Members of the British Royal family attended attend a memorial service yesterday at Westminster Abbey to celebrate the life and work of Sir David Frost. The Duchess of Cornwall wore a black calot hat trimmed with a dramatic wave ribbon trim and large bloom. She has several other hats similar in shape and I think it is a shape that suits her very well.
Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: I believe this is a new hat
The Countess of Wessex wore a unique vertical plate hat trimmed in circles of narrow ruffled ribbon.
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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: June 6, 2013; February 24, 2009; November 9, 2008
Princess Beatrice attended with both of her parents. Beatrice repeated a new charcoal grey flat disk hat with embroidered (or beaded?) flower detail. Her mother Sarah, Duchess of York, wore a black brimless and crownless hat with veil and large bow tails at the back.
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Designer of Princess Beatrice’s hat: unknown. I believe this hat is new
Designer of Sarah, Duchess of York’s hat: unknown. She wore it to Princess Diana’s funeral on September 6, 1997
Lady Sarah Chatto and Viscountess Linley also attended the service (seen behind the Duchess of Cornwall). Lady Sarah wore an elegant black saucer hat while Serena wore a chocolate brown wool calot trimmed with a monochrome felt flower.
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Designer of Lady Sarah Chatto’s hat: Stephen Jones
Previously Worn: June 17, 2013; June 2012; July 30, 2011
Designer of Viscountess Linley’s hat: unknown. Perhaps a variation on Lock & Co’s Ballerina hat?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
You are right about The Duchess of Cornwall’s hat . it is from Philip Treacy ” http://www.philiptreacy.co.uk/collection/OC-844 ”
i just see post and i only want you to know about hat .
Sarah Chatto seems to have worn this hat quite a few times, and has the same or a similar hat in cream. She nearly always seems to wear combinations of black, white and/or cream to events, so they have served her well. For me, the angle she wears her hats is the correct angle to wear the hats of this saucer shape.
Fergie’s hat reminds me of smaller version of Sister Bertrille’s cornette in The Flying Nun TV show from the late ’60s lol !
Brilliant observation!
I find it amazing how different hats look in different photographs. I love Camilla’s hat in photo 2, not so much in photo 1. Hat angle makes such a difference also, Sophie’s hat I like much better when not worn like a plate on the side of her head! I like Beatrice’s hat, and as for Sarah’s hat, well the less said about that hat is better for me! I have such fun seeing all the great (and not so great!) hats and wish they were all in my closet so I could choose which one I could wear as I sit on the sofa reading this blog and drinking my coffee! Thank you, as always, for your lovely blog and your charm and dedication as you share with us! A Health unto our Hat Queen (raises up her coffee cup!)
I’ve just looked at the links you gave for previous wearings of Sophie’s hat, and they are very interesting. I had been thinking of these saucers-on-the-side-of-the-head hats as ones that were specifically designed to be worn at that extreme angle, but I see that on previous outings, Sophie has worn this hat both more centred, and also more centred and tipped forward. More versatile than I realised! As I said earlier, I don’t at all mind the odd clinging saucer, but I think the hat probably looks best on Sophie in tipped-forward mode.
It is a versatile hat but I agree that the angle she wore it the last few times shows off this hat to much greater effect.
Attending a funeral, a memorial service or Remembrance Day is a solemn duty for a royal person and in my opinion demands a serious hat. Most fascinators or frivolous hats seem ill suited to these occasions. I loathed Fergie’s bit of net/fascinator at the Princess of Wales’ funeral 17 years ago and I still think it makes her look silly. Camilla’s hat is bold and shapely enough when teamed with her smart tailored suit to qualify as sober enough in my book. I dislike saucer or side platter hats in general and they seem way to “look at me ” for solemn occasions . Camilla for the win by a good head 🙂
Totally agree on all points!
I think there is actually a difference between funerals and Remembrance Day on the one hand and memorial services on the other. Memorial services can vary enormously depending on who they are honouring, and can range from the very solemn to the celebratory. In this case, as David Frost was a noted comedian and satirist as well as a broadcaster, and the readings included funny poems, I don’t think a little frivolity or exuberance in the hats is out of place in this context.
You raise a good point. This was certainly a memorial with lighthearted moments for someone with a larger than life personality. The more fanciful hats were indeed, appropriate.
I loved everyone’s outfit! I also loved everyone’s hat except for the Countess of Wessex. She is a beautiful lady and a hard working royal, but I do not think this hat looks good on her at all. However, I would not like this hat on anyone because I do not like this hat shape. The Duchess of Cornwall had my favourite hat of the day. Sarah, Duchess of York also looked nice in my opinion.
Actually, I think this was a really impressive show of hats, to me not a dud amongst them. I love Camilla’s, which is full of interest without being over the top. Normally I hate crownless hats, but the Duchess of York’s is about the most successful I’ve seen. And I do like the occasional clinging saucer on Sophie (just not too often).
I am a huge Sophie fan and lately have loved most of what she has worn but that hat! How does she even keep in on? Also, I don’t mean to be unkind but the hairpiece really has to go. I know she has really thin hair so maybe a shorter hair cut is in order. At least this hat allows us to see her pretty face. Poor Fergie–she entered the Abbey with Andrew and Beatrice but she isn’t seated with them. Makes me kind of sad.
I suspect there is a hidden headband on this hat. You can see more about how hats stay on royal heads at this post
Serena’s looks like the Lock and Co fairy tale hat from a few seasons back. Kate has the same.
Great observation. It does look very much like Lock & Co.’s “Fairy Tale hat”.
Just an observation: I believe the British Royals have been influenced by the Duchess of Cambridge’s fashion style if hats. i.e. the Countess of Wessex side platter hat…
If you look at the “previously worn” dates I listed below the photos of the Countess of Wessex, you will see she wore this hat years before Kate entered the family. She wore numerous vertical plate hats through the mid 2000s
Thank you for the update:)
From a distance the Duchess of Cornwall’s hat is rather impressive. It’s bold, not bad.
I don’t like vertical hats when viewed from straight on. I think the Duchess of Wessex’s hat is silly, although from the second, sideways picture, it’s better looking.
Fergie’s hat is downright ugly, however, modeled on dogs’ ears perhaps?
I believe that today the Duchess of Cornwall looks by far the most regal and the most appropriate.
I was wondering if you’d spot Fergie was in the hat from Princess Di’s funeral. 17 years on I hold the same opinion – she looks fabulous in it! Beatrice also looks very polished, that pulled in belt pulls the whole thing together so well.
Still a bit puzzled by Sophie’s corrugated cardboard hat – I think the angle here isn’t quite working for me.
Love Princess Beatrice’s hat, but it doesn’t go with her outfit.