Royal watchers: Will and Kate's India, Bhutan tour

[mbcdefg]

I did this for the Australia/New Zealand tour and a bunch of people seemed to like it, so do you want me to do it for the India/Bhutan tour, too?

Also, before I start: Netflix has announced that all episodes of The Crown will be available on November 4. 

First stop: They stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai, to show solidarity as it was the scene of a terrorist attack in 2008. They laid a memorial wreath and talked to the staff who protected guests. Paisley dress is by Alexander McQueen.




They visited a cricket pitch, Oval Maidan, and met star athletes Sachin Tendulkar and Dilip Vengsarkarand (does anyone here follow cricket?):




They both played some cricket, and some soccer - Kate while wearing a dress (by Mumbai designer Anita Dongre) and giant wedges. 'Cause, why not. (MM: Reportedly her earrings only cost $16.)


 

They also paid a visit to a local neighborhood:


 

And the Banganga Water Tank (with a lovely welcoming party), where they laid floral offerings in the water:

   


Nighttime event: Bollywood Charity Gala. Blue dress by Jenny Packham, but the beading on the dress and wrap was done in India. Earrings are by Indian jeweler Amrapali - materials: lapis lazuli and diamonds.

In William's speech, he said that after their marriage, India was the first place Kate said she wanted to visit and now they've finally made it. (And WTF is up with the HUGE bouquet???)

 


Everyone here looks fantastic:

More very nice-looking people (and the CLOTHES!!! Wow!):


    

[konapoppy]

Yes! Please keep posting their tour.
Kate is perfection, but I wish she had done something else for the evening. It doesn't seem as festive as it could have been. It reads really western despite the local beading.

[raangoli]

Oh yay! I was wondering if you'd post about their visit. I'm particularly excited because it's India

Sachin is one of the most famous cricket players in India. He's retired now I think.

In India, we go big or go home with everything so hence the giant bouquet. The flowers there are the most amazing and beautiful that I have ever seen.

The Bollywood stars are some of the most popular and well known. The first picture is Shah Rukh Khan, then Sachin again, then Aishwariya Rai Bachchan (a former Miss World and married to the son of one of India's most famous actors, but that's not him with her (and seriously so gorgeous)), I have no idea who the last two pictures are.

[mbcdefg]

Apr 11, 2016 8:52:15 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Oh yay! I was wondering if you'd post about their visit. I'm particularly excited because it's India

Sachin is one of the most famous cricket players in India. He's retired now I think.

In India, we go big or go home with everything so hence the giant bouquet. The flowers there are the most amazing and beautiful that I have ever seen.

The Bollywood stars are some of the most popular and well known. The first picture is Shah Rukh Khan, then Sachin again, then Aishwariya Rai Bachchan (a former Miss World and married to the son of one of India's most famous actors, but that's not him with her (and seriously so gorgeous)), I have no idea who the last two pictures are.

Thank you for explaining! 

The big pink bouquet really is beautiful, but it just cracked me up since she typically gets a small nosegay. (And her own wedding bouquet was so teeny weenie.) The garlands look so nice! They must smell great as well. 

I assume they put something on her forehead at the water tank visit, right? I didn't notice until I found the pic that she had a dot on her forehead. 

I also love the welcome they got at the water tank. I can picture myself trying to dance and then falling down all the stairs like Leslie Nielson or something. 

They are in Delhi today. I have some work stuff to do for now, but I'll round up those pics in a little while. 

[Awkward]

I want that dress she's wearing in the cricket pictures. So pretty and appropriate for the setting.

I agree that the formal dress could have been a little more special. I really like the red lace one on the woman standing under the arch. That dress has some wow-factor.

[tacokick]

I was hoping they'd hang out with some Bollywood stars! Her blue dress is pretty but kind of blah. If you can't wear bright colors and patterns in India then where can you?!

[raangoli]

mbcdefg Yes, they marked her forehead with vermillion powder which is known as a tilak. It's a sign of welcome and respect:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilaka

Oh and yes the flowers smell as amazing as they look

[mbcdefg]

Apr 11, 2016 9:20:38 GMT -5 raangoli said:

mbcdefg Yes, they marked her forehead with vermillion powder which is known as a tilak. It's a sign of welcome and respect:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilaka

Oh and yes the flowers smell as amazing as they look

Thank you! What a lovely tradition. 

Everyone in the photos with them looks so nice and friendly - nothing but smiles. 

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2016 8:43:51 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Yes! Please keep posting their tour.
Katie is perfection, but I wish she had done something else for the evening. It doesn't seem as festive as it could have been. It reads really western despite the local beading.

Yes, missed opportunity there. I would definitely buy her daytime dress though.

[raangoli]

Apr 11, 2016 9:26:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Apr 11, 2016 9:20:38 GMT -5 raangoli said:

mbcdefg Yes, they marked her forehead with vermillion powder which is known as a tilak. It's a sign of welcome and respect:

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilaka

Oh and yes the flowers smell as amazing as they look

Thank you! What a lovely tradition. 

Everyone in the photos with them looks so nice and friendly - nothing but smiles. 

Indians are full of pride and we love to show off our country whenever possible

Although I do wonder if there is a backlash bc of the history of the British rule. It hasn't been that long since India gained her independence.

[raangoli]

Apr 11, 2016 9:31:35 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

I love the Anita Dongre dress (the one worn while playing cricket) but don't think those wedges work with it at all.

I love Indian fashion. So colorful and lovely.

I would have given her extra points for paring the dress with traditional Indian chappals (sandals).

[pandora89]

I loved her blue gown, it looked so much better without the shawl on.

[genet313]

Apr 11, 2016 8:43:51 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Yes! Please keep posting their tour.
Katie is perfection, but I wish she had done something else for the evening. It doesn't seem as festive as it could have been. It reads really western despite the local beading.

I agree, I think she could have done something more traditional or bigger or something.   I don't know.  Maybe like the blue sari you wore! 

[konapoppy]

Apr 11, 2016 10:16:57 GMT -5 genet313 said:

Apr 11, 2016 8:43:51 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

Yes! Please keep posting their tour.
Katie is perfection, but I wish she had done something else for the evening. It doesn't seem as festive as it could have been. It reads really western despite the local beading.

I agree, I think she could have done something more traditional or bigger or something.   I don't know.  Maybe like the blue sari you wore! 

That was 100% Indian thanks to alleinesein

[mbcdefg]

Re: Kate in "blah" clothes ... one of the theories I've seen put forward is that she/her team chooses her outfits carefully so as not to overshadow William. He's the heir (to their heir) and she's "just" the consort, so her role is to support him. And if she wears flashy clothes then the focus turns to her and her fashion choices, rather than whatever message or diplomatic role William is there to promote. I don't know how true this theory is but it certainly makes sense. An heiress (like Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden) can probably get away with something more attention-grabbing while her consort just stands in the background being supportive.

Apparently, when Charles and Diana were married and doing all these tours and such, Charles would complain that everyone was just there to see Diana and he wasn't getting any attention. I remember reading somewhere that Charles thought Diana did it on purpose to get attention for herself and to therefore take attention away from him. Again, we'll never know if that's true but if he was there to promote something specific and then the only takeaway was "Wow, Diana's dress was nice!" then I could see why he'd be frustrated. And if that really was the case then I'm sure William and Kate's support team is mindful of that and they don't want that kind of trainwreck to happen again with these two.

Diana's clothes were also REALLY dated. She was a young 20-something for most of the 80s and her fashion choices reflected that. As lovely as she was, there are a lot of instances where we can look back on her outfits and just giggle. Kate's more mature, and probably mindful of the "timeless" image she's supposed to present. I've seen a lot of royal bloggers/etc. comment that she seems to be modeling herself after the Queen Mother, rather than Diana. 

I think it's also worth noting that Kate's personal style doesn't seem to be too flashy or colorful in the first place, so maybe she just likes understated clothes? Or it may be a result of having lived most of her adult life in the public eye as a royal girlfriend/wife, so perhaps she's learned not to draw attention to herself. 

[mbcdefg]

Forgot this in the Day One post: the Cambridges heard about a 93 year-old restaurant owner who wished to meet them, and they arranged for the meeting after the gala dinner:

 

And an elephant made of flowers!!!

 


Day Two:

Young Entrepreneurs event in Mumbai. Emilia Wickstead dress (I'm not digging the chest flaps):

 

On to New Delhi (9.5 hours ahead of NYC, my iPhone World Clock is telling me):

Visit and wreath laying at the India Gate Memorial (love that the photographer got that bird in the shot!):


 

Visit to the final home/assassination site of Mahatma Gandhi:

 



And a garden party in honor of the Queen's upcoming 90th birthday. Outfit: Alice Temperley separates:

 


Cutting a cake with a sword:

 

[mbcdefg]

Apr 11, 2016 9:36:08 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Apr 11, 2016 9:31:35 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

I love the Anita Dongre dress (the one worn while playing cricket) but don't think those wedges work with it at all.

I love Indian fashion. So colorful and lovely.

I would have given her extra points for paring the dress with traditional Indian chappals (sandals).

The Daily Mail cropped a pic from when she removed her shoes to visit the Gandhi site and noted that she hadn't had a pedicure (eyeroll) so I wonder if that could be why she wore closed-toe shoes?

[raangoli]

Apr 11, 2016 11:53:39 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Apr 11, 2016 9:36:08 GMT -5 raangoli said:

I would have given her extra points for paring the dress with traditional Indian chappals (sandals).

The Daily Mail cropped a pic from when she removed her shoes to visit the Gandhi site and noted that she hadn't had a pedicure (eyeroll) so I wonder if that could be why she wore closed-toe shoes?

Oh geez. I'd hate to be her, every last thing is scrutinized.

[DarcyLongfellow]

I'm so glad you're doing this again!!

I LOVE her dress from the garden party/cake cutting. But that white one with the chest pockets is no bueno. She's lucky she's relatively flat chested or that dress would have been awful.

Apr 11, 2016 11:53:39 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

The Daily Mail cropped a pic from when she removed her shoes to visit the Gandhi site and noted that she hadn't had a pedicure (eyeroll) so I wonder if that could be why she wore closed-toe shoes?

How obnoxious of them. I'm sure her feet looked however she wanted them to look -- no way was the shoe-taking-off unplanned.

[mbcdefg]

Apr 11, 2016 11:56:48 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Apr 11, 2016 11:53:39 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

The Daily Mail cropped a pic from when she removed her shoes to visit the Gandhi site and noted that she hadn't had a pedicure (eyeroll) so I wonder if that could be why she wore closed-toe shoes?

Oh geez. I'd hate to be her, every last thing is scrutinized.

Right??? William sampled a dosa and the accompanying article is all about how she refused it (don't blame her, I wouldn't want pics plastered all over the world of me shoving food into my face - hopefully she's getting some good local food in private where she can enjoy it!):

[Awkward]

Eeeeeeeeek to the chest flaps on that dress! I hate when I see a gorgeous blouse or dress and it has these ridiculous flaps or fake pockets on the boobs. If Catherine can't even make it look go, no one can.

I do love the black embroidered dress for the garden party.

[raangoli]

Apr 11, 2016 13:27:39 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Apr 11, 2016 11:56:48 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Oh geez. I'd hate to be her, every last thing is scrutinized.

Right??? William sampled a dosa and the accompanying article is all about how she refused it (don't blame her, I wouldn't want pics plastered all over the world of me shoving food into my face - hopefully she's getting some good local food in private where she can enjoy it!):

MMM dosa. Maybe she was just having stomach issues and didn't want to chance it. Lord knows my stomach hates me when I go, so I don't blame her. But yea I wouldn't want pictures of me eating plastered for the world to see.

[genet313]

Or maybe she didn't want to spill all over the white dress...which I agree is lovely but for those horrible pockets.  WTF are they even supposed to be?  A rare miss for dear Kate.

[mrsukyankee]

Yeah, dosa are great but not if your stomach is off or you are wearing cream/white.

[Awkward]

Apr 11, 2016 13:33:53 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Apr 11, 2016 13:27:39 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Right??? William sampled a dosa and the accompanying article is all about how she refused it (don't blame her, I wouldn't want pics plastered all over the world of me shoving food into my face - hopefully she's getting some good local food in private where she can enjoy it!):

MMM dosa. Maybe she was just having stomach issues and didn't want to chance it. Lord knows my stomach hates me when I go, so I don't blame her. But yea I wouldn't want pictures of me eating plastered for the world to see.

I'm sure there will be new rumors coming out that she's pregnant again after this! Remember when she didn't want to eat weird peanut paste?

[teengirlsquad]

I did not love the white dress with the weird pocket flaps. I did love the Temperley separates! I think its gorgeous and looks amazing on her!

I'm glad I don't have people critiquing my toes or speculating that I'm pregnant when I don't eat something.

I'm so glad they are on tour and I can't wait to see the other outfits she wears!

[dreamcrisp1]

Wowwww. Man I need to go to India.

Also! Shah rukh khan! He will always be my fave.

[raangoli]

Apr 11, 2016 19:20:13 GMT -5 dreamcrisp1 said:

Also! Shah rukh khan! He will always be my fave.

Me too! Even though he's like eleventy million years old (but not really) he will always be awesome. Can we have a side conversation about our favorite SRK movies?

[alleinesein]

Apr 11, 2016 19:20:13 GMT -5 dreamcrisp1 said:

Wowwww. Man I need to go to India.

Also! Shah rukh khan! He will always be my fave.

(heart)  SRK!  I used to pass by his house 2x a day when I lived in Mumbai.  And yes...you need to go to India!  Beautiful country with yummy eats and great shopping.  

[alleinesein]

Kate is wearing Amrapali jewelry!! I love their designs. Many paychecks were spent in the Juhu store.