Yearly Archives: 2013

Garden Party at Buckingham Palace

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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, hosted the second summer garden party of the 2013 season at Buckingham Palace today (the first one can be seen here in case you missed it last week). They were joined today by their daughter, Princess Anne, the Princess Royal and their granddaughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

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The Queen repeated another Angela Kelly designed pink hat (she seems to have pink on the brain this month, no?!). I am not usually a fan of Angela Kelly’s hats but this one, with a flat crown and mushroom brim which appears to be ‘gathered up’ at the base of the crown, is rather sweet. The Queen unveiled this hat at Ascot last year and I expect we’ll see if another time or two before this summer is over.

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Princess Anne wore a new hat! This one, in turquoise blue, features a ruched flat crown and sweeping upturned brim at the back. The bottom of the up-swept brim is covered in black lace and  holds  a flourish of navy and turquoise feathers. This hat is a complete departure for The Princess Royal and it’s wonderful to see her experiment with fashion. I think I would prefer this hat without the black lace… it’s still hard to tell without a closeup photo.

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This was the first ever Buckingham Palace Garden Party for Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. Princess Beatrice wore a dove grey silk beret with large side rose designed by Stephen Jones- a twin of the same hat she has in bright fuchsia pink.

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Princess Eugenie also wore a new hat- the Lily Beret designed by Robyn Coles. I’m not entirely sold on a hat which places a giant calla lily smack on top of one’s head but I suppose if there’s ever an occasion to wear this hat, it’s to a garden party

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Next Tuesday, the British Royal family will attend a Service of Thanksgiving to commemorate 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Dutch Royals Continue Inauguration Tour

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands continued their inauguration tour with a visit to Gelderland and Utrecht today.

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Queen Máxima repeated the Fabienne Delvigne natural straw hat and blue flowered Natan dress that she wore on state visit to Brunei in January this year.

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This is her fourth public outing of this hat- the other two wearings have been with different dresses (in Singapore this year and it originally, at the Monaco royal wedding in July 2011). I have always thought this was a spectacular hat and am pleasantly surprised by how versatile it has been.  It’s still  a lot of hat but Máxima wears it very well and I thought she looked fabulous today.

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Photos from Dutch Photo Press

Queen Máxima Visits School in Hillegom

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Queen Máxima officially opened a new building of the Fioretticollege campus in Hillegom. Máxima continued her new trend (since becoming queen) of wearing a hat for daytime events and repeated a black ringed headpiece by Fabienne Delvigne  she has worn once before.

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When I first saw photos this morning and thought Máxima was wearing a stacked pillbox, I loved it.  When I realized this bold queen was in a hat without a crown (!), it fell a little flat for me.

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So I ask you, dear readers, what do you think of this open crown headpiece?

Photos from Getty as indicated

Funeral of Danish Count Christian of Rosenborg

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The funeral of Count Christian of Rosenborg (1942-2013) was held at Lyngby Church today. Count Christian (formerly Prince Christian of Denmark) was the son of Prince Knud (who was a younger brother of King Frederik IX) and was a cousin to Queen Margrethe. He and his older brother Ingolf were in line to inherit the Danish throne until changes to the Danish succession Act in 1953 allowed for women to inherit. Christian was a naval officer like his father and uncle and retired from the Royal Danish Navy ten years ago. He and his wife Countess Anne-Dorthe were fixtures at the big royal events before their health began to deteriorate a number of years ago.

The funeral was attended by Queen Margrethe who repeated an elegant black straw hat with wide silk band around the crown.

Princess Benedickte wore an embellished black straw hat with a slightly raised brim on one side.

Princess Marie repeated the dark grey Garbo hat she wore last October for the Slovakian state visit.

Princess Astrid of Norway also attended. She wore a black hat with rolled brim, veil and flower at the back.

Countess Sussie of Rosenborg, wife of Christian’s brother Ingolf, wore a black straw hat with raised brim, flat crown and poof of feathers at the side.

Count Christian’s three daughters, Countess Camilla, Countess Josephine and Countess Feodora welcomed guests to their father’s funeral. Each wore a black straw hat with modest detail.

Photos from Stella, Corbis and Abacca

Dutch King and Queen Begin Inauguration Tour

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King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of The Netherlands began their inauguration tour with a visit to the provinces of Groningen and Drenthe (they are visiting every province in Holland over the next month). Máxima repeated the interesting metallic pillbox hat she wore in April 2011 while on a state visit to Germany.

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This is the most interesting hat as it appears to be entirely covered in either metal snaps or washers. The effect and texture that is created is quite striking and truly unique. With matching metallic trim on her dress and coat (and another lovely chignon), this edgy metallic element lifts the ensemble from boring beige to eye-catching.

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Designer: Jan Taminau

What do you think of this hat?

Photos from Getty as indicated