Alicia Healey | The Spectator columnists & writers

The Queen’s handbag was her secret weapon

In this period of national mourning, it may seem frivolous to comment on the late Queen’s handbag. After seven decades of selfless service to the nation, fashion is but a footnote to Her Majesty’s glorious reign. And yet her style is something that helped to create the powerful majestic image of Queen Elizabeth II, and which made her instantly recognisable worldwide. A key part of that image, and a constant presence in her working life, was her black Launer handbag. Launer London was Her Majesty’s handbag maker for more than 50 years and has held the Royal Warrant since 1968. Launer bags are formal and structured, and proved to be the ideal regal accessory for public engagements. Its first royal patronage came from HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in the 1950s.

Why the Queen loved Balmoral

Balmoral, where Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away yesterday afternoon, was one of her favourite places to be. Queen Elizabeth inherited Queen Victoria’s love of the castle, and its surrounding estate, spending up to two months at her Highland retreat every summer throughout her long reign, with childhood visits before that. I had the good fortune of spending five long summers at Balmoral as a former employee of the Queen, so find it easy to understand why Her Majesty loved this special area of Scotland so much. I have travelled to many countries since I left the royal household 12 years ago, but I have never seen a place as beautiful as Balmoral. The castle – set in 50,000 acres of beautiful Scottish countryside, 500 miles from the bright lights and long lenses of London – offered the Queen a rare thing: an escape from the royal bubble.

The art of the brooch

The recent unveiling of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s first joint portrait drew attention to a special piece of jewellery pinned to Catherine's emerald green dress – the Duchess of Cambridge brooch. The pearl and diamond pendant brooch, on loan to the Duchess for the portrait sitting, has been a royal family heirloom since the mid-19th century. It was originally crafted by London jeweller Garrard for a previous Duchess of Cambridge, the German born Princess Augusta (daughter-in-law of King George III and grandmother of Queen Mary). Since then, the brooch has been passed down to the next generation in the royal line of succession, HM The Queen being its current custodian. The Duchess of Cambridge wears the brooch in an official portrait by Jamie Coreth, 2022 (Getty) The Duchess of Cambridge’s choice of dress and accessories for her first official joint portrait reveals a lot about the image she wants to portray in the painting – something that has a more lasting place in history than press photography.

The art of choosing sunglasses

Only Princess Diana could carry off Wimbledon white-rimmed aviators with such style. Pictured in the Royal Box at The Championships in 1986, The Princess of Wales brought an edge to her natural elegance in these striking shades. White sunglasses scream summer so are a great addition to a holiday wardrobe, pairing well with colourful fabrics. If you find white too stark then opt for ivory as a softer alternative.Quay sunglasses, £39Coloured shadesYou can’t go wrong with a classic Audrey Hepburn style black shade paired with monochrome outfits, but they can sometimes look too harsh with the softer colour palette and floaty frocks of summer. A tinted lens and tortoiseshell frame can be a softer option for paler skin complexions and lighter hair colours.

What the Queen can teach us about timeless dressing

The Queen has spent more time than most deciding what to wear to work each day, having spent the last 70 years as monarch. As one of the most photographed women in the world, her dress sense has played a large role in defining her image as a timeless figure who rises above cultural trends and changeable politics. Over seven decades she has fine-tuned her royal working wardrobe to perfection by adopting certain style formulas from which we can all learn. Here are five style lessons exemplified by our platinum Queen.Embrace colour Queen Elizabeth II attends a reception for 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, who were honoured with the Freedom of The City of Edinburgh, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse on 3 July, 2018 in Edinburgh (Getty) While it is true that some colours complement certain complexions and hair colours, the Queen has never shied away from all colours of the rainbow and is well known for her love of brightly coloured outfits for public engagements.

A royal guide to festive dressing

The royals, like most families, had a very different Christmas last year due to Covid restrictions. Traditionally, multiple generations of the family gather at Sandringham House for the festivities. This year the Queen is expected to return to her Norfolk residence once again, to host her extended family for what will be a poignant Christmas – the first one without her husband in over 70 years. We have HM’s great-great grandmother’s generation to thank for many of the traditions of Christmas time. Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, inspired by his German heritage, popularised the idea of decorating a tree in the home. An illustration of the royal family standing around their Christmas tree was printed in the Illustrated London News, spreading this wholesome festive family scene to the wider public, who sought to recreate it in their own homes.

The return of the cape coat

One of my favourite off-duty pictures of HM the Queen is this photo taken at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 1979. I love the look of HM’s long pink tweed cape worn with a matching silk headscarf and leather boots. A simple, understated country casual outfit but she still has an air of superwoman about her from her choice of cover up – the cape. It is a popular outer garment with the Royal ladies of all generations, demonstrating its timeless and classic appeal. There is something undoubtedly regal about this style of outerwear, reminiscent of the coronation robes. Princess Diana often opted for a long velvet cape in the 80s over her evening gowns – protecting her from the winter chill but still enabling her to make a grand entrance for the cameras.

Princess Diana and the art of diplomatic dressing

On 9 March 1981, a 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer, then fiancé of the future king, stepped out in a black strapless taffeta gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel for her first official engagement with Prince Charles – a Gala charity concert at Goldsmith’s Hall, marking the beginning of her royal life and setting the stage for the style icon she was to become. The ruffled dress trimmed with sequins on its sweetheart neckline introduced Diana to the perils and pitfalls of royal dress. Prince Charles criticised her for wearing black (a colour the royals traditionally reserved for mourning) and the low neckline caused a sensation amongst the press, with tabloids dubbing her ‘daring Di’. In a later interview, she described how she chose the dress because she thought, at the time, that black was the smartest, most sophisticated colour a lady could wear.

How to choose a summer hat

After a dreary May filled with biblical proportions of rain, I’m relieved to be putting my umbrella away for a while and reaching for a summer hat instead. The classic Panama straw hat is a timeless and versatile summer accessory that looks good with almost any summer outfit, casual or smart. From garden parties to Centre Court at Wimbledon, it’s a summer season staple. Panama hats originate in Ecuador, where the traditional art of weaving them from toquilla straw was declared an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 2012, reflecting the unique skill, craft and cultural significance around their creation. I have always found straw hats a little tricky to wear (or any hat with a crown, for that matter). They remind me of my convent school summer uniform hat – a straw boater trimmed with a red ribbon that never really fitted me properly.

The art of packing

I have a recurring dream where a taxi is waiting outside to take me to the airport and my suitcase is empty. I’m not sure what a dream psychologist would make of this, but for someone who has 15 years’ experience in packing other people’s suitcases for work, this kind of dream is the stuff of nightmares! As a former Royal Lady’s Maid, and now a Travelling PA, I’ve packed literally hundreds of suitcases for my employers and myself, so have learned a few things along the way about how to perfect the art of packing and make it as stress-free and streamlined as possible. With travel restrictions easing in the latest move out of lockdown, many people are starting to plan trips abroad after a very long year of staying at home.

The day I danced with the Duke of Edinburgh

I started working for the royal family in a temporary role at Balmoral Castle, Her Majesty the Queen’s residence in the Highlands, in 2006. I spotted an advert on my university careers website and thought it might be a good summer stop-gap job until I found something more permanent. I must have made a good impression as, three months later, I found myself one of a few staff members returning to London on the royal flight with HM and her troop of corgis. Buckingham Palace was then my ‘home’ for the next four years. I remember my first morning there — the changing of the guard was taking place in the forecourt, and they were playing a Beatles medley, the 1960s sounds reverberating up to my tiny bedroom at the top of the palace.

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