After looking at the marvellous hats worn at Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita’s civil wedding ten years ago, it is now time to look at the hats worn by guests at their religious ceremony.
The groom’s mother, Princess Margriet, topped her two toned pink suit with a magenta straw hat with a wide, upfolded brim. The hat appeared to have a double crown, thanks to a tall wrap of straw around the rounded crown, and the piece was trimmed with pink and red feathers on the side.
Anita’s mother, J.C.M. van Eijk-Steens, topped her ice blue suit with a straw hat in the same hue. This piece had a double brim made of translucent straw and was trimmed with straw rosettes, training bow tails, and pale blue feathers. While there is much going on with the hat, it was well balanced with her more streamlined suit.
Princess Marilène topped her gunmetal grey and aubergine ensemble with a navy straw hat. Trimmed with a large purple flower on the side (see it here), the simple straw piece swept off her face in a gently upfolded brim. It’s a fairly nondescript hat that seemed slightly at odds with the rest of her more fashion-forward outfit.
Princess Annette repeated the same cream straw hat she wore two days earlier to the civil wedding, replacing the black ribbon around the crown with a slim one in palest blue. I suppose it’s hardly a surprising move for a princess who has very few public engagements (and ever fewer which require a hat) to recycle a neutral piece in this kind of way.
Aimée Söhngen, who would marry the Princess Margriet’s youngest son two months later, wore a bright pink short Fez style hat wrapped in a large veil of dotted pink net. Clearly designed to coordinate with her pink dotted jacket and shoes, the hat seemed off balance and oddly squashed around the middle. Unfortunately, the piece was left looking like a 1960s lampshade.
Queen Beatrix (as she was then) topped her grey dress with a coordinating straw hat. The flat brimmed piece featured a wide straw wrap around the flat crown; from the front, the hat was streamlined and restrained. In contrast, the back of the brim raised slightly to reveal a mass of pink and silver blooms that nestled into the Queen’s hair. I adore this surprise around the back of the hat; the hidden blooms are reminiscent of the hat Beatrix wore to Princess Amalia’s christening which makes me guess that this piece is another design by Emmy Hill.
Princess Máxima (as was her title in 2005) wore one of her most memorable hats to this event. Made of stripes of transparent magenta and red straw, the wide brim of the picture hat was formed into large fluted ruffles that gave the Fabienne Delvigne design an incredible sense of movement and presence. On it’s own, the hat was a creative masterpiece but its pairing with Máxima’s shiny red coat and huge costume earrings took the ensemble way over the top. Máxima has not repeated this hat to date and I would love to see it make another outing with a more simple, neutral dress. As far as millinery goes, it is spectacular.
While I would love to see Máxima’s hat repeated, I’m pleased that Princess Laurentien’s hat has been left in the past. The Marianne Jongkind design, made of gold straw, featured a soaring, pointy crown and brim, each edged in brown straw. While the shape was unique, it overwhelmed the princess and looked like it was headed to a costume party instead of a royal wedding. Its pairing with her fussy brown dress and cartoonish belt seems like an experiment in avant garde fashion that went very wrong.
The daughters of Princess Irene (who was lecturing in South Africa and did not attend), Princess Carolina and Princess Margarita, wore much more demure pieces. Carolina topped her lilac printed jacket with a chic lavender hat with asymetrically raised brim; Margarita matched her dark raspberry straw hat to her skirt. While she did not wear a hat, Princess Mabel’s fashion choice had a very sentimental note- she wore the same dress Princess Beatrix wore for her engagement announcement in 1965.
Princess Christina wore an orange and coral feathered fascinator and her daughter, Juliana Guillermo, wore a headpiece of trailing copper feathers. While neither piece are particularly memorable, I adore that two family members chose hues of orange for this Orange-Nassau wedding.
The only guest from a foreign royal family was Princess Astrid of Belgium, who wore a sleek silver picture hat with cartwheel brim trimmed with a silk ribbon around the base of the crown. The austere hat combined beautifully with her textured Chanel suit, leaving no question that the ensemble was haute couture from head to toe.
The hats at this wedding covered the full spectrum from elegant to eccentric, exquisite to egregious. Keeping their age in mind, dear readers, I’m curious to hear which hats made the strongest style statement for you?
Photos from ANP; Michel Porro via Getty; and Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I have always wondered who the poor person was who had to sit behind Maxima’s hat. You wouldn’t have
been able to see a thing.
For me Maxima’s hat is way too big. You can barely see her face! It might look better with another outfit because this raincoat (like Liz said) is a strange combination. But she did have matching shoes but I’m not sure if that deserves bonus points.
Princess Claire is the best dressed, followed by Queen Beatrix. The others are no competition at all.
I would love to see Maxima’s hat worn with something like a white sheath dress, so the hat is the focus. Then it can be seen whether the hat is great or just a little too over-scaled. I love it (sort of) but if it was shrunk just 5-10% would that be better? That is the question.
My God, there were some looks going on here! Max just went way too far, that coat always makes me think she’s got nothing on underneath (dare I say stripper?!) The hat is quite something, I’m just not sure with this. With what I, not sure?
Laurentien just looks awful. She was trying so hard about this time, and mostly failing. It’s just all rather ugly.
Aimee is normally spot on, so why this dead fraggle I’ve no idea.
But there are some highlights! Astrid (I know!) looks classy and fabulous. Beatrix looks lovely, Marilene fashion forward but not ridiculous.
I’m glad things have moved on somewhat though!!
Princess Astrid is without a doubt the best dressed woman there, her hat is gorgeous and chic, you don’t need much embellishment to be chic, as they say, *less is more*, and her outfit was simply classic. What was with then CPMax, too much going on with that coat, all those layers, those earrings and that *dirty* hair peaking out from under that hat, she looked like a Las Vegas showgirl, not a good look at all, and Princess Laurentien looked just awful, what was she thinking, that was the worst outfit I have ever seen, the fabric design, that belt, that hat, she is most surely lost in that outfit. Bad design that probably cost a lot of money……….as for the rest………..hardly noticeable yet okay except for the orange feathers look like they are ready to take off. Guess my taste is for the more classic then far out there……
What a shame Princess Laurentien couldn’t source a bigger belt buckle.
Both mothers of the couple looked fantastic in their respective ensembles; especially nice to see Margriet in a full hat rather than the feathery fascinators she often wears.
I like the idea of Marilene’s hat, but the type of straw used makes this hat a bit casual looking to me. I don’t like the color pairings of Annette’s hat and outfit for some reason. I like Aimee’s hat overall (although it is quite retro), but I don’t care for the pink polka dots on her jacket and shoes; had they just been plain white, things would’ve been much better.
The upturned brim in the back is something I don’t know if we’ve ever seen on Beatrix otherwise. I think it is fun and different for her, even though the all-dove grey ensemble is underwhelming colorwise.
I think this one of my favorite Máxima appearances of all time! I love this whole outfit (minus the earrings), and wish this hat would make a comeback ASAP! The colors are beyond gorgeous on her, and she is definitely rockin’ this hat! Love, love, LOVE!
Poor Laurentien, this was her era of experimentation for sure. I like that she wasn’t afraid to try something different and new, but too often it just didn’t work at all.
Have we seen Carolina in a brimmed hat any other time? I know she doesn’t have many official appearances, but I can only recall fascinators otherwise; nice to see this change. Margarita’s hat is nice enough, but I don’t like that skirt.
Juliana Guillermo is a gorgeous woman and she pulls off this fascinator and beautiful black coat very well. Christina, while often in feathery fascinators like this, never disappoints with her color choices however. Brava to them both!
Finally, Astrid looks nice enough, but it just doesn’t wow me for a wedding, especially when Máxima brought her A game to the table. I suppose I should be glad it wasn’t two hats laid on top of each other this time, unlike at a certain other Dutch wedding . . .
Carolina wore a large hat for the Spanish Royal wedding in 2004 and a peacock blue percher for King Willem Alexander’s inauguration in 2013.
Ah, I was never aware she was at Felipe & Letizia’s wedding! I loved that cocktail hat from the inauguration, but knew it wasn’t a full hat with a brim. Thanks @HatQueen!
“Strongest style statement” would probably be Maxima’s hat, which may be a milinery masterpiece, but I find quite extraordinary. And it looks as though she’s wearing a raincoat with it.
My favorite has to be Princess Astrid. “Classic” does not have to be boring — the ribbon on the hat, the sheer fabric on the dress bodice and bottom, and as you mentioned the texture of the dress and jacket fabric are all beautiful. As is often the case, good haute couture stands the test of time. I think this ensemble would look lovely on the Countess of Wessex today.
Christina you have hit the nail on the head. Princess Astrid of Belgium’s hat and ensemble is the only look I would wear myself.
Did Queen Maxima ever wear that hat again?
No. As I mentioned in the post, this hat has just been worn once. I would love to see it again!
Sorry HQ and others but I don’t ever want to see that hat again. I just cannot get underwater sea creature out of my head and it is way too big, even for our Máx.
While Maxima’s hats are fascinating in their own right, I’m equally fascinated by how her hats continue to be the most polarizing of all royal hats in this era. Fabienne Delvigne certainly keeps us on our toes!
Okay, forgive me for being just plain snarky, but that hat does remind me of a giant clam-if giant clams were red.
Our dear Maxima has realized that even she can only handle just so much milinery excess, and that is why this hat has not been seen again.
I love hats, I love Max, I love a fashion risk, but this one just didn’t work for me. Still, she tried, and I give her credit for that. The main thing is she looked happy, as always. That means a lot.