Our weekly discussion question falls on a date too fortuitous not to utilize. So, dear readers, let’s embrace the silly side of things – which royal hat has the craziest, most ridiculous decoration?
Photo from Getty as indicated
Hat From the Past
to this day in 1970, 50 years ago today, and a young Princess Anne in a rounded crown with sharply upturned brim, worn to Sydney University while on a visit to Australia. The hat was repeated for Ascot that year and the bottom photo, in colour, shows it to be white with a grass green hatband that coordinates with Anne’s white, black and green vibrantly printed frock.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Monday Multiples: Queen Elizabeth
Thanks to Jimbo for providing the introduction and background research for this “Monday Multiples” series.
Jimbo’s Introduction: Queen Elizabeth has many green hats in her closet, and she looks sensational in all of them. This heavy wool, emerald green coat featured today has been paired with two totally different hats. A veiled pillbox has been worn at least three times, then it was replaced with a wonderful striped turban. So far, records indicate that this turban has only been worn (or photographed) publicly once.
Look #1: With an emerald brushed felt pillbox trimmed with a black dotted net veil and black muti-looped bow on the top of the crown worn for Maundy Thursday in Worcester on April 3, 1980, at the Church of England’s General Synod at Westminster Abbey on December 11, 1980 and on a visit to the Army Staff College in Surrey on March 19, 1982.
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Look #2: With a turban hat covered on the bias in green and white striped fabric, worn for a day out in Cambridge on May 16, 1984.
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Which pairing do you prefer most?
Photos from Getty as indicated
This Week’s Extras
Infanta Elena walking her dog in a deep plum felt trilby with slim leather hatbands and side feather trim
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Princess Sofia in a black knit hat for a visit to a grocery store with set hours for elderly and immuno-compromised customers during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Duchess of York celebrated Princess Eugenie’s 30th birthday on Monrday by sharing this wonderful snap taken on her wedding day. That tiara is so fantastic on her!
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
White hugger covered in exquisite guipure lace by American brand Suzanne Couture Millinery
From Australian milliner Jill Humphries, a lipstick read teardrop leather percher with removable vine of roses
Royal blue straw button percher with grey stripe bound ruffle trim by British milliner Camilla Rose
Pink and purple tartan boater with layered hatbands and rose trim by Australian brand Christie Millinery
Black swirled crown straw saucer with windowpane brim and lace applique from French brand Mei Mei Chapeaux
Fuchsia silk orchid headpiece with curling feathers and gold trim by British milliner Emma Linney
Exquisite handmade lace full-face covering cloche by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Charcoal and ecru straw swirled brim design by Dutch milliner Myra van de Korput
Love the orange and pink ombre brim on this straw picture hat from British milliner Sarah Cant
From Australian milliner Jill Humphries, a lipstick read teardrop leather percher with removable vine of roses
Royal blue straw button percher with grey stripe bound ruffle trim by British milliner Camilla Rose
Pink and purple tartan boater with layered hatbands and rose trim by Australian brand Christie Millinery
Black swirled crown straw saucer with windowpane brim and lace applique from French brand Mei Mei Chapeaux
Fuchsia silk orchid headpiece with curling feathers and gold trim by British milliner Emma Linney
Exquisite handmade lace full-face covering cloche by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Charcoal and ecru straw swirled brim design by Dutch milliner Myra van de Korput
Love the orange and pink ombre brim on this straw picture hat from British milliner Sarah Cant
And from British milliner Vivien Sheriff, this navy disc headpiece with beaded lace applique trim and curling quills
Interesting feature on Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece and her family last weekend in the New York Times.
This week, we saw King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia, King Philippe, King Felipe and Queen Letizia, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Crown Prince Haakon, Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia and others joining in with many of us who are working remotely.
How time flies! Princess Aiko graduated from high school this week and will begin her university studies next month.
Lovely photos shared by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last weekend for Mother’s Day. The card Prince George made for his mum is awfully adorable.
We close this week with standing ovations for frontline workers- thanks I’m sure we all heartily join in
Photos from social media as indicated
Guest Post: Wind and Hats
It is lovely to welcome New Zealand reader Sandra to the blog today for an amusing guest post!
We expect the Royals to appear sartorially perfect and perfectly groomed on official business and they rarely disappoint. But occasionally nature throws a curve ball. Here is a light-hearted selection of a few of those moments when simply nothing can be done.
Miss Mary Donaldson, as she was then, watches as her hat is whisked away. She was visiting Danish Parliament in Copenhagen on May 13, 2004, the day before her marriage to Crown Prince Frederick. An alert official retrieved the hat for her, and all was well.
Queen Elizabeth’s hats are generally well secured by hat pins – after 66 years as a monarch she knows how to prepare for anything. But sometimes circumstances mean little can be done, except to hold on for dear life! Here she and and her neighbours catch the downdraft from a helicopter at Winnipeg, Canada in 1970.
During her official welcome to Oman in 1979, Queen Elizabeth was forced to grab at her hat and clasp it to her head as a strong wind played havoc. Sandhurst-educated Sultan Qaboos (ruler from 1970 to his death on January 10, 2020) remained firmly at attention.
She’s holding her hat in place with one hand and showing interest to her hosts with the other, but now her skirt is billowing wildly! What is one to do? Queen Elizabeth viewing the Atlantic Ocean from Signal Hill in St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada in 1997.
The caption says Queen Elizabeth, pictured in London in 1999, is “holding on to her hat” while waiting for a visiting Chinese delegation to arrive. Unfortunately, there are no more photos to indicate that wind was the culprit this time. For me, this simple hat is a unique addition to her millinery wardrobe.
Just last year at Buckingham Palace Queen Elizabeth showed her mastery of the elements (and her faith in hat pins) as she continues to chat while the Duchess of Cornwall and American First Lady Melania Trump hold on to their hats.
We’ve seen many photos of Queen Maxima’s weapons-grade hatpins but as The Netherlands is a flat country with a long coastline, it’s windy. Here she clutches her hat during last year’s King’s Day (April 27) in Amersfoort.
King’s Day must coincide with the strong winds of the spring equinox. This photo is from 2014 in Zwolle.
A windy departure from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in October, 2015.
An unscheduled ‘Marilyn moment’ for Queen Maxima in 2014 at the anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy, France.
Crown Princess Mette Marit keeps smiling, despite being caught in a strong gust of wind at the Copenhagen christening of Prince Christian of Denmark in 2006. She continued inside and became one of the child’s godparents!
What is it about christenings? The Duchess of Cornwall cops a blast of wind at the Norfolk baptism of Princess Charlotte in 2015, in what looked like a calm-day wind-wise.
Princess Eugenie’s Windsor Castle wedding in October 2018 (another good month for equinox winds) saw many guests, royal and otherwise, clutching their chapeaux, including Zara Tindall and her sister-in-law Autumn Phillips. Lady Sarah Chatto had a firm grip of her hat and a ladylike hand holding her skirt down and while the Duchess of Cambridge held on to her cocktail hat.
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It’s raining, it’s pouring (and there’s a bit of wind too) – and our Royals pictured here, from left, Queen Sonja, Empress Michiko and Crown Princess Mette Marit can only laugh during the official welcome for the Japanese Emperor and Empress in Oslo in May, 2005.
I look forward to seeing other fun photos unearthed by the clever people who read Royal Hats!
I’m sure there are some more amusing wind-lifted royal hats to share! Thanks, Sandra!
Favourite New Royal Hat of 2019
2019 saw some truly wonderful hats introduced into royal fashion- hats that awed, inspired and took our breath away. Throughout the year, dearest readers, you have narrowed down your favourite new hats and to a finalist list of nine standout and very beautiful designs. Here are your Favourite New Royal Hats of 2019:
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Queen Máxima’s tawny pink straw saucer covered in pearl-centered feather flowers by Berry Rutjes worn for her Royal Ascot debut on June 18
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Autumn Phillips’ sage green felt beret percher with flying bow and cut feather leaves by Sally Ann Provan, styled by Annie Miall, worn on September 9 to the Braemar Games
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Autumn Phillips’ lattice straw saucer with large silk roses and feathers by Sally Ann Provan.styled by Annie Miall, worn to Ascot on June 22
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The Duchess of Cornwall’s black rounded brimless hat wrapped in feathers by Philip Treacy worn on November 10 for Remembrance Sunday
The Duchess of Cornwall’s black rounded brimless hat wrapped in feathers by Philip Treacy worn on November 10 for Remembrance Sunday
Zara Tindall’s plum felt teardrop percher with quill and mass of cut burgundy and violet feathers by Juliette Botterill worn to the Cheltenham Festival on March 13
Sincere congratulations to British milliner Juliette Botterill, who claims ‘top spot’ for the first time with this beautiful hat, and to stylist Annie Miall who put this (and Autumn Phillip’s two looks) together. It is the first percher design to be chosen as your favourite new hat of the year, which is fun to see. Congratulations also to Sally Ann Provan, Berry Rutjes and Philip Treacy- you all are bringing colour and beauty into our world through your designs. We need this and we sincerely thank you for it.
Jump over to this post to see the results in greater detail. So, dearest readers- what do you think of this parade of top royal hats?!
Photos from Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images; and Getty as indicated
Favourite Repeated Royal Hat of 2019
In 2019, many lovely hats stepped out on royal heads for the second, third, (or ninth!) times. Throughout the year, you picked favouritea from these repeatedly worn designs and assembled a list of nine stunning semi-finalists for the year. It is now finally time to share your top four choices for Favourite Repeated Royal Hat of 2019:
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Queen Elizabeth’s orange hat with magnolia blooms and brown straw leaves by Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) worn March 7 to the Science Museum in London
Princess Hisako’s cream straw hat with black brim stripe and monochrome flowers worn September 24 for the Japan Sports Masters Tournament in Gifu Prefecture
Princess Alexandra’s pink straw picture hat with bow & feathers by Rachel Trevor Morgan worn to Ascot on June 18
Countess of Wessex’s natural straw cutout saucer with tan organdie twists and coral feathers by Jane Taylor worn for the Order of the Garter on June 17
This hat was also your pick for top repeated royal hat in 2018 (and made the top three in 2017!), making it the first design ever on Royal Hats to win two years running! Congratulations to British milliner Jane Taylor and the Countess of Wessex, whose millinery partnership is clearly a winning one, and to the other three milliners who designed these beautiful runners up. It’s a wonderful (and well deserved) surprise to see an Imperial royal hat in this year’s winner’s circle.
Jump over to this post to see the poll results in greater detail. What do you think about these winners?
