Concluding our look at the British royal hats seen at Sandringham yesterday for Christmas, we have hats worn by the ladies in the Phillips, Linley and Chatto families. I’m afraid photos of these hats are very sparse- as soon as better ones are released (if indeed that happens), I will update these ones.
It is said that good things happen in threes… Princess Anne ended 2013 with her third hat unearthed from the early 1980s (here is the first hat, originally from 1981 and the second, originally from 1982). For Christmas yesterday, Princess Anne wore a lilac rounded pillbox hat I believe she originally wore for Queen Beatrix’s state visit to London in November 1982. The classic pillbox shape wears well, although the felt dot detail on the back of the veil feels a bit dated. Earlier in the day, Princess Anne was spotted in a brown fur hat, seen below on the right.
Designer of the lilac pillbox hat: unknown
Previously Worn: December 25, 2004; November 20, 1997; 1993; March 9, 1992; November 15, 1982
Zara Phillips Tindall, who is expecting her first child in January, looked striking in a new red cocktail hat. Trimmed with pheasant feathers and a double red wool bow, this hat fit with Zara’s penchant for avant garde millinery and still looked quite polished with her coordinating red coat. It was one of my favourite hats at Sandringham yesterday.
Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan “R13W2”
Princess Anne’s daughter in law, Autumn Phillips, wore a navy wool brimless oval hat with a pork pie style crown and bow loop trim on the side. It is a rather austere hat but paired with Autumn’s long blonde hair, the overall look was softened and she looked very smart.
Designer: unknown
Viscountess Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto also joined their royal relatives for Christmas at Sandringham. Lady Sarah wore a plain black hat we have seen on her numerous times before (see list of previous wearings below). What is most interesting about this hat is that its brim is pliable. Here, Lady Sarah has it folded up in front and down at the back (as she did for did for her mother, Princess Margaret’s funeral in 2002). We have also seen this hat’s brim rolled both down and rolled up all the way around. Lady Linley repeated the fuchsia feathered calot hat she wore to Ascot earlier this year. It remains one of my favourite hats of 2013.
Designer of Lady Sarah’s Hat: unknown
Previously Worn: March 23, 2008; January 5, 2005; April 19, 2002; February 15, 2002
Designer of Lady Serena’s hat: Stephen Jones
Previously Worn: June 18, 2013
So that concludes Christmas at Sandringham! If you had to pick one or two favourite hats, which ones would they be?
Photos from Geoffry Robinson via Shutterstock; Press Association
Royal Hats 
My favorite is Autumn Phillips’ – I like the shape and the jaunty tilt. I like Zara’s feathers and color, but those ‘cocktail hat’ bases just aren’t enough hat for me. If it were a proper shaped beret, I would have liked it much better.
Nice to see that pregnancy isn’t slowing Zara’s style. I think she just about takes the honours for the day!
I like to keep in mind that Autumn does not have a public job. She’s a mom. She looks lovely!
I like the idea of this hat but it comes across like an airline hostess. Zara’s hat certainly is striking!
Good point. I certainly didn’t look this chic and stylish going to church with my family this Christmas
Eventhough Princess Anne’s hat is 30 years old, it is very classic and has not gone out of style. Autumn’s hat is the same way and she will be able to wear it for many years. I like the color of Zara’s hat but I don’t care for all those feathers.
Zara’s hat is just divine.
She looks wonderful. Love the color.
In this grouping of hats, I would choose the hats worn by Princess Anne. I think a pillbox suits her very well. Serena’s hat is nice as well. Zara is very fashion forward, but I think there are way too many feathers on this hat. Out of the hats worn by all of the royal ladies at Sandringham I think I like the hat worn by the Duchess of Cornwall the best (but without the “sausage snake”).
I love Zara’s hat! So she gets the win for me this holiday. Kate & Serena Linley next, followed by Eugenie.
I like Autumn and Zara’s hats, and hey Anne’s isn’t so bad. I like Kate but get so sick of the entire focus being on her- Sophie’s looked great all year. Just one other comment, I believe that Serena is referred to as “Lady Linley” or Viscountess Linley… Keep up the good work Hat Queen! Love this blog
Zara’s hat looks like it’s 30’s inspired with a more modern twist given it – not positive I really love it – it’s OK right now – I need to look at it a bit more – Anne is her own women as always and not going to roll heads with her fashion these days – she can do no wrong in my book being the hard working royal that she is. I agree with you on the color of Autumn’s hat – it works well on her. I can barely see Sophie again – no good photos of her from what I looked at from yesterday, but her hat appears to have the same type of top bow treatment as did Kate’s – I am thinking we have seen Sophie wear this one before.
Princess Anne looks very chic in her hat and cape, I do like this outfit very much. I have always like Princess Anne, she is her own person in all respects. Autumn Phillips, I do love her hat very much, not so much the coat. She looks great with her long blonde hair in this hat. And now Zara, I love the color of the coat and hat, I like the hat if it didn’t have feathers sticking out of the top. The color really looks good on her and if the hat had no feathers, just the bow, I think it would be smarter looking. I am not a fan of feathers on a hat!