Duchess of Cornwall Enjoys Day At The Races

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Royal Hats

The Duchess of Cornwall attended The Royal Artillery Gold Cup races held at Sandown Park in Esher today. For this informal day out, Camilla understandably chose an informal (and warm!) hat. Describes by the designer as a”ruched crown showerproof tweed hat with faux-fur cuff”, we have seen Camilla wear several different versions of this hat numerous times. I think this version is most successful – the colouring is lovely on the Duchess and the hat coordinates nicely with her tweed coat. If she had worn this to a formal royal engagement I would not be so complimentary but for for a wintry day of leisure outdoors, I think this cozy hat works rather well.

Designer: Lock & Co. Hatters. In past collections, this hat was the “Natalia”; it is now listed on their website as “Frost”
Previously Worn: November 30, 2014; March 12, 2014

Photos from Getty as indicated. Click on each photo to link with the original source.

Belgian Royals Attend Annual Memorial Mass

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Royal Hats

Members of the Belgian Royal Ramily attend the annual celebration of the Eucharist in memory of the family`s deceased members at Our Lady Church in Laken today. Queen Mathilde used this occasion to début a new cloche hat. With a grey felt crown and beige felt brim, this hat was trimmed with a simple double band in beige fabric, wrapped around the bottom of the crown. We have not seen Mathilde in many cloche hats and while it is not my favourite millinery style on her, this particular hat brings and air of innocence and beauty that works well for her. Don`t you think Queen Mathilde looks incredibly young in this hat!?

Queen Mathilde, February 12, 2015 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats

Designer: Fabienne Delvigne

While Queen Paola did not wear a hat, Princess Astrid and Princess Claire also wore new pieces of millinery. Princess Astrid’s black felt hat featured a flat crown and wide, cartwheel brim. The brim was trimmed in the same black silk ribbon that was wrapped around the crown and while this embellishment was simple, I thought it was wonderfully effective and emphasized the graphic lines of the hat. Princess Claire wore a navy fedora with oversize brim. Trimmed with a triple band around the crown that twirled into bow loops on the side, this hat was an excellent colour and scale for Claire. We have seen Princess Claire successfully wear several fedoras in the past and this hat further solidifies this style as one very well suited to her.

Princess Astrid, February 12, 2015 | Royal Hats Princess Claire, February 12, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designers of these hats: unknown

In a photo released later yesterday, we could see that Princess Marie-Esméralda wore a black feathered fascinator (below, right). Princess Margaretha and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein were also in attendance; Princess Margaretha wore a simple black pillbox hat.

It is not often that we see the simultaneous début of three new Belgian royal hats so today is special indeed! What did you think of this trio of new millinery?

Photos from Robin Utrecht/Hollandse Hoogte, Robin Utrecht/Hollandse Hoogte, Robin Utrecht/Hollandse Hoogte, Robin Utrecht/Hollandse Hoogte, Robin Utrecht/Hollandse Hoogte, and Robin Utrecht/Hollandse Hoogte via Corbis; and Getty as indicated

Seeing Double: Grand Duchess Maria Teresa

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Royal Hats

Royal Hats Earlier this week, we looked at a number of hats worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg that recently have been repeated by her daughter-in-law. While preparing that post, I was very surprised to see that this brown felt Cossack style hat is not the only hat with this unique shape in the Grand Duchess` millinery closet:

Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, December 4, 1999 | Royal Hats

Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa at the wedding of the Belgian King and Queen, December 4, 1999

Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, March 20, 2012 | Royal Hats

Hosting a Dutch State Visit, March 20, 2012

The second hat is also made of felt (see a closeup here) but casts a less wintry picture than the original. Differences of colour and season aside, one can only wonder what caused the Grand Duchess to order a repeat of the same design, more than a decade after the first. I suppose she liked the brown hat well enough to order a twin? Tell me, dearest readers, do you think this design warrants two versions, made of the same material, in the same wardrobe?

Photos from Gamma Presse via The Royal Forums and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis

Princess Beatrix At Memorial of German President

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Royal Hats

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands was in Berlin this morning to attend a memorial of former German President Richard von Weizsaecker who passed away in late January. For this tribute, she wore a large black straw hat with double rolled bumper brim. The hat`s only trim was a pointed straw band that wrapped around the outer brim. Paired with her fur trimmed cape and pearl jewellery, Princess Beatrix looked characteristically dignified and elegant.

Designer: Suzanne Moulijn
Previously Worn: November 15, 2011; August 29, 2009; April 12, 2008

Photos from Getty as indicated. Click on each photo to link with the original source.

Hat Swap Between Luxembourg Royals

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Royal Hats

In the course of following royal hats, there are occasions when a certain hat elicits the unmistakeable feeling that one has seen it before. A few of you have experienced this in recent weeks with hats worn by the Grand Duchess and Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

When Prince Guillaume and Princess Stéphanie of Luxembourg unveiled a memorial at Auschwitz in late January, many thought her brown felt brimless hat was her best piece of millinery to date. To some, however, this hat looked familiar. Svenja, one of the writers of the Luxarazzi blog, was the first to recognize it as the same hat Grand Duchess Maria Teresa wore to the December 1999 wedding of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. The left side of the hat (on the right side of the photo below) has been slightly crushed since its original outing but there’s no question- this is indeed the same hat.

Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, December 4, 1999 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Worn by When Grand Duchess Stéphanie: January 26, 2015
Worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa: December 4, 1999

When Princess Stéphanie attended Queen Fabiola’s funeral in December, her classic black pillbox raised similar questions as to where we had seen this hat before. This pillbox was also from Grand Duchess Maria Teresa’s millinery closet, last seen during the Dutch royal visit to Luxembourg in March 2012 (see below).

Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, March 22, 2012 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Worn by Princess Stéphanie: December 12, 2014
Worn by Grand Duchess Maria Teresa: March 22, 2014; January 15, 2005

The Luxembourg royals are a hat and fashion sharing bunch (see a a number of their other hat swaps at this Luxarazzi post). I’m all for hat sharing although I would love to see the Hereditary Grand Duchess develop a millinery style and approach that is uniquely her own.

Photos from Getty as indicated; Gamma Presse via The Royal Forums; Mark Renders/Stringer and Laurie Dieffembacq/Stringer via Getty; Patrick van Katwijk and Patrick van Katwijk via Corbis

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