After answering a reader request yesterday to look at some of Queen Elizabeth’s many Easter hats, let’s take a similar look back at the Easter bonnets worn by the Countess of Wessex.
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A simple red and black hat for Easter 1999 during her engagement; Dramatic burgundy hourglass hat with pheasant feathers by Jess Collett in 2000; Sedate navy oversize cloche in 2001
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Tall crowned Philip Treacy designs in black straw with pleated ruffle in 2003 and white straw with oversize rose in 2006; Raspberry pink fascinator of unknown design in 2004
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Three Philip Treacy designs with sharply angled and oval brims in 2007 & 2008 and animal print hat with feathers in 2009
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Dramatic natural straw sidesweep from Philip Treacy in 2010 & 2012; lavender pinwheel feathered headpiece by Jane Taylor in 2011
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Jane Taylor’s peacock feather embellished beret in 2013 (voted one of your favourite royal hats that year) and an unidentified beret covered in feathers in 2014
UPDATE- Since this post was first published, the following hats have been worn by the Countess on Easter Sunday
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Repeat in 2015 of the feathered beret; Jane Taylor black felt and straw cocktail hats in 2016 and in 2017
Navy & cream woven straw waved disk with navy silk twists in 2018; Navy straw saucer with rough edged crin & metallic leather flowers in 2019, both from Jane Taylor
Sophie did not attend church on Easter Sunday in 2005 (and the entire British Royal Family did not make a public appearance in 2002 following the death of the Queen Mother). The progression of hats here reflects Sophie’s overall evolution of millinery style– the simple hats at the beginning of her royal life move on through numerous Philip Treacy designs with strong shapes, tall crowns and dramatic embellishments. The beret-base hats we have seen on the Countess the last few years are smaller than her previous hats but make equally strong style statements. I suspect we will see Sophie in another embellished beret cocktail hat for Easter tomorrow- what do you think she will choose?
Photos from Getty as indicated; Rex Features; Max Mumby/Indigo and Samir Hussein via Getty
Royal Hats 
I like the 2010 hat so much better in 2012 with the magenta coat. I don’t know if it is the coat, the the close up pic, or the angle of the photographer, but I love that hat in 2012 and don’t care for it in 2010.
Just letting you know that someone copied this post over at Royalista today. So. Not. Cool.
http://royalista.com/blog/sophiesstyle/96253/easter-at-windsor-for-the-countess-of-wessex/
It’s not a copy. Anna has her own take on the Countess of Wessex’s fashion and jewellery- she and I corresponded last week about some designer confirmations and regularly work together on information related to Sophie’s hats. Thankfully, there is enough going on in the royal world for multiple bloggers to weigh in!
Thank you for that. I value this blog a lot, and we have a good working relationship. My post was delayed due to Easter break of Royalista team.
I was going to comment about how much I enjoyed this post. I just read the above exchange and want to commend you and the other blogger for working together and defending each other. The internet seems to breed nastiness and your cooperation is to be commended.
It seems like hat styles change more than clothing, because I’ve found with Sophie and Mary, it’s the hats that age/date outfits the most. Hmm… Maybe it’s because hats aren’t a common every day item so they go more “avant garde”
Hmm. Hit and miss is the description I’ll go for! Soph started off in hats that were just way too old for her. Then she forayed into Philip Treacy – who’s huge hats are fabulous on Camilla but just seem to overwhelm Soph. However she has hit her stride in real style lately – in particular the peacock feathers, which could be my favourite Sophie hat ever. She is so much better in these balanced but fun hats; those exaggerated crowns and brims just aren’t doing her any favours…
I like the way the Countess Of Wessex’s Easter Hats are a diverse collection. I hope she will wow us with something totally unexpected this year. My choice for best hat and overall best look was the 2012 brimmed hat with the bright pink coat, and I liked the original hat also, a repeat of the Philip Treacy hat worn in 2010. Happy Easter everyone!
I want to like 2000’s hat, but the crown is way too tall, and her outfit is really boring and dated. I love 2004’s fascinator and wish that could somehow be repeated again. 2009’s wild assortment of animal prints was a bit over-the-top, but I think Sophie pulled it off well, especially with such a sedate outfit. A bit hard for me to believe 2010 and 2012 were the same hat, because I love it in 2012 with that chignon and gorgeous magenta coat. Finally 2013 was another favorite for me, and it looks way better with this cobalt blue outfit than the black she wore it with at Ascot in 2011.
The burgundy hourglass from 2000 is my favorite. 2006, with her raspberry coat is lovely also. The fascinator and beret selections were trendy but have not stood the test of time. They are odd looking now to me. OK, not as odd as the feather explosion of 2009. 2001, 2003 and 2008 looked too big for her head. But I’d rather it look too big than these fascinators. Come on Sophie, give us a wonderful Easter bonnet tomorrow!
The 2011 feather fascinator perhaps takes the eyes off her very low cut dress. Hard to believe she wore that to the Easter service!