Queen Margrethe’s 75th birthday celebrations began with a gala dinner last night and continued with a traditional wakeup for the birthday girl this morning followed by a lunch at Copenhagen’s Town Hall. As expected, the smiling queen appeared at today’s festivities in a new suit, coat and matching hat.
The bumper style hat, in the same mint green wool crepe and Margrethe’s coat and suit, features a close-fit rounded crown with a small brim, tightly upturned around the hat. On the left side of the hat, the brim pulls away from the crown, forming a wide bow loop. The hat is further trimmed with two coordinating green feathers anchored inside this loop. The result is a hat with beautifully curving lines and shapes that are interesting, creative and very pretty. Queen Margrethe’s hairstyle is a difficult one to pair with hats (we have long talked about how many hats leave her looking bald) but the scale, colour and style of this piece works wonderfully for her.
Crown Princess Mary surprised in Jane Taylor’s ‘Greta’ dove grey circular dish hat with exquisitely detailed lace trim. I adore this hat but I didn’t like it with Mary’s outfit today- the mix of colours didn’t work for me and I thought the delicate lace on the hat didn’t work well with the chunky beading on the neckline of Mary’s coat. I think this hat might need a monochrome ensemble to show to best effect (as we have already seen worn by the Countess of Wessex and Zara Phillips Tindall). For me, this ensemble is a case of numerous beautiful individual pieces that simply don’t work together.
Princess Marie repeated her black fascinator with looped black silk ribbons. This is a substantial piece that works well on Marie, particularly with her hair styled as it was today. Fascinators are getting a bad rap these days, thanks to some famous over-the-top designs and the meagre bits of fluff on a comb that are widely available in most junky accessory shops. This fascinator, however, with its wonderful shape, beautiful layers, elegant sense of movement and hint of playfulness, has every right to be on a royal head (even though today it had trouble staying on Princess Marie’s head!). Extreme wind aside, I thought Marie looked fantastic in this piece.
Queen Margrethe’s younger sister, Princess Benedikte, topped her pale pink coat and dress with a fuchsia tall-sided bumper hat. If the hat looks familiar to you, it is because it was previously trimmed with a large purple pompom at the back. While this hat now sports a wide looped bow in pale pink straw (clearly added to coordinate with this coat), I’m afraid the pompoms are still there. Amidst this disappointment, I still adored how the bright hue of this hat gave a perfect pop of colour to Benedikte’s ensemble. There’s also nothing like a bright pink hat to make one’s ruby earrings shine!
All in all, it was a great day of millinery for the Danish royal ladies and the birthday girl looked radiant. Jump over to this post for hats worn by Greek, Swedish and Norwegian royal guests.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Once again, Mary’s hat is all wrong with her dress, etc. And Marie’s hat looks so awful with her beautiful green coat and hint of dress underneath; and why the ridiculous pin??!! These young women need help putting their outfits together!! Princess Beneditke is beautiful from head to toe…perfectly put together!!
As it should be, the birthday girl looked the best; she really wowed with this new outfit and hat and hope we see them out again as the color and shape suits her very well! I’ll say I’m not thrilled about the collar on Mary’s coat, but I think the dove grey and navy pair wonderfully together as a color scheme. Marie looked fine, but I don’t care for that floral dress she’s wearing; also agree with JamesB that the pillbox she wore before with this coat was a much bigger success. And extremely sad the koosh ball still lives on Benedikte’s hat, for I love everything else about her look and hat otherwise.
Loved the Queen’s outfit and her sister’s – they really could teach the young ones a thing or two! I usually love Mary’s outfits but not this one – total miss! As for Marie – what a mess – the brooch was just too much! She looks better in evening wear than day wear! What a shame I am in Australia – I would just LOVE to see the exhibition of Margrethe’s clothes – love her style.
Yes, ditto to all the comments, especially the ones saying that the Birthday Girl was dressed the most pleasingly. The lacey vibe of CPM’s hat just did not go with her outfit and Princess Marie’s choice looked somewhat dated and aging. One probably shouldn’t laugh but it was a very funny sight to see her headband cartwheeling off along the paving and her waving her hand after it, only for it to be unceremoniously and surreptitiously handed from man to man…… and eventually carried into the event. An inglorious end to a much thought out choice it would seem!!! Thanks.
It was her birthday, and Queen Margrethe came out by far the best. Color and style of whole outfit, including hat, are fabulous. Too bad about Princess Benedikte’s pompoms. I like the idea of trying to update the hat to go with a specific outfit, but it wasn’t a clear success today.
I am in total agreement with your comments about Crown Princess Mary: wonderful hat, doesn’t go at all with the outfit, especially the collar.
I hope Queen Margrethe repeats this outfit often.
That outfit on Marge is fabulous – such a great fresh colour for her, and the hat is really fun, this is her best day outfit in many a year.
Mary, on the other hand, has a great coat, a great hat, but not a great outfit. Like you, I’m just not seeing these pieces talk to each other. Marie looks good, but I’m underwhelmed. I think she sported this coat with a 40s style hat some years back and it was a better match. Ben aces it – as per. Love that colour combo.
Well they’ve obviously all had a great day – and their smiles are the best accessory of all.
I thought Queen Margarethe looked wonderful. That color was stunning on her. Her whole outfit was just perfect right down to the color of her gloves. I also thought Benedickte looked gorgeous in her bright pink. I think I also saw a picture of her hat with the ball in place. Doesn’t matter, she looked great.
I’m sorry to tell you but the Koosh Ball is still at the back of Benedikte’s hat. Unfortunately I can’t find a photo of it right now.
I liked Mary’s hat and the whole ensemble when seen from afar. But in close ups the hat and the coat really do clash.
OH NO!! The koosh ball lives on….
http://www.corbisimages.com/images/Corbis-42-70675629.jpg?size=67&uid=4adc6a0f-b345-4574-adfd-72fcb997c8a4
Margrethe’s hat was excellent. It suits her, has interest, and doesn’t look like a run-of-the-mill off the peg hat. Nor does it make her look bald! Do we think that the crown is even and “square” on the head, as it were, with the brim put on at an angle (so leaving some of the crown peaking out on the side under the trim)? Or is the crown asymmetrical, coming further down on the side where the brim angles down?
I love Benedicte’s hat too; beautifully re-trimmed to make a perfect partner to the coat, lvoely colour scheme.
I like Mary’s hat. I like Mary’s coat. But I agree, not complementing each other very well. Marie’s fascinator is good as fascinators go, although given the glimpse of pattern on white under her jacket, I wasn’t sure that the black went as well as some other colour would have done.
I agree that Queen Margrethe looked radiant. She sometimes has weird hats but this green one is beautiful. Princess Beneditke also looked gorgeous. Of all the royal women, I want her wardrobe most!
I like all the hats here but not a fan of that shade of aqua Queen M has on.
I found Marie’s hair a little too young for her today. And with the strong wind, it became very messy. I order Mary’s chic chignon or Benedikte’s short hairstyle to either Marie or the Queen’s hair. I know we are meant to be talking a out hats, but Mary’s random clothes are puzzling me. All in all I prefer the looks of the older sisters. Joachim’s teeth are just like his mother’s. And as he is also a smoker, he can see what is ahead for him!
I meant to say I PREFER Mary’s chic etc……
Older sisters? Which older sisters?
Let’s please not get distracted by comments about teeth. PLEASE.
I took it to mean Margrethe and Benedicte’s looks (preferred over Mary and Marie).
Yes I have often wondered about the discolouring of the teeth. I understand she is a heavy smoker. Sad.
Think the Queen looked lovely. Princess Marie’s outfit was a miss. The rest were fine.
Love the queen’s mint green hat and coordinating outfit. Again, I’m going to go off-topic about her teeth. With today’s ability to have one’s teeth “brightened” I wonder why she has not done so. This smiling queen would improve her ability to look smashing in her clothes one hundred percent. That said, usually beautifully coordinated Princess Mary was just a. Bit off with her beautiful hat and pretty ensemble. The two were, like you mentioned, not meant to be worn together. I did like Princess Marie’s outfit and the elegant fascinator.