Monthly Archives: January 2016

Christening of Prince Christian, Ten Years Later

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Royal Hats  Ten years ago today, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary brought their three month old son to be christened at Christiansborg Palace Chapel.

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While it was widely expected that the wee prince’s name would follow the Danish royal tradition of alternating between the names Christian and Frederick for males in direct line to the throne, his name was not announced (as per another Danish royal tradition) until the christening ceremony. As such, royal watchers around the world tuned in to the christening to see what the little prince’s name would be. Prince Christian Valdemar Henri John did not disappoint, cooing to his mother during the service and crying heartily during the act of baptism. He was dressed in the same lace christening gown and cap used for Danish royal christenings since it was made for Christian X in 1870.

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Crown Princess Marty topped her Hugo Boss silk dress and blue jacket with a bandeau headpiece of cream silk flowers by Malene Birger (she would later repeat for the christenings of her other children). It’s a lovely design with a shape not only perfect for a christening (no brim to block view of the baby!) but that’s very flattering and wearable. What’s off here for me is the styling – the light headpiece feels off balance with the jacket and skirt, which I think would have paired better with a cocktail hat in a solid colour.  That being said, it’s a lovely headpiece that contrasts beautifully against Mary’s dark hair and added a delicate softness for this very personal event.

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Queen Margrethe wore a royal blue felt hat with rounded crown and asymmetrical upturned brim. The hat was trimmed in bias piping cut from the same fabric as her striped suit and a spray of soaring royal blue feathers. The scale of the hat was wonderful on Margrethe and the bright colour balanced her dark suit very well.

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Princess Mary’s stepmother, Susan Moody, also topped her grey suit with a vibrant hat. In red felt, the design loosely followed the shape of a cloche with a tall crown and short, bell shaped brim. In a modern twist, the squared crown of the design raised in a slight peak on one side, lending a very chic shape to the piece.
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It was no surprise that Frederik and Mary turned to royal cousins for Prince Christian’s godparents. Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway wore a simple burgundy silk headband tied at the side.

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Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore a simple hat in cafe au lait coloured straw with a rounded crown and upturned brim.

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Prince Christian’s other godmother is Princess Mary’s sister Jane Stephens who wore a striking hat in aubergine felt with a square crown and short cartwheel brim. A metallic band and buckle around the base of the hat’s crown completed it.
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Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Prince Joachim of Denmark were also included as godparents.

 Royal Christening, January 21, 2006| Royal Hats

I am always curious to hear your thoughts about the ‘staying power’ of royal hat designs a decade later. Which designs feel relevant to you today? Which ones do you think are best left in the past?
For a look at the hats worn by numerous other royal guests at this event, jump over to this post. 
Photo from Getty as indicated; Steen Evald via The Danish Monarchy

Inventory: Queen Mathilde’s Blue Hats

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As Queen Mathilde celebrates her 43rd birthday today, we’re  going to take a peek at her blue hats. She has worn ten different ones so far during her royal life- here they are in the order that they have been worn:

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne; Philip Treacy; Maison Van den Borne
Introduced: February 2005; April 29, 2011; February 16, 2012

4.  5.Queen Mathilde, Dec. 2, 2013 Elvis Pompilio | Royal Hats  6.Queen Mathilde, March 30, 2014 | Royal Hats
Designer: Fabienne Delvigne; Elvis Pompilio; unknown
Introduced: September 27, 2013; December 2, 2013; March 30, 2014

7.Queen Mathilde, May 6, 2015 in Dior | Royal Hats  8.Queen Mathilde, Novemer 12, 2014 | Royal Hats  9.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Christian Dior; unknown; Fabienne Delvigne
Introduced: June 6, 2014; November 12, 2014; May 20, 2015

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Introduced: July 21, 2015

UPDATE: Since this post was published, Queen Mathilde has added several additional blue hats to her wardrobe: 

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Designer: both are Fabienne Delvigne
Introduced:November 30, 2016; March 18, 2017

For hats of the same hue, it’s an eclectic mix! What is most interesting to me is that the first hat did not appear in Mathilde’s millinery wardrobe until 2005, more than five years after she became a princess. While I find the great similarities between hats #5 and #6 curious, I suspect that both calots were custom designs made in the same fabric as the clothes they accompanied. I don’t think #2’s grandness can be beat nor #4’s quirky sense of fun and I would adore seeing these two pieces worn again. What hats stand out most to you in this group?

Photos from Lesoir; Georges de Keerle via Getty;Patrick van Katwijk/dpa/Corbis; JULIEN WARNAND/epa/Corbis; Albert Nieboer/dpa/Corbis; AFP/Emmanuel Dunand via Getty;  Benoit Doppagne and Benoit Doppagne via Belga

Monaco Royal Couple Visit Vatican

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Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco had an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday. Princess Charlene exercised her privilège du blanc, wearing a sleek cream coat topped with a white lace veil.

Norwegian Silver Jubilee Part 2

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Celebrations for King Harald’s Silver Jubilee on Sunday continued after the worship service with an afternoon of winter activities for all ages held in the Palace Square. The event, which was at the King and Queen’s specific request, featured cross-country ski trails, hills for snowboarding and ski jumping, an ice slide, biathlon laser rifle targets and areas for ski play. The entire Norwegian royal family changed into sporting clothes and joined in the fun.

After a quick change, the family walked from the Palace Square to the Aula of the University of Oslo where they were met by Prime Minister Erna Solberg and enjoyed a gala concert featuring a wide array of Norwegian artists. Queen Sonja wore a beautiful royal blue cape edged in black fur with a matching fur hat. Controversy about fur aside, the simple shape of the hat was a perfect compliment to the glorious cape and the two pieces looked fantastic on the queen.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new. 
Crown Princess Mette Marit and her three children all bundled up in warm knit winter hats.

17 Jan 2016, Oslo, Norway --- Oslo, 17-01-2016 Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra, Prince Sverre Magnus, Marius Borg Høiby and Princess Märtha Louise 25th anniversary of the ascension to the Norwegian throne of Their Majesties King Harald and Queen Sonja The Royal Family attends the events at The Palace Square (Slottsplassen) RPE/Albert Nieboer/Netherlands OUT - NO WIRE SERVICE - --- Image by © Albert Nieboer/dpa/Corbis

Princess Märtha Louise wore a simple navy headpiece with large multi-leafed flower at the side. As far as fascinators go, it’s an attractive piece that she wore well.

UPDATE: Eagle eyed reader Royalwatcher227 recognized this piece as one previously worn by Princess Mette-Marit. I’m not sure why but knowing that the piece is shared between these sister-in-laws makes me like it a little more.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn by Princess Mette-Marit: May 9, 2014; May 30, 2011; March 4, 2006

Queen Margrethe and Queen Silvia wore the same hats they wore in the morning while King Carl Gustaf added a dapper black fedora.

Royal Jubilee in Noway 25th anniversary of the ascension to the Norwegian throne of Thei

The day’s festivities completed with a formal dinner held at the Royal Castle in Oslo that yielded these wonderful photos.
I admire the sense of fun and family that was included in this anniversary. The informality of the event did not lend itself to a parade of fantastic hats but it seems that the King and Queen celebrated and were celebrated in a way that was characteristically them. My favourite hat of the day was Queen Sonja’s fur hat and cape combination- which one did you like most?