The Belgium Royal Family attended a mass commemorating the 20th anniversary of King Baudouin’s death today at the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. Queen Mathilde wore a new cream straw pillbox hat trimmed with a wide black ribbon. I think Mathilde looked lovely but I would have preferred a narrower black ribbon on this hat (it overpowered the hat in my opinion) and I think it would have looked better placed slightly higher on her head.
Queen Paola wore a new classic-shaped straw hat with mushroom brim in striped black and natural straw. I thought it was a lovely hat although I was a little confused by the black hat paired with her navy suit.
My favourite hat of the day was the rosy-beige rose straw hat worn by Princess Astrid. I really liked the gently curved brim upturned around the back of the hat and the lattice pattern woven into the straw. Paired with her rosy-beige and charcoal grey dress, I thought Astrid looked elegant and very polished.
Overall, everyone looked very elegant for this important event. I can’t stop thinking that hats aside, there is something very poignant about these pictures featuring the three Queens of Belgium.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Mathilde’s hat looked too big. Why (even after an “accident in the car” ) would she think such an enormous hat would look good. Compared to the Fabulous Fabienne hats she usually wears this one is plain awful. I loved Paola’s elegant chapeau though.
The pillbox reminds me of the starched caps Mennonite and Amish women wear. If it had been worn higher on the head it would have looked better.
The pillbox is too far behind on Mathilde’s head due to the fact she bumped her hat when getting out of the car.
That explains a lot!
I read on another blog written by someone who was there that Mathilde bumped her hat getting out of the car and it nearly fell off a few times during the mass. Someone should have fixed it for her!
LOL – that was my first thought: this hat will fall off unless it is firmly pinned to her hair. couldn’t imagine why one would place it that way.
the head bumping explains the weird angle. she should have fixed it.
Queen Mathilde’s hat wasn’t supposed to be placed like that. It really was falling as someone suggested and she needed some help with it. 🙂
Do you know who designed these hats?
No. Fabienne Delvigne often makes hats for the Belgian Royal family but these do not appear to be her designs. Maybe another reader can help us?
I don’t know re: Mathilde with her pill box…if it was higher on her head it might have looked too Jackie Kennedy…sort of looks like they place it way back so as not to harken a ‘hi – I am emulating 1961 all over again.’ It looks a little like it’s there to cover up a messy bun – so not a huge fan of it – I don’t really dislike it either and I think with the color of her hair the wider black band is fine. I also like it’s not matchy, matchy perfect to the dress…she did not try too hard – maybe for some she needed to try harder? I sort of like this as an every day more casual look for something that was not a royally formal affair. Pill boxs are hot again now…wish we could get Eugenie (UK Princess of York) to wear one vs. some of her more wacko things she comes up with.
Queen Mathilde pillbox hat looks poorly made. The ribbon was not applied correctly and I agree that the ribbon overwhelms the pillbox.
I agree. The execution of this hat is not good, nor is how she wore it so far back on her head.
epic fail times three. Bad all around. Belgian royals never look as good as our Brits.
Lovely hats!
Yes. The queens in particular look very, very nice.
I like the pillbox hat, but it is placed waaaaaay too far back on her head. It looks like it’s falling off!
It does look like it’s falling off! Pillboxes are so elegant but they need to be on the crown of your head.
That hat makes her look like an airline stewardess from the 1960s.
I agree with what you say about these hats. Queen Paola’s hat would be really nice with a black suit. It is such a flattering shape on her.
Princess Astrid’s hat is so beautiful! I really love the shape and I like how the pattern in the straw makes it interesting without a lot of flouffy feathers or flowers.
eeeek. That pink hat look’s really tacky
This hat is aging to her. She is not an old woman she should not dress in old fashion!
I love pink hats and this one has such a pretty pattern and shape. I just wish she wore it to a pretty garden party instead of a funeral mass!
I just love that b&w pillbox hat
I just love it when Queens wear pillbox hats like this one. They lookso elegant and you can see their pretty faces! LOL!
A lot of people don’t seem to like this hat but I think it is so cute! She looks so stylish and beautiful.