#vernon of london
Queen Maud + sports
When then Princess Maud of Wales married in 1896, her trousseau (I.E. her new wardrobe) was discussed in detail in the press. Some magazines was surprised by the amount of “sportswear” and the lack of grand robes, especially considering her mother Alexandra being one of the absolute fashion icons of the time, and she was known for a more opulent style.
The love for sports would be vital in Queen Maud’s life. She was one of the first of the British royal family to ride a bike in public, and she loved riding, skating and tennis. When she became the queen of Norway in 1906, she immediately learned skiing, toboganning and other winter sports. When staying at the royal winter residence, she usually went skiing twice a day.
But for all these activities she used skirts, and always rode side-saddle. Not until the 1930s does skiing trousers appear in her wardrobe. She was surprisingly fit and muscular due to her active lifestyle, and can be seen in many a sleeveless gala gown in the 1930s - she was then well into her 60s.
From top left:
- Riding attire for side saddle, 1920-26. Made by Busvine & Co ( X)
- Queen Maud riding at Bygdø in Oslo, 1910-15
- Riding attire for side saddle, early 1920s. Made by Busvine & Co ( X)
- Description of Maud’s trousseau from “The Queen, 1896
- Then princess Maud, newly wed, biking at Sandringham, 1896
- Sports suit, 1896, part of Maud’s trousseau. Made by Vernon ( X)
- Knitted wool coat trimmed with fur, ca. 1920 ( X)
- Queen Maud skiing in Oslo, 1927-35 sometime
- Wool coat trimmed with fur, late 1920s ( X)
As a bonus: here’s Queen Maud’s ice skates and roller skates from around 1900. They’re essentially sports boots with a separate metal bottom screwed or strapped on the boots. And yeah, high heels were essential.
Post link
The less familiar side of Queen Maud of Norway: sports
“Everyone” is familiar with her impeccable style, her slender waist and her royal background. Less known is her absolute love for sports. She’s said to have been one of the first in the British monarchy to bike in public, and biking was also a favourite activity of the just-engaged Maud and Carl (later king Haakon). Maud furthermore loved horse riding, ice skating, skiing, slleighrides, tennis etc, and encouraged her son, future king Olav, to embrace sports. He got as far as winning an Olympic medal in sailing in 1928.
Although much of the surviving wardrobe from queen Maud contains evening gowns and gala attires, there’s also traces of her sporty side. Sport coats,tailor-mades,sport dresses,ice skates,roller skates,knitted sweaters and fur-lined coatsandboots can be seen in the collection in the care of The National Museum in Oslo. Multiple private photos also exists.
Post link
