The sun is shining in Paris as day three of the Olympics gets under way which means it’s time to say au revoir to the first royal style statement of the Games – the plastic rain poncho.
For 48 hours this coat which is never easy to wear, in any sense at all, became the go to of kings, queens and princesses as Paris was bathed in as much rain as Olympic glory.
Even the ultimate royal fashion maven, Queen Letizia of Spain, took to the plastic as the Summer Games began.
[getty src=”2162919331″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]It all started in one of the most iconic Parisian landmarks of all on a wet Friday night. As crowned heads gathered at the Place du Trocadero to watch an opening ceremony which included a depiction of a former royal who lost their head, the summer sunshine deserted them and grey clouds soon gave way to torrential downpours.
[getty src=”2162913384″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]Letizia, in an on trend monochrome print summer dress, was among the first to take to the ponchos which had been laid out for VIP guests, just in case. Of course, the Queen of Spain wore it with the utmost elegance – there isn’t a fashion statement that Letizia can’t make.
[getty src=”2163915749″ width=”594″ height=”356″ tld=”com”]Her equally dapper husband, King Felipe, also added the plastic poncho to his perfectly tailored suit although getting into the garb wasn’t quite so smooth for the monarch as it was for his consort.
[getty src=”2162934621″ width=”396″ height=”594″ tld=”com”]The Place du Trocadero takes its name from a famous Spanish battle but Felipe’s war with the wet was nothing compared to the fight being put up by his Dutch counterpart. King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands had an epic quest to get his poncho on and seemed to take so long slithering one arm into its confines that the downpour was in danger of passing before he’d even finished putting it on.
[getty src=”2162913277″ width=”396″ height=”594″ tld=”com”]As always, the Belgian king and queen were the model of dignified discretion. One moment, Philippe and Mathilde were looking at the threatening skies, the next they were seated neatly in the front row, garbed in their ponchos and no one had even seen them move.
(Grand Duchess Maria Teresa/ Instagram)
The new royal must have fashion statement was clearly a total thrill to the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg who sashayed through the VIP area like they’d been wearing them all their lives and even took to social media to show off their new coats.
[getty src=”2163855746″ width=”594″ height=”412″ tld=”com”]However, the ultimate royal poncho statement came from Monaco. The royal residents of Monte Carlo are far more used to sunshine than shade and the Sovereign Prince, Albert II, was clearly expecting radiance from the city of light as he turned up in a suit representing his country’s flag that could only be worn in the summer.
[getty src=”2163855584″ width=”594″ height=”407″ tld=”com”]The weather had other ideas. Albert’s eye catching bright red blazer and pristine white trousers were soon enclosed in a mish mash of wet plastic while his wife, Princess Charlene, tucked herself up in her own poncho and chatted to their nine year old twins.
[getty src=”2163857796″ width=”594″ height=”396″ tld=”com”]Europe’s newest queen, meanwhile, had other ideas. Mary of Denmark might have been born in Australia but her parents both came from Scotland and that DNA is strong. The genes told her there’s no such thing as a perfect summer’s evening and she came equipped with a smart, beige raincoat that soon became the envy of just about everyone else in the VIP box bar the UK’s new Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who had brought his own anorak.
Queen Mary is one of Europe’s most stylish royals but she decided to take a swerve on the regal trend that’s made its mark this summer – kings, queens and princesses in plastic ponchos.
