The wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge four years ago was attended by representatives from several royal houses outside Europe. Several of these guests attended the wedding in national dress, giving us a glimpse of traditional royal headwear we do not often see here on the blog.
The Raja Isteri of Brunei (below, left with her husband, the Sultan) wore a headscarf in the same blue patterned silk as her baju kurung which was edged in ornate gold threaded lace. Queen Tuanku Nur Zahirah of Malaysia (below right) also wore a traditional baju kurung; her tunic and skirt was heavily appliquéd in pale blue lace. Her headscarf, in pale blue silk, was further edged in intricate silver embroidery.
The wife of King Mswati III of Swaziland (I think it is wife #10, Inkhosikati LaMahlangu) wore a tall vertical black hat. The straw brim was studded with polka dots and the hat was trimmed with large sprays of feathers on both sides of the brim. The hat suited her well and provided a little calm against her printed suit. My main qualm with her ensemble was the odd placement of her diamond brooch. King George Tupou V of Tonga (below left), on the other hand, looked so very handsome in his top hat. I adore a top hat with a morning suit and King George both very well.
Princess Mabereng of Lesotho wore a vibrant orange and tomato red Basotho blouse, skirt, sash and beautifully folded headscarf. She looked beautiful in this colour and I adore that her husband, Prince Seeiso (who co-founded the charity Sentibale with Prince Harry) matched his tie and pocket square to her ensemble.
The Saudi Arabian royal family was represented by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and Princess Ameerah. Princess Ameerah was one of the break-out fashion stars at this wedding in a breathtaking lace coat and dress by Zuhair Murad. Built on a light mushroom brim of pale pink crin, the crown of her coordinating has was formed from a mass of multi-looped crin bows studded with slim pink feathers (see a close-up view here). The fussy hat was kept looking light and effortless thanks to the gossamer crin and the ensemble put Ameerah on the international fashion map.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Of Thailand and Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco were also in attendance but as their national dress does not include headwear, they did not wear hats. Did any of the hats or headpieces in this group strike your fancy?
Stay tuned first thing tomorrow morning when we draw our look back at the hats at this wedding with those worn by guests from the non-reigning European royals.
Royal Hats 
King Mswati III’s wife had one of my favourite hats of the wedding. I didn’t like her dated floral suit, and that oddly positioned brooch was strange. Princess Ameerah’s pale pink lace coat, dress and hat were one of my favourite looks of the wedding guests, though I thought it was a bit too haute couture, and some people may have thought she was trying to upstage the bride. It was more suited to Ascot. Princess Mabereng ‘s vibrant orange and tomato red outfit and scarf were a bold look, but looked good with her dark complexion. I like that her scarf was folded in a way to more resemble a hat. It was sweet that Prince Seeiso matched his tie and pocket square to her ensemble. I liked the fabric of the Raja Isteri of Brunei’s headscarf in the same blue patterned silk as her baju kurung which was edged in ornate gold threaded lace. Queen Tuanku Nur Zahirah of Malaysia’s baju kurung, appliquéd in pale blue lace, was a great colour for her. Her headscarf, in pale blue silk, edged in intricate silver embroidery, suited her well, and it looked like a lot of workmanship had gone into her outfit.
I have thoroughly enjoyed this walk down memory lane (I can’t believe it’s been four years!), and I applaud you, HatQueen, for the time and effort you have put into the many posts on this four-year anniversary. In this group, my favorite was Princess Mabereng for her orange and red ensemble. From head to toe, she looked fantastic. Also a lot of thought and planning must have gone into Prince Seeiso wearing a coordinating tie and pocket square to the Princess’s outfit – bravo to them. As an after thought, viewing all the dignitaries/kings/queens, etc., attending this wedding four years ago, I can only imagine compiling the guest list and coordinating the arrival of the wedding guests must have been a NIGHTMARE! I worked for the governor of California many years ago and only had to coordinate one dignitary reception/dinner, and that almost caused me to drink – excessively!
The wife of King Mswati III of Swaziland: that tall vertical black hat was a stunner, but I thought the suit was rather busy, especially with that huge, oddly positioned brooch. According to my etiquette rulebook, black hats shouldn’t be worn to weddings.
Princess Ameerah: I agree with HatQueen, this Royal was one of the break-out fashion stars here. The lace coat and dress was sunning and could have looked tou busy if it wasn’t in that nice soft pink color, which flattered her coloring so perfectly. The coordinating hat was stunning, and could have gone too busy very easily, but the soft pink color, and the gossamer crin just kept it on the right side of fussy. It was one of my favorite hats and overall looks at this wedding, and is the best from this group here.
As for the others, I don’t like scarves.
The extraordinarily intricate folding of Princess Mabereng’s headscarf is a work of art. She looked lovely. The ensemble worn by Princess Ameerah is certainly a fashion coup. My only question, and it may be the lighting when she was photographed, is her hair placement over her right shoulder; it looks odd to me.