Belgium celebrated King’s Day today and members of the royal family attended the traditional Te Deum sung at Cathedrale des Saints-Michel-et-Gudule in Brussels. Queen Paola was not in attendance and Princess Claire did not wear a hat. Princess Astrid and Princess Mathilde, however, were in hats for the celebration service.
On paper, I should dislike Mathilde’s velvet headband- it’s barely a half hat in a burgundy velvet fabric that mildly clashes with her red tweed wool dress and coat. In reality, however, I really like the way this Fabienne Delvigne design frames her face and adds softness, something a velvet hat usually does not do. The burgundy accessories work beautifully against Mathilde’s coat (thanks to the collar and dress in the same colour).