On February 7, 2025, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attended the annual attestation parade at the British Gurkha Camp in Pokhara, Nepal, on the fourth day of their official tour. The parade celebrates over 200 years of partnership between the UK and Nepal and honors the service of Gurkhas in the British Army. The Duke and Duchess listened from a dais as Buddhist and Hindu prayers were given before the attestation oath. Afterward, they signed the visitors' book and were presented with a Gurkha garland.
The parade marks the conclusion of the highly competitive selection process, where young Nepalis formally join the British Army. About 13,000 Nepalis apply each year, but only 270 are selected. The visit highlights the close relations between the UK and Nepal. Previously, King Charles visited Nepal in 1998, and Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited in 1986.
Zimmermann again and with the same clunky espadrilles. I wonder if the espadrilles she is wearing are made in Spain. I have the impression that the Spanish brands of espadrilles are prettier than what Duchess Sophie is wearing. I have a pair of Spanish espadrilles which I wear during Summer when it is very hot and I must say they are less clunky and close with a small leather strap. I couldn't wear the silk ribbons around my ankles and higher on my legs, much to uncomfortable.
ردحذفEpitome of bad taste!
ردحذفAva
Agree!
حذفAna Katarina
I have a theory?!?! : that Sophie got caught out unusually with her clothes on this visit. (1) she was not prepared that everyone around her would be wearing a suit jacket, and had to wear the one she had with her with multiple outfits; (2) the roughness of the surfaces don’t allow for her normal heels and so we see her photographed over and over with same espradilles. Give her a break: until you have been to Nepal it’s hard to understand that there it is not about fashion, it’s about kindness and honour and poverty. I arrived on my first time there with a suitcase of options… and ended up wearing the same old pants and long sleeved wool tshirt and old hiking shoes every day because I was embarrassed to look too rich in amongst the poverty. I don’t agree Ava that she’s the epitome of bad taste, but rather, a guest focused on her job there and the people and wearing some very pretty dresses, cobbled together with the shoes she has available. - Mary
حذفYou certainly are…
حذفtsk tsk for your bad comment Ava. she is dressed appropriately for the custom of covering legs/arms etc in the country they are visiting.
حذفTotally agree. The pretty duchess really need a new stylist
حذف@Anonymous7/2/25 16:00, Mary, These royal visits to foreign countries are planned way in advance. It is not like as normal people who go on holiday, throw some clothes into the suitcase and are surprised by the weather. There are diplomats and PR people involved to plan the whole visit. The Royals are advised on the specific customs of the country they visit, how to behave and what wo wear to which event. There is nothing left to last minute decisions. For some reason, it seems that Sophie, as much as I like her and admire her work ethics, she does not take advice and sticks to her personal choice of clothes. Unfortunately she gets it wrong most of the times. Even more so in foreign countries. She is a smart and dedicated woman, but she has no eye for fashion.
حذفFew could make this dress look wonderful (and I mean few), but Sophie is definitely not one of them. What was Zimmerman thinking?
ردحذف- Anon 9:13
I appreciate this comment very much here because it’s purely about the fashion and no criticism to the wearer. I agree. I think the material is quite interesting, but the hem frill makes the dress awkward. Quite often I like Zimmerman, but this one has gone a bit wrong. Sophie looks beautiful nevertheless.
حذفOh my, what is she thinking. The print and colour of the dress are okay but that ruffle at the bottom, yikes, cut it off. Perhaps she is bare legged so protocol dictates she must cover her legs. Even the prince looks alittle dishevelled, must be very hot.
ردحذفIf only she had cut the frill off the bottom of the dress, the outfit could have been a winner. It might even have looked okay with these shoes
حذفAnnieM
This visit is not the first one where I think Sophie is better at home in Britain, as far as fashion choices are concerned. Flowers all over the Duchess plus duster on the skirt and "dusters" on her arms ... And that in itself really lovely jacket again, deployed not as part of a unified ensemble but something against being cold. She is such a lovely person, but her fashion efforts abroad are really poor (in my opinion).
ردحذفWhy not wear a light suit with leather shoes? I don't understand her choices on this trip.
ردحذفLisa
Oui je suis d'accord Lisa, un costume beige ou caramel avec un haut blanc seraient parfaits. Je n'aime aucune de ses tenues pendant ce voyage. Toutes ses robes à fleurs ne sont pas à mon goût (même en chemises de nuit je ne les porterais pas). Paloma.
حذفNightgown is the perfect way to describe these floral dresses.
حذفThe ensemble is not very flattering for the Duchess on so many levels, and those awful shoes again! The Duchess used to have a good dress sense but not of late.
ردحذفI was comparing the length and look of the local women's dress and find them much more attractive than the length of the duchess's skirts. The proportion is better and shoes of any kind are less obvious. Maybe she should just go all-out and wear long skirts, period. The ruffles around the bottom really call attention to those espadrilles.
ردحذفThere is a time in life, when we cannot wear frou frou floral frocks that are for the younger generation, no matter how lovely the frocks are .
ردحذفThe ruffle doesn’t make sense at all here…there’s a pretty central panel down the front which should continue to the hemline. I don’t like the shoes either. The ribbon ties are too fussy with the printed dress. Surely there are some leather wedge heels or block heels that would suit these outfits better. (V.M.)
ردحذفI can understand her choice of shoes on these surfaces, but I donot understand het choice of dresses.
ردحذفShe really should have known better. A duchess does not get "caught out" as someone mentioned. You are briefed; you come prepared. Fashion-wise, she really looks ridiculous. Very unfortunate.
ردحذفYes my thought exactly. Not necessarily ridiculous but certainly not well put together. If she needed appropriate shoes, I am sure they could of purchased some locally. Something is just off, don’t know what
حذفEncore une robe imprimée pas du tout à l'avantage de Sophie !
ردحذفThe ruffle at the hemline, I dislike. It spoils the overall look of her dress.
ردحذفI got excited when I saw the top part of the dress. It seemed to be a pencil dress,much like the dresses Sophie used to wear. But then I saw the ruffled bottom and my heart sank! There was really no need for the ruffle the design of the dress was complete without it.
ردحذفNot a fan of the tied but shoes,something you’d wear on holiday not inspecting the troops! It’s hard pass from me! 😞
Lowri.
Nice dress just do not care for the bottom of the dress, not a good look at least not for me.
ردحذفcss
La pire robe de ce voyage.
ردحذفLovely dress except for the ruffle and beautiful jacket, but not in combination. Flat leather shoes or a low block heel would suit this outfit better. Overall the DoE looks fine for the occasion.
ردحذفOh, this was a wonderful visit from the Edinburghs, well done!
ردحذفAlthough the Duchesses's outfits may have not been always a success in terms of sartorial choices, I can understand her given the climate and the soil, which must have been demanding for her..
I applaud them for being so respectul of local customs.
Nepal and the locals remind me of one of the truest and kindest friend I''ve ever had whilst studying abroad.
She was a Nepali girl and worked in the canteen of the college.
We often went out together in our spare time.
I remember that time when I was pretty late for lunch and the canteen was already closed.
She came up suddenly and said
" Dear, you know , do sit down (there was a table outside) and I'll bring you your lunch.
I kept it warm for you."
I was immensely grateful!
Then I made everything I could do to for her.
A truly caring girl.
* not always been
ردحذفI hope Duchess Sophie doesn’t read this blog.
ردحذفShe’ll get depressed.
On the diplomatic front, they get 10/10.
@ Deadeggs
حذفAnd your comment gets 10/10 😉
I hope no Royal lady reads most of the comments on this blog.
As you said, all of them would get depressed in no time.
Sadness,negativity, nastiness, lack of basic knowledge and reasonable elaboraration as much as envy and no clue about fashion trends are the overall trend on this platform.
There was a time I enjoyed this site a lot.
No more now.
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