William and Kate attended a Thistle Service in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh today where William was installed as a 'Knight of the Thistle'.
The ancient Order of the Thistle represents the highest honour of chivalry in Scotland and can only be bestowed by the Queen herself. Today marks the fourth day of the Queen's Jubilee celebrations in Scotland and it seemed a fitting time to install William into the order.
 |
| British Monarchy |
In Scotland William and Kate are titled the Earl and Countess of Strathearn.
Despite the dismal weather conditions a large crowd turned up to welcome the royals.
 |
| James Whatling Twitter |
The current version of the order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland. The order consists of the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies currently including Prince Charles and the Princess Royal. The motto is 'Nemo me impune lacessit' (Latin for 'No one provokes me with impunity')
 |
| Royal Gov |
The Order's emblem is Scotland's national flower, the thistle. According to legend, an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak up at night upon a Scottish army's encampment when one barefoot Norseman stepped on a thistle, causing him to cry out in pain, thus alerting the Scottish to the presence of the invaders.
 |
| Wikipedia |
No doubt you will all recall the lace bodice of Kate's wedding dress featured detailing which symbolised the nations of the United Kingdom. Rose detailing, Thistles, Daffodils and Shamrocks were individually applied to represent England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
 |
| British Monarchy Flickr |
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arriving for the service.
 |
| British Monarchy |
St Giles Cathedral is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. The chapel itself was built in 1910 in the style of the high Gothic architecture of the 15th century. St Giles Cathedral is now attempting to raise £2.5 million to complete a comprehensive restoration of the interior, If you wish to donate please click here.
 |
| Wikipedia A 360 degree panorama view of the interior. It's certainly is an incredible building. |
 |
| Wikipedia |
The always informative Richard Palmer shared news from the event.
And his thoughts on the service.
After the ceremony 400 pipers, drummers and dancers travelled down the Royal Mile to the Scottish Parliament building. The Royals also attended a Thistle luncheon at the Signet Library, Parliament.
Kate looked elegant in a £1,200 Emilia Wickstead coat dress. Ms Wickstead told Daily Mail reporter Rebecca English the coat dress is soft yellow gold and was made especially for her and took about six weeks to complete.
Grazia reports the dress is not from a specific season but the yellow gold raffia fabric featured strongly in the Spring/Summer 2012 collection. The general consensus is it was not one of Kate's best looks and while the colour looked lovely on the Duchess I tend to agree. It didn't appear to be as structured as Kate's previous coat dresses, surprising for a bespoke piece. Some suggested it needed a belt and buttons. What do you think?
The Duchess wore her £99 Whiteley Cappuccino Parisisal hat.
 |
| Richard Palmer Twitter |
 |
| Richard Palmer Twitter |
After the ceremony 400 pipers, drummers and dancers travelled down the Royal Mile to the Scottish Parliament building. The Royals also attended a Thistle luncheon at the Signet Library, Parliament.
Kate looked elegant in a £1,200 Emilia Wickstead coat dress. Ms Wickstead told Daily Mail reporter Rebecca English the coat dress is soft yellow gold and was made especially for her and took about six weeks to complete.
 |
| Emilia Wickstead |
The Duchess wore her £99 Whiteley Cappuccino Parisisal hat.
 |
| Whiteley |
It is the third time we have seen Kate wear the hat. She wore it to the Epsom Derby in 2011 and recently to the McCorquodale last month.
 |
| Mark Stewart Twitter |
The Duchess teamed her coat dress with her brown suede Emmy shoes.
Interestingly Kate wore a similar bespoke Wickstead coat dress with the same Emmy shoes for St. Patrick's Day.
Kate accessorised with her Kiki McDonough Citrine Drop Earrings. The 18ct earrings are available for £495.
Kate carried her brown suede Emmy clutch and the scarf crafted of Strathearn Tartan (a nod to her title as Countess of Strathearn) she wore to the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
You can watch a video at ITN Source.
Interestingly Kate wore a similar bespoke Wickstead coat dress with the same Emmy shoes for St. Patrick's Day.
 |
| British Monarchy Flickr |
Kate accessorised with her Kiki McDonough Citrine Drop Earrings. The 18ct earrings are available for £495.
 |
| Kiki McDonough/Splash |
Kate carried her brown suede Emmy clutch and the scarf crafted of Strathearn Tartan (a nod to her title as Countess of Strathearn) she wore to the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
You can watch a video at ITN Source.
We will next see Kate Sunday in the royal box for the Wimbledon final :)
0 comments:
Post a Comment