The most admired English queens in history all had their own unique fragrance, several of which are still being sold and worn by women today.
As a queen you have to smell good, but what does “royal” smell like? A “royal scent” oozes sophistication, grandeur, femininity and luxury. The most admired English queens in history all had their own unique fragrance, several of which are still being sold and worn by women today.
First up is Queen Elizabeth 1, who reigned from 1558 to 1603. This eccentric and powerful queen never went anywhere without several strings of pearls and, because she suffered from chronic panic attacks which caused her to sweat profusely, she always drenched herself in perfume. Her chosen ingredients- musk, damaskwater, rose-water and sugar- were boiled for 5 hours, and strained to produce her signature fragrance. The recipe was recently discovered in a book found at London’s Royal Horticultural Society by two garden designers. They then recreated the fragrance and produced the delicate eau de toilette, Elizabeth 1, in 2009 in a bottle bearing the Queen’s signature scent. Interested?
Queen Victoria reigned for 64 years! She was a huge fan of the British perfume house, Creed, who presented her with a strong scent in 1845, which she wore throughout her reign as queen of England. Her youthful and classic signature fragrance was made from the rarest Bulgarian roses, together with notes of musk, ambergris and bergamot. This fragrance is still a top seller today, though it has been updated by the perfumery.
Queen Elizabeth 2, who has been the queen of England for 61 years, is known for her love of carnations. Floris, the perfume house with the royal warrant, is unable to confirm the queen’s favourite scent, but evidence points to White Rose- a floral fragrance with spicy notes of carnation. In honour of Elizabeth’s Jubilee, Floris released the Royal Arms Diamond Edition- a magnificent blend of rose, jasmine and sweet violet- which was an updated version of the fragrance which was released to celebrate Elizabeth’s birth in 1926.
Princess Diana loved her perfumes. On her wedding day she wore Quelques Fleurs, a floral creation of tuberose, jasmine and rose by the classic Parisian perfume house Houbigant. Later in her life she was said to love to wear 24 Fauborg by Hermès, which is a powerful white floral scent with notes of peach.
The darling Duchess Catherine, wife of Prince William, has captured the world’s heart with her modern royal charm and style. Kate wore White Gardenia Petals by British perfumery Illuminum for her wedding day, which is a floral bouquet of lily, jasmine and gardenia. Each Illuminum fragrance is made with only 8 ingredients and the perfume house has recently won much international acclaim for their individual fragrances.
These lady royals ooze sophistication and power in their own individual ways. They all had different interpretations of a “royal scent”. What does “royal” smell like to you?