Danish Princess Celebrates Academic Anniversary

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Royal Hats

Princess Benedikte of Denmark was in Kiel, Germany yesterday to take part in a ceremony marking the 350th anniversary of the Christian-Abrechts-Universitaet. For this celebration, she repeated her red felt beret with stepped crown. I have long been a fan of the interesting shape of this hat and find the vibrant colour a great match for Princess Benedikte. While I’m still on the fence about the other elements in this ensemble (the blouse and earrings, to be exact), the princess’ ecru suit grounds the overall picture and allows the hat to be noticed on its own merit. In the end, it’s a very successful way to wear a royal hat. Princess Benedikte, October 5, 2015 in Susanne Juul | Royal Hats

Designer: Susanne Juul
Previously Worn: October 3, 2014; April 23, 2013; October 2, 2012; February 13, 2012

Photos from Carsten Rehder/dpa/Corbis, Carsten Rehder/dpa/Corbis and Carsten Rehder/dpa/Corbis

Mikasa Princess Attends Self Defence Awards

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Royal Hats

Princess Akiko of Mikasa attended the 13th annual People’s Self-Defense Officials Awards today in Tokyo to honor distinguished service in the Self-Defence Forces of Japan. For this event, she wore a new cloche style hat in grey felt with sharply upturned brim on one side. Cloche hats are not usually associated with dramatic shapes and the treatment of this brim sets this hat apart. While I would have preferred a more exciting colour, the shape of this piece works well on Akiko and her bobbed hairstyle.

Princess Akiko, October 6, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Photo from Sankei

Belgian Monarchs Welcome Turkish State Visit

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Royal Hats

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde welcomed Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan on state visit this morning in Brussels. For the occasion, Queen Mathilde wore her royal blue calot hat trimmed with a small spray of dark blue feathers. The hat, made from the same chevron woven silk as her coat and dress, might be an overly prim piece on its own but combines with the ensemble to create a streamlined and elegant overall look. I’m not always a fan of outfits in the same fabric from head to toe but in this case, it works very well.

Queen Mathilde, October 5, 2015 in Elvis Pompilio | Royal Hats

Designer: Elvis Pompilio. Dress and coat by Ann Demeulemeester
Previously Worn: December 3, 2013

Photos from Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis, Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis, Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis, Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis, Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis and Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis

This Week’s Extras

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Royal Hats

Royal Hats

Queen Elizabeth opened the new barracks of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in a repeated pink straw hat with multi-coloured dotted net trim (Express)

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was spotted hat shopping in Milan last week (The Daily Mail)

Princess Yoko of Mikasa was in Wakayama this weekend to watch part of the National Sports Festival (Imperial Family of Japan)

For those of you still wondering how percher hats manage to stay on royal heads, this interesting photo of a Philip Treacy design might shed some more light. The narrow cream strip at the front is a forehead rest.

Royal Hats

Prince Harry continued on his 1,000 mile trek in support of Walking with The Wounded near Ludlow this week (Shropshire Star)

Vintage gift tags from under the British Royal Christmas tree went up for sale at a London auction house (Daily Mail)

Princess Beatrix Opens Exhibition

Posted on October 4, 2015 by Royal Hats

On Friday, Princess Beatrix opened a statue exhibition at the Historical Museum of The Hague. She used the occasion to début a new hat. While the bumper brim and Pork Pie domed crown are familiar shapes for the princess, both of these features were wrapped in an overlay of widely woven ecru net veil. This simple trim gives the hat a decidedly different feel from the many others we’ve seen of similar shape and brings just the right amount of interesting texture and pattern. In a millinery wardrobe where there is much repetition, I think this hat stands well on its own.

Princess Beatrix, October 2, 2015 | Royal Hats