Queen Elizabeth attended a public church service yesterday at the West Newton parish church near Sandringham. The outing was her last in Norfolk before her return to London today. Following tradition, the Queen has been at her estate since just before Christmas. Though the past weeks have not been a purely work-free vacation, I’m sure she enjoyed her more relaxed schedule in the estate, having lots of time with her corgis, horses and the countryside.

At the church, the Queen and Prince Philip briefly met some of the residents who gathered outside the church to greet the royals. A couple of little girls presented the Queen with some flowers.

Now, here is something I have not really paid attention to before. Under her lovely pink coat, the Queen was wearing a pair of boots! I had to look back through older photos, and found that she wore the same boots at a service at St Peter’s Church in Wolferton last month (photo in the gallery below). Now I’m curious whether this is something new in Her Majesty’s winter wardrobe, or something that I just didn’t notice before. I thought she always wore pumps with her dresses. Boots are more Zara Phillips or Kate Middleton’s style than the Queen’s. Have you seen her wear dressy boots like these before?

images via Zuma Press

We’re still in the grip of winter where I live, though thankfully not facing the prospect of a snowstorm like what’s in the U.S. East Coast right now (I hope you guys are keeping warm and safe!). It’s a good time to look at the coats and other cold weather clothing that the royal ladies have been wearing lately.

Denmark’s Crown Princess Mary comes in out of the snow into the New Carlsberg Glyptoteque in Copenhagen on January 27, 2010. She attended the award ceremony of the Elite Research Awards, which are given to outstanding Danish scientists. She wore this striated teal-and-black coat. I actually love this color, and the coat doesn’t need much beyond the black scarf. What do you think? You can have a closer look at the front of the coat (without the scarf) in the gallery photos below (as well as the rest of the royal ladies’ coats).

images via Zuma Press

The life of a working royal can never be described as monotonous. One day, they can be on a military ship and the next evening, at a concert. What the Spanish royals have been going to the past couple of days is a great example of how diverse a royal calendar can be.

Yesterday, Crown Prince Felipe was in the Gulf of Cadiz to attend military exercises aboard the naval ship ‘Victoria’. He interacted with officers of the ship as the exercises were going on. However, I don’t think he took part in any of the maneuvers himself. Prince Felipe, btw, has earned his Helicopter Pilot’s Wings for both the Spanish Army and Navy, and is a Commander in the General Navy.

Today, Prince Felipe attended the funeral of Spanish soldier John Felipe Romero Meneses who was killed while serving in Afghanistan. His presence at the funeral meant he had to skip the ceremony for the 2009 Prince Felipe Award for Business Excellence. His wife, Crown Princess Letizia, attended in his stead.

Read More – Spanish Royals Attend a Variety of Engagements

Prince Christian and Princess Isabella are not to be kept indoors in the winter when there is snow to be enjoyed in Switzerland! Their parents, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, took the little tots to Verbier for a family R and R on the slopes.

The Danish royals were all bundled up and ready to have fun in the cold. The little ones are introduced to winter sports early, and 4-year-old Prince Christian appears to have already mastered his skis! Princess Isabella, who is 2 1/2 years old, seems content with sledding for now. But I’m sure we’ll see her on skis soon enough.

Princess Mary still looks very elegant and poised even dressed down in a ski suit and parka. Prince Frederik just looks as if he is having the time of his life, as always!

Every year, the Danish royals take a ski vacation, and Verbier is one of their favorite spots. Members of the British and Swedish royal families likewise favor the ski resort for their winter getaways.

images via Bauer-Griffin

For today’s Fashion Friday, we’re going to shift gears from entire outfits to a specific item in royal fashion: the clutch. These versatile little bags can carry a princess or queen’s most important necessities. Perhaps a handkerchief or tissues, lipstick and some other small makeup items, photos of the kids/grandkids? Whatever it is that they may need for royal engagements, these accessories are sure to hold.

The royal ladies of Spain and Denmark, and their pretty bags, are the features for today.

Queen Sofia and Princess Letizia (with King Juan Carlos and Prince Felipe) attended the Foreign Ambassadors Reception, at Spain’s Royal Palace on January 14, 2010. Queen Sofia chose a royally purple little bag (left in photo above) with a gold chain. Princess Mary’s simple black bag accessorized her gray gown.

Photos of the full outfits and more royal bags are in the gallery below:

Bonus royal clutch: Merry Royals reader Andrea asked me about this union jack clutch seen on Sophie, Countess of Wessex. This is one of the Paparazzi clutch bags by ASOS, which are made to look like a rolled-up magazine. There are many variations on the magazine clutch. I saw a few of the union jack ones on the eBay UK site.

images via Zuma Press

Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands is showing her support for microfinance and women in science this week. Yesterday, she attended an interactive radio debate about ‘Microfinance – Who Profits‘. Microfinance is one of the issues that she is involved with as a working royal. The debate was hosted by Radio Netherlands Worldwide in The Hague.

Today, Princess Maxima was at the award ceremony of the first Merian Prize of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW) in Het Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. Professor Naomi Ellemers (photo in gallery),of Leiden University, was recognized for her scientific research and her commitment to promoting equal opportunities for women in science. The Merian Prize, awarded every two years, was established in 2009 to promote women’s careers in science.

images via Zuma Press

Let’s take a break from Prince William-mania for a bit, shall we? Seeing as its Fashion Friday, I put together this group of photos of Spain’s Princess Letizia as she went about her work for her country and the Spanish royal family.

Being a working royal who goes out to attend public engagements pretty much every day must bring with it certain wardrobe requirements. These everyday outfits must be business-like, comfortable, and stylish but not overly faddish. Shall we see how Princess Letizia’s work wardrobe fit the bill?

Princess Letizia wore this purple and black outfit when she visited the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid today (Jan. 22). The look is very much in keeping with the current trends: short hem, booties with tights, and a cute little cross-over bag. Letizia kept it business-like with muted colors and clean lines. We can see Princess Letizia’s preference for minimal jewelry and platform heels.

The rest of the photos are in the gallery below. Click each image to read details of each outfit.

images via Zuma Press

Day 3 of Prince William’s unofficial visit Down Under was very very busy! He was greeted by a crowd of admirers (and a very lucky girl, who gave him a kiss on the cheek!) then met the Governor of Victoria, Professor David de Kretserhad, at the Government House in Melbourne.

One of the most significant segments of the day was his visit to areas in Melbourne that were affected by bush fires last year. Among these areas were Flowerdale and Kinglake West. Prince William talked to residents in a temporary village in Flowerdale. Among the prefabricated houses, he enjoyed a barbecue lunch and a game of cricket with children from the village.

William finished the day at the Australian Open, where he watched Switzerland’s Roger Federer beat Victor Hanescu of Romania. The prince made quite a stir upon his entrance at the Rod Laver Arena, with lots of clapping from the audience. It’s the end of his unofficial tour in the country, and it was very much a success! The Australians love him, and were not afraid to show it!

Congrats to Prince William for a job well done (both in New Zealand and Australia)!

images via Zuma Press

Prince William’s second day in Australia was as busy (or even busier!) as the first. On Wednesday (Australian time), he continued his stay in Sydney, meeting more members of the government and the community.

Prince William took part in a live firing exercise with the Australian Army’s 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment at the Holsworthy army base. The visit with members of the military was William’s idea.

After the visit with the military, Prince William turned his attention to the crowds gathered at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Hundreds of people went out to see the young prince, who is on his second trip to the country. The first was in 1983, during a  tour with his parents when he was just 9 months old.

William then spoke during a barbecue lunch at Victoria Lodge, with the Sydney Opera House forming a gorgeous backdrop. He was accompanied at the barbecue by New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally. After lunch, Prince William took a high speed boat ride around Sydney Harbor.

Our young prince has definitely filled his trip down under. But we’re not just getting official business news. Daily Express’s Richard Palmer, who has been on-site for Prince William’s NZ and Australia trips, revealed that Prince William might have hinted at something regarding him and Kate Middleton. He was asked by one of the crowd about when he’s getting married. His answer?

“I keep saying it: wait and see.”

What do you think that means? Do we dare to speculate that we don’t have to wait a long time for something very wonderful indeed? I’ll keep the bubbly nice and chilled, just in case!

images via Zuma Press

Prince William wrapped up his trip to New Zealand on Tuesday, and flew to Australia for an unofficial tour. He was welcomed to Sydney by Australia’s Governor General Quentin Bryce, with whom he had lunch. He also met Australian singer Delta Goodrem, cricket player Michael Clarke and Olympic diver Matthew Mitcham during lunch at Admiralty House.

Another welcome ceremony waited for Prince William at the Redfern Community Centre. There, an Aboriginal elder performed a traditional smoking ceremony (a cleansing ritual involving setting fire to fresh leaves and allowing the smoke to waft over the participants). Later, Prince William met members of Australia’s indigenous community, played a game of table tennis and listened to a musical performance (which he seemed to enjoy very much!).

images via Zuma Press