Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall attended the installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury today. For this historic service at Canterbury Cathedral, Camilla repeated her Philip Treacy designed royal purple wide brimmed, feathered hat. This hat must be one of her favourites- she has previously worn it on Christmas Day at Sandringham, on a visit to Denmark last year, for the Commonwealth Observance Services in 2012 and in 2010, and for the Emir of Qatar’s state visit in 2010.
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I love this hat on Camilla- the angled brim and vibrant colour look so great on her. I do however wonder- how many times should a royal wear a hat before it’s retired? Should this one stay in Camilla’s wardrobe or should it be retired?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
edeop,
Superficial and hollow? PUH-LEEZ. We’re talking about hats for Chrise sakes. You totally missed my point. Many of us watch royals for the fashion. Women marrying into royal families give up EVERYTHING. My God- Kate couldn’t even keep control of her pregnancy announcement because everyone is so up in her bizness. She can’t even sunbathe at a PRIVATE villa because the paps are climbin in the trees to get pictures of her. I think she deserves as much couture as she wants in payment for what shes given up. And why not- give each crown princess as much free couture as they want and sent them off as walking billboards for their country’s fashion industry. Genius. It would at least get Princess Maxima to stop wearing Natan.
So you feel differently. Big deal. The world is big enough for both of us. As for Cams and this hat- I think she’s worn it to death. Time for a new one.
Dear Sannette,
I believe that Kate having to give up her privacy and live in the public light is a strong reason for her wearing a familiar wardrobe so that her clothes are not strangers to her too. Its just a little bit of comfort instead of an added worry. That being said, her formula for purchasing and trying out new clothes seems to work very well for her and new things do come along.
She shore is elegant here. Love the purple for Easter time and for church.
Yes. This hat is very elegante. Camille she looks beautiful.
I don’t particularly like this outfit either. The hat and coat are one and the same. The choice of accessory colour is restricted and I think the charcoal grey used for the handbag and gloves is among the narrow choices that work. White or black simply would not.
I don’t see any reason why an outfit and hat as gorgeous as this needs to be retired. She’s only worn it a few times- and knowing that she wears her clothes and hats a few times makes me like Camilla even more. This hat is gorgeous.
amen to that!
regardless of the fact that you CAN afford new wardrobe / accessories by the dozen each month, if you like some clothes very much, why not wear them more often? one should not fall prey to theIMHO completely absurd opinions of some fashion bloggers (some, not this one!) that more is better than less and new is always better that ‘old’.
Thank you for your compliment! While I am admittedly, a ridiculous fashion blogger (we are talking about hats here, after all!) I’m honored not to be included with those who are completely absurd. That being said… I hate to admit that I’m fickle. I love this hat so I’m going to hope that Camilla keeps wearing it. If I didn’t like the hat, I’d probably hope for its retirement. All this aside, I do admire that Camilla goes with her own fashion instincts and doesn’t follow the whims of us, the fickle masses.
Well said edoep. There is also the argument that wearing clothes more than once is much more environmentaly friendly. I like that Camilla takes a realistic approach to her wardrobe (or, as realistic as she possibly can be, being married to the next king of England!). I also like that Camillia has created a public image that highlights charities- when she goes to work, the media reports more about the charity than about what she wears. If she wore a new outfit every time, the focus would be more about her wardrobe. And, I think Kate is following this example, which is a good thing IMO.
I don’t find this coat or hat very flattering- the poof of feathers on the side is too much.
Really? I think she looks great. It’s one of the best hats she’s worn in the past few years.
Agreed. Much mobetter than the other stuff she wears. Nice hat.
Shes super rich and can afford a few new hats. Camilla- this is great on you but time for new duds.
yes, she is super rich but she looks so nice in this hat. I think if a hat looks this beautiful, there’s no reason to stop wearing it, but maybe just wear it a few times (not very close together) and then stop after about 5 years.
Why must austere economic times relate to royals? They are SUPER rich people. We don’t expect celebrities to wear outfits more than once. Why do we expect the royals to be thrifty? If we’re going to put them on a pedestal and admire them, I want to admire a new outfit and great fashion. For the total lack of privacy that Kate has to put up with, why shouldn’t she have a new dress every day?
lumut, honey,
maybe the DoCo doesn’t need a new outfit every day because she’s less superficial and hollow that you are?!? maybe because she finds pleasure and a meaning in life in things / actions / duties / relationships / whatever a bit more intellectually challenging than cladding herself in a new garment 365 days a year?
dearest host, sorry for the rant …. but comments like this simply make me hit the ceiling! i am for certain not not the biggest fan of the duchess, but with all due respect: camilla is most certainly a lady who seems to be caring, who seems to really be interested in people and certain subjects that REALLY matter … and let’s be honest, fashion is secondary unless you earn your living with it!
By all means- let’s keep the hat discussion roaring! I love the passion for royal hats you’re all sharing- it warms my heart! Let’s just keep the personal comments to a minimum.
This debate is interesting. I think Lumut asks an interesting question- since Kate has totally had to give up her privacy to marry William and become a princess, why should she have to recycle her clothes? They are very, very rich and she can afford new things all the time. And anyway, the media is going to make her an ambassedor of British designed clothes no matter what she does. Every time she wears somthing, it sells out in a few days. So why not make everyone happy- take clothes from any designer (high street or couture) for free and wear them. She gets new clothes every day without spendin money and the designers make tons of money by selling stuff Kate wears.
This opens a whole other can of worms- should royals accept and wear free hats in exchange for the publicity that is generated when they wear them? This is a wonderful discussion.
I think it’s a great idea. All of the crown princesses of Europe sort of have to become ambassedors for fashion in their home country. Why not give them clothes for free and let them get on with it? Win win.