This event is always kind of a visual hoot, because the participants are required to wear QUITE A LOT of ceremonial hoo-ha — velvet capes and poofy hats with feather plumes and a great deal of gold rope — but this year the Hoot Level was palpably increased because Queen Maxima and Queen Letizia were in attendance due to their spouses were being inducted into the Order and, as we all know, Maxima is a delight. (Technically, from what I can tell, Felipe was appointed in 2017, and Willem-Alexander in 2018, but they both did today’s ceremony; that’s on schedule for W-A but I’m not sure why Felipe didn’t do it last year. Regardless!)

It’s actually a super-big honor to be in the Order of the Garter — it’s a chivalrous order that dates from the 1300s, and it’s quite a small group with a cap on its membership (although there is no cap on membership for foreign monarchs). If you want to fall into a big Wiki wormhole today, I strongly recommend reading the Order of the Garter page, because it truly has it all: Poetry! Rude and dramatic ceremonies if you get kicked out! The possibility that the order is so named because some dude dude was cool when a portion of a woman’s clothing fell off and everyone else was a jerk about it! One frabjillion logistical details!  It’s fun and also it is DRAMATIC. As is Maxima’s hat.

Felipe looks so chatty here:

[There is a rumor that the Cambridges are planning a tour currently. Spain would be fun!]

This looks like a good event to espy if you happen to be in Windsor in June:

 

[Photos: Shutterstock, Tim Rooke/Shutterstock, Javier Lizon/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock]