The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are making a four-day official visit to Japan from September 19 to 22, 2025. The visit will highlight shared values and cooperation in areas such as education, sustainability, innovation, youth opportunities, and women’s leadership. On the first day of their visit, the Duke and Duchess met with Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino, and their son, Prince Hisahito, at the Akasaka Residence in Tokyo.
Afterwards, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh attended the MUSUBI Initiative Reception at the Ambassador's Residence in Tokyo. The newly launched MUSUBI initiative ('MUSUBI' means 'connection' in Japanese) is designed to build relationships between people and businesses in the UK and Japan. On this occasion, the Duchess of Edinburgh wore a paisley-print midi dress by Valentino Garavani.
I think Sophie's dress is not the best choice for an official visit.
ReplyDeleteSo, the official duties of Prince Hisahito have started right after his coming-of-age events. While I like the exquisit material of the Duchess' dress; I find the patterns (paisley plus polka dots strangely put together on dress and hemline) a bit clashing and it is - a recurring theme - also a tad too long on her. Crown Princess Kiko is, of course, her usual self.
ReplyDeleteA very smart transseasonal dress.
ReplyDeleteSophie's clutch matches the bottom part of the dress perfectly.
Cate.
I love this dress, it's very attractive. I like the style, cut and color, she looks beautiful. The bag is a great color, nice shade of blue, and contrasting shoe color, perfect choice. The Duke looks engaging and happy, I think he is great!
ReplyDeleteWow! Die beiden kann man aber auch sehr gut aussenden! Die Duchess von Edinburgh wird immer eleganter mit all ihren gesammelten Erfahrungen zeigt sie sich stets so freundlich und edel. Das Kleid ist wundervoll die Schuhe sehr schick. Der Duke von Edinburgh wird mit den Jahren so ein richtiger Hingucker ; ) Freue mich auf weitere Bilder dieser Reise ; ) - Dorothe -
ReplyDeleteLovely meeting..but very surprised that Prince Edward and CP Akishino are almost the same height here. Edward is listed on Google as 1.83 meters. While CP Akishino is the same or almost the same height. I thought the Japanese royals were very short in general. CP Kiko is also almost as tall as Sophie and the Japanese royal women don't usually wear high heels due to protocol.
ReplyDeleteLovely meeting..but very surprised that Prince Edward and CP Akishino are almost the same height here. Edward is listed on Google as 1.83 meters. While CP Akishino is the same or almost the same height. I thought the Japanese royals were very short in general. CP Kiko is also almost as tall as Sophie and the Japanese royal women don't usually wear high heels due to protocol.
ReplyDeleteLovely meeting..but very surprised that Prince Edward and CP Akishino are almost the same height here. Edward is listed on Google as 1.83 meters. While CP Akishino is the same or almost the same height. I thought the Japanese royals were very short in general. CP Kiko is also almost as tall as Sophie and the Japanese royal women don't usually wear high heels due to protocol.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely dress and Sophie wears it well. I like the way he has combined the different paisley patterns, and subtlety broken them up with solid blocks as in the belt tips. Even the breast pockets are matching the pattern, with only the buttons on them giving any hint that they are there. Good style and craftsmanship.
ReplyDelete- Anon 9:13
This could have been a winner on Sophie, but the unbuttoned collar took things in too casual of a direction. If she'd worn it as on the model, it would have been far more tidy and elegant. The Crown Princess looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteDuchess wears a beautiful Valentino. i wish her style choices would distinguish between official engament and casual engament. just the crown princess of Japan wearing a bold colour dress
ReplyDeleteI love this dress even though it is on the conservative side. This is Japan where formality is expected. The combination of two different fabric patterns is so amazing. The border on the hem and the cuffs makes the dress more dramatic. The unusual belt is also an interesting accessory and the pleat at the back is a unique feature. Sophie looks splendid. On a side note, Prince Edward looks a bit gaunt and frail in these photos. I hope he is well. He is one of the few British royals who I really like.
ReplyDeleteIt's a nice enough dress on D. Sophie and I like the contrasting panel at the hemline and cuffs however, the open neckline is a bit untidy (probably why the model has it borrowed up). From a distance it certainly doesn't seem like a designer dress. More like something you'd find at Boden or other high street brands.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast, the CP looks very elegant here.
(V.M )
They look so stylish. Love Sophie’s dress.
ReplyDeleteEdward’s suit seems a little big for his frame but nevertheless he and Sophie have chosen outfits that very much accord with the tone of their hosts. The navy and white dress is very neat and pretty.
ReplyDeleteTo my eye, it looks like Edward's suit is a cut from another era. It very well may be, as he has a green sport coat that he has worn for well over 20 years.
DeleteSophie a belle allure dans cette robe dont les motifs associent les pois avec le cachemie mais petit bémol au niveau de sa longueur qui comme d'habitude mériterait un petit raccourci !
ReplyDeleteThis dress is made to be buttoned up at the neck, this is part of the design lines. Unbuttoned it simply looks untidy, kind of not ready. Also, it is too long, in between a proper midi length and maxi and in no way favourable. the fact that I don't like the pattern nor the style of this dress, not the neckline, not the self belt - this all does not really count, what counts, is that she does not make the best of it for herself, in terms of length and button up because this is what it is made for.
ReplyDeleteHello kitty looks cute in her kimono
ReplyDeleteLovely dress although I share your opinion that the topbuttons should be closed as in the model’s.
ReplyDeletePrince Edward: the best dressed man of the British Royals.
On picture N° 3 Prince Edward looks like his father the late Prince Philip. The same way of benching over a bit to one side. His jacket is much too wide for him on the shoulders. I bet he has not such wide natural shoulders and the jacket is filled up with big shoulder pads. His jacket is also a bit too long for him.
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