Yearly Archives: 2014

British Royals Honor Sir David Frost

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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.

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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

Queen Margrethe Attends the Queen’s Parade

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Queen Margrethe attended the Queens parade at the Royal Guards Barracks in Copenhagen today. For this review and presentation of the ‘Queen’s Clock’ to one of the Guardsman,  Queen Margrethe repeated her red wool hat. This hat, with a plaid band around the crown and trim around the brim, feels both frantic and boring to me (quite a feat for one small hat). While it is not a hat I like very much, I have to admit it looked much better with her black fur coat hat than with the red suit jacket she paired with this hat the first time we saw it. What do you think?

Queen Margrethe, March 13, 2014 | The Royal Hats Blog Queen Margrethe, March 13, 2014 | The Royal Hats Blog   Queen Margrethe, March 13, 2014 | The Royal Hats Blog

Queen Margrethe, March 13, 2014 | The Royal Hats Blog

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: November 14, 2013

Photos from the Danish Military; Chris Christophersen and Chris Christophersen via PPE

Belgian Monarchs Visit the UK

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King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium traveled to Great Britain today to pay an official visit the British Monarch. Queen Mathilde debuted a new calot headpiece covered in black feathers for this visit. Paired with her black and white dress, I thought she looked very elegant.

Queen Mathilde, March 13, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | The Royal Hats Blog

 Queen Mathilde, March 13, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | The Royal Hats Blog   Queen Mathilde, March 13, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | The Royal Hats BlogQueen Mathilde, March 13, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | The Royal Hats BlogQueen Mathilde, March 13, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | The Royal Hats Blog

Designer: Fabienne Delvigne

Photos from Lesoir, Belga via Lavenir and WPA Pool via Zimbio

British Royals Visit Royal Commonwealth Society

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Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh  and the Earl of Wessex visited the Royal Commonwealth Society in Westminster today. The Queen repeated one of her ‘split crown’ hats, this one in textured cream and gold wool check. The photos today give us a closer look at this hat than we have seen before; I love how the gold feather draws out the square pattern of the fabric and how the black feather coordinates with the trim on the coat. We have been rather critical of many of Angela Kelly’s designs here (fair criticism, I do believe), but I think this ensemble is wonderfully tailored and looks beautiful on Her Majesty.

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Designer: Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: March 20, 2013; October 31, 2012; July 19, 2012

I wonder- do you think this neutral outfit was specifically chosen to coordinate with the colourful logo of the Royal Commonwealth Society? Coincidence or not, this outfit and hat was perfect for this event.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Ladies’ Day at the Cheltenham Festival

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Four of the British Royal Ladies showed their support for the Cheltenham Festival today with their attendance at the Ladies’ Day Races- I believe all wore new hats. The Duchess of Cornwall, who attended the races with her son Tom, wore another one of her faux fur brimmed wool slouchy hats. This one, in a warm caramel colour, suits her well. While I’m still not a fan of this slouchy, informal hat, I must concede it is fitting for a day in the country at the races.

Designer: Lock & Co. “Natalia” design in camel
Previous Wearings: I believe this hat is new

Princess Anne wore a similar style hat in brown velvet and green tweed plaid. I feel the same way about this hat as I do about Camilla’s furry hat cousin although I have to give Princess Anne props for her cheeky addition of the horse pin to this hat. Brilliant.

Designer: unknown
Previous Wearings: I believe this hat is new

Zara Phillips wore a new statement hat in deep eggplant purple. The swirled shape of the hat, trimmed with curling black feather spines and brass beads, was reminiscent of a dollop of grape ice cream but worked well. Deliciously well.

Designer: Amy Money Millinery
Previous Wearings: I believe this hat is new

Autumn Phillips looked marvelously chic in what the designer describes as a “navy asymmetric fur felt trilby with a downturned brim, trimmed with an ‘old gold’ grosgrain ribbon and gold buckle with hot pink silk lining”. Autumn wears fedoras and trilby hats so well and I loved the colour contrast of this one, especially worn as she did with her navy coat and caramel faux fur scarf.

Designer: Gina Foster “Astor” style
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

All in all, this was a lovely day of new royal hats today at the Cheltenham races, don’t you think?

Photos from Getty as indicated