, which was in principle the role of the Consort Queen to the King. The long train adds majesty but it's also removable accenting practical use as the dress can be worn again for a different, less formal event. The Queen added traditional jewellery to complete this very successful look. 

4

A new "Empress" has definitely appeared on our red carpet at the 2013 Christmas Ball. The event saw all the guests pulling all the stops and many of the outfits were milestones in style for their wearers. However one lady took the cake, the Crown Princess Imperial. Often the humble Princess, although strictly speaking the highest ranked woman in the world, is over shadowed by more upfront Royals when it comes to dress-up. However the Princess, who does not care to much about outward appearances often hits the ball for a six. This event was her tour-de-force. After the death of Empress Crystobel a period of mourning put a damper on showy events and even the Christmas Ball was under threat of cancellation or at best serious down tone. However, The Scotney and Britanian Governments decided to host it as a diplomatic event in amends for the assassination of the Empress. It was the first time the Crown Prince Imperial and Crown Princess Imperial stepped out in full dress-up in public since he funeral of Empress Crystobel and the diplomatic significance of the event required something special to be worn. The Crown Princess Imperial wore a stunningly appropriate dress of dark tones to hint at mourning but with regal blue shining through in rich brocaded patterns. She paired it with a tiara from the Crown Collection to affirm her rank and also wore some of Empress Crystobel's private jewellery that was left to her husband the Crown Prince Imperial. It is amazing how clothes and jewellery can be such an intimate testament of the state of the heart and state of affairs. 

5

For her Investiture as Queen of Normandia in 2011, Queen Gloria had to face the challenge of blending her own tastes with the requirements of tradition and national symbolism. Light blue is the national colour of Normadia, it combines with the requisite fur trim (albeit fake fur), symbolic of Royal status. The dress was obviously inspired by medieval design to pair respectfully with the medieval Crown Tiara but the entire look has a distinctly modern feel. Traditional dress has never been made to look so stylish with metallic detail and Queen Gloria's brand new earrings made to match.

6

After the 2010 Christmas Ball Lady Arcwhite retained some style momentum by stealing the show for a second time in a row only a few months later. The 2012 Heads of the Royal House Meeting saw some of the main players gathering for a strategy meeting. here Lady Arcwhite showed her clout to the media with a look akin to 1950's glitz. Pairing the metallic pink with some spectacular jewellery the event was taken from regular to cosmic.

7

It is allowed to steal the show as a lady at an event that intrinsically is to honour a man. Such was the case at the 2012 15th Anniversary of the Duke of Swann's Ascension. The most eye catching woman of this event  and no 7 on our list was undoubtedly Queen maria of Hispania dressed in all white and rubies. The almost iconic look set the precedent for what to expect from Queen Maria who at that stage was still gaining her footing on the world stage. 

8

Lady Arcwhite takes her third slot on our top 10 list but this time the memorability of the ensemble is based purely on the symbolism and not necessarily the purity of style. For the 2012 Christmas Ball Lady Arcwhite was the host and was required by tradition to wear certain official jewellery. The final result was very imposing, spectacular but also a bit creepy. However the look was perfectly in keeping with the event and its host and did leave a lasting impression on us all making it no 8 on our list. 

9

Effortless glamour is the hallmark of style. The Grand Duchess of Hanoveria never seems to try too hard and always looks the part but at the Birthday Ball in 2012 she had all eyes on her. The Grand Duchess paired the spectacular Hanoverian Aquamarines with a gold ball gown that almost gave the effect of a misty hays of gold. The look was truly memorable.

10

The first internationally published event needed the hostess to look the part. That look has stayed with us as we have come to expect from Princess Augusta. She put all our Royals back on the map and turned public opinion around reigniting public interest in the extravaganza that is Royalty. Her Byzantine inspired dress at the 2009 Birthday Ball burned itself into our minds and now that flame needs constant refueling with more glamour. 

Five honourable mentions must be made as they were worn at the same events as the top 10 but as such are strictly disqualified from our limited list. However due to the fact that they came to mind instantly while making the list we thought we would add them for good measure.

Also a true icon of style Princess Xenia of Wallachia dresses impeccably stylish yet she knows her place and never tries to upstage anybody. As such her incredible ensembles are often relegated to the back ground of major events but we do make note of them and this particular one has summed up her look. Worn to the 2013 Christmas Ball the Princess' dramatic personality and penchant for dark tones and purple are obvious. 

Queen Maria often plays the white card and does it well as mentioned on our top 10 list however this one is also noteworthy. The dress was actually her second choice and back-up after her original dress was torn badly while exiting her car. 

Princess Kirtsen Youssopoff pulls all the stops when the event requires it and when everybody else goes full tilt she does the same but in her own, almost "sexy-yet-regal" manner. Clean lines with a bit of glitz and leg is paired with stylish historic jewellery to give us the Kirsten we have come to expect. Undeniably chic. 

For their first major Royal event the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Reichenthal wanted to impress and that they did. Full length evening gown can so easily be frumpy or cake icingy but the Grand Duchess Azantha showed us hoe it should be done. Aquamarine dress hugs the figure yet surrendered full volume and paired with Royal Jewels it was a complete winner also at the 2013 Christmas Ball. 

Definitely the 2nd best dressed at this event and one of her most spectacular looks to date the Crown Princess Imperial redeemed her sapphire debut with this perfect pitch of Imperial yet not-stealing-the-limelight dress. The Syldavian Investiture required all the guests to play second fiddle to the new King and Queen. The Crown Princess Imperial was however going to make the most of it and and stayed in our minds as the best dressed after Queen Maxima. It was also the prime opportunity for the Princess to wear her sapphires in a noteworthy manner after they were completely overlooked when they debuted at the same event where Lady Arcwhite stole the show. Revenge is sweet. 

Wonderful Weekends (2014 State Portrait of Queen Maria of Hispania)

In keeping with the Hispanian tradition of releasing a State Portrait of their monarch in January every year we are happy to join in and publish the official photo of Her Majesty,Queen Maria here on our blog as well. 

The Queen posed for the photo in the gardens of Castillo Trono De Seguro wearing a traditional Flamenco dress. Her Majesty also wore the necklace, earrings and mantilla comb from the Crown Ruby Parure. 

The full length photo looks absolutely spectacular and does the nation of Hispania proud. 

"To be or not to be" Thursday (Imperial and Royal Families 2 The House of Castelano y Alba)

Today we continue our series on the Imperial and Royal Dynastic Houses, presenting the Royal House of Castelano y Alba, ruling dynasty of  the Kingdom of Hispania.

The Crest of the Royal House of Hispania.

The House of Castelano has ruled over Hispania for many generations but in the mid 20th Century a Queen ascended to the throne. Queen Isabella II was only the second female to ever rule in her own right over the ancient kingdom. Upon her marriage to the Duke of Alba, the Royal House was renamed Castelano y Alba and it has been the official dynastic designation ever since. The current ruler, also a Queen, has not included her husband's name into the dynastic name since he is not the head of a Noble House. It is however declared that their descendants who are not in direct line of descent may use the surname Castelano y Alba y Rextondo in recognistion of his family name. The members of the Hispanian Royal House include the following:

Her Majesty Queen Maria of Hispania is the head of the Castelano y Alba Dynasty. She is married to Don Giuseppe De Rextondo but due to dynastic houses taking precedence over non-dynasts his name will not be carried by his daughter. Don Rextondo has no official role or Royal title and does not represent the Royal House in public. He greatly values his privacy and prefers to just be the Queens husband in privacy.

Her Royal Highness the Princess of Cataljone, daughter of the Queen and heir to the Hispanian throne.

The Queen's mother the Dowager Princess of Cataljone. She has entirely retired from appearing in public and official events.

The sister of Queen Maria, Infanta Isabella Duchess of Toledo. 

The current King of Syldavia and his siblings are cousins of the Queen of Hispania. The Queen's father was the elder brother of the Countess Von Bismarck, mother of King Nikolas. As such the Noble House Von Bismarck is strictly speaking part of the Royal House of Castelano Y Alba.

Our analysis only includes children, siblings, grandchildren and cousins within the dynasty. As such for the discussion on  the extended Royal House of Castelanno y Alba we could have included all the members of the previously discussed Aldarian-Stewart line as they are all descended from the Hispanic Prince who married Queen Crystobel I of Scotney.