The wedding of Prince of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano back on May 22, 2004 was attended by every European royal house. The Norwegian royal family were led by the King Harald and Queen Sonja who topped her pink dress and printed jacket with a pink hat. This hat included an interesting dent/pleat at the top of the crown, a jauntily waved brim and folded ribbon trim on the side. While it was a rather simple and standard hat, it worked well with her ensemble to balance the busy print of her jacket. The modern shape also suited Sonja well.
Like the Crown Princess of Sweden, Crown Princess Mette-Marit eschewed a hat in favour of a feathered headpiece. With her pinky-beige dress and jacket, however, this headpiece just wasn’t enough. The tall, wispy feathers sticking out from the back of her head appeared randomly placed and I thought the headpiece did nothing to compliment the beautiful lines of Mette-Marit’s streamlined outfit. It just didn’t work.
Princess Martha Louise’s fashion choice was characteristically bright and whimsical as she topped her bright yellow dress with a cheeky red straw cocktail hat. The hat, with a tall, upright folded bow, was trimmed with red feathers and looked quite fetching on her. Looking back now, I think the hat was more successful than the dress although I suppose we do need to give her bonus points to Martha Louise for building her ensemble around the two colours of the Spanish flag.
The three hats worn by the ladies of the Norwegian royal family certainly reflected each of their fashion personalities but could not have been more different! Are there any that stand out to you? Stay tuned later today for the hats worn by the Dutch royals. One is going to knock your socks off.
Photos from Mark Cuthbert, Lalo Yasky, A. Jones/J. Whatling/J. Parker/M. Cuthbert, Tim Graham, A. Jones/J. Whatling/J. Parker/M. Cuthbert,and A. Jones/J. Whatling/J. Parker/M. Cuthbert via Getty
Royal Hats 
Red hat for the win!
Martha Louise’s hat is wonderful! It’s quite a complex shape, beautifully executed, and very well balanced, as well as being interesting. It could easily be worn today. (Actually, most of these hats from ten years ago could well be worn today, without anyone really knowing – I guess hat fashion changes a little more slowly than one might think!)
Queen Sonja’s bold pink printed jacket was very garish, and I think the pink dress and hat as well, combined with the jacket, to look too much like a costume. It looks like her slip or dress lining is showing. The pink hat itself is okay, though a bit too simple to be a royal wedding hat (though the milliner’s hands were tied by the loudness of the jacket).
Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s outfit was on the boring side, but the feathered headpiece was hideous! It looked like a bird had tried unsuccessfully to build a nest on her head.
Princess Martha Louise’s fashion choice was too bright and made it look like she was trying to upstage everyone. I do get that she wanted to dress in the two colors of the Spanish flag, but sadly it looked too much like a costume, with the yellow shoes, and what are red tulips doing on the dress? It’s not a Dutch Royal Wedding! I did love the red straw cocktail hat, though I wondered if it was really appropriate to wear at a daytime wedding?
I think that if ML had worn this hat to the Cambridge (daytime) wedding we would be talking about in a positive sense. I don’t really see it as a cocktail hat, but rather a hat that’s been well designed and compliments the wearer in terms of style and colour and is appropriate for the occasion (while still being a little bit fun but not Bea’s mobile picture frame). A hat that still looks great by the fashion standards of a decade hence is a great hat, oui?
I rather like that ML went all out on her theme, the hat is very flattering. Sonja’s jacket is beyond horrible, and I must say that little indentation on the hat, plus the colour, makes it look slightly like a bottom to me! MM’s outfit is so dull I can’t even be bothered to comment!
Love ML’s hat, it so suits her beautiful smile and I swear Sonja could wear anything and look good (although that jacket is pushing the envelope pretty hard). Not commenting on MM!
I’m not a big fan of Martha Louise’s whole outfit, although I do rather like the hat, but Martha Louise’s outfit did stand out, something that the other Norwegian royals’ outfits failed to do.
Martha Louise’s hat is fabulous, but I am NOT a fan of her dress. It looks very juvenile with the red flowers (appliqued?) on the bottom. I would love to see it paired with a different outfit!
And those yellow shoes!!!! Not for mine!
I am enjoying this walk back through time SO MUCH! It must have taken you so much time to research and lay this all out and you are doing SUCH a great job!
At first sight I thought Queen Sonia’s hat was too plain but then you pointed out the subtle fold in the crown and the shape of the brim and now “get” this hat. A fancier hat would have been too much with that jacket (let’s hope the jacket has been retired!). Thanks to this blog, I look at hats so differently!
I just love Princess Martha Louise. Her style is distinctly her own. She has such pizazz. She most certainly dress very colorful. I like all of the hats. Each fits the outfit worn that day.
The red hat was excellent. Not sure why there are tulips on the dress.
Martha Louise’s hat and outfit certainly was the stand out of the Norwegians if not the whole wedding guest list. I like that hat. It certainly is eye catching and I think the whole ensemble is to be expected from her. I think MM’s feather in the back of the head profile pic looks very Native American (of which I am 1/64th I am proud to say).
Indeed, the feathered headpiece did not work at all !