The final day of the Cheltenham Festival was again attended by members of the British Royal Family. Princess Anne repeated her cream straw hat with feather encrusted upturned brim, feather trim at the side and wide silk sash around the base of the crown. There’s so much going on on this piece that the amazing feather work on the brim is lost and the hat descends into cartoon land. Remove that awful sash and the button holding the side feathers and I think we might have a winner here.
Zara Phillips Tindall wrapped up this week of racing with a fourth new hat. Described by the designer as a “classic velour felt beret hat with stylised felt bow trim”, the steely teal blue of this cocktail hat is a fantastic colour on blonde Zara. The scale is also perfect and the hat gave a great pop of colour to her black and white ensemble. Many of you have already recognized this as the same design as worn by the Duchess of Cambridge but don’t worry- we’ll take a closer look at these two versions of the same design side by side next week!
Royal Hats 
The Princess Royal’s green coat looks good, but her hat was very over trimmed, and I just don’t think that hat and coat look right together. Zara Phillips Tindall’s coat was also good, and fortunately her hat made a better companion for her coat than her mother’s did. I liked all the four new hats that she wore for the racing week. The teal blue colour is perfection on her blonde hair and brings out her blue eyes also.
Zara’s hats have all been great – stylish, interesting and worn well. Have loved seeing every one of them.
I like the hat Princess Anne wore today, in the minority I know. But it has such an Edwardian look to it that I can’t help but like it (think Downton Abbey – can’t you see this on the dowager Countess?). I just wish I could see the hat paired with something that did it justice. Today’s coat is not that outfit, unfortunately as to me the hat’s material and trim don’t seem suited to a heavy coat. I’d love to see it matched with a linen duster coat, for example, or an Edwardian-inspired skirt with a tunic top, perhaps floating around a garden party. Not anything we’re likely to see my favourite princess wearing, but a girl can dream! I thought it a very good hat for Ascot, although when it made its appearance there it was criticised for not being ‘summery’ enough … and now I’m criticising it for not being ‘wintery’ enough, so I hope we get to see it out and about in (warmer) spring and autumn.
i can’t choose between Zara’s hats this week. I’d pass on the gray with the feather, but the other three are lovely.
Agreed that Anne’s hat is overly embellished, but it looks like a model of restraint contrasted with Zara’s friend, who seems to be trying for every animal pattern and texture at once!
I rely can’t find anything to critique. They all look smashing in my humble sartorial opinion. The pregnant young lady looks particularly chic. All of Zara’s hats were winners this week, even the bunny ears. OK since I have been nice so far, permit me a little snarkiness. How awkward do you think it would be if Charles and Camilla were present–in the same box as Andrew Parker-Bowles??
IMO not awkward at all. They all seem to rub along together quite well and I admire them for that, at least. Anne and Andrew P-B have been friends for yonks.
I knew I recognized him!
Zara has had a fantastic four days of hats! Well done, young lady! Who are her well-hatted friends?
You’ll find the names at the Daily Mail, use HQ’s link to pop in there.
I really like Anne’s coat. One of the nicest items she has worn. IMHO she is hatless…wink.
Zara love the fact the coat is not closed at the neck it helps the small hat size..the hat does not look squeezed out of the top of her head by the closed tight collar. Sorry that is the impression small hats and choked closed coat necklines give me. To me it is awful looking.
But I really like her coat this time..really like it…the hat is almost winning me too. Much better Zara.
Zara Phillips Tindall has a style, and today’s hat is an excellent choice. Wonderful color, it goes well with the coat and stands out.
I actually liked Princess Anne’s hat when she debuted it last summer: the upturned brim pulled out the colors in the scarf the Princess Royal wore that today. With today’s outfit, the hat merely looks overdone and out of place.
you need coffee HatQueen that’s all, love your site
Yes, a great pop of color against the rest of her outfit! A very classic cocktail beret shape that suits Zara (and Kate) very well. While day 1’s hat is still my favorite of the week, this is a very close second. Looks like Anne repeated everything from her Christmas 2015 outfit and added a scarf to try to fool us. I see you what you’re doing Anne, and while I always like recycling, I’m surprised this came back so soon and not 20 years from now haha. But in all seriousness, I think this is my least favorite outing for this hat; just one too many things going on for it.
I always love Cheltenham to see fancy winter hats on parade, and while it was a smaller royal gathering, they did not disappoint! Thanks @HatQueen for all your hard work this week; it’s definitely been a busy one!
Goodness! I can’t keep up with this. I don’t know how you do it, HatQueen. I had to go back and see the previous three day’s hats. Zara’s are all rather similar in style. I liked the plum one and still think that is the best, followed by the dark blue with feathers.
Yes hasn’t this been fun, I haven’t commented but just watched with interest. Day 1 for me, by the length of the straight haha!! No it was just perfect, the colour was divine, just so fabulous for Zara and that lovely silk flower in a contrasting shade was gorgeous. So classy. My least favourite (to go against the trend) was Day 2, the blue with the overlapping feathers, just didn’t do it for me at all, it looked too flat and one dimensional. A VERY honourable mention to the The Princess Royal for the blue trilby…..that was really good too. Thankyou HQ, I’ve enjoyed it.
Zara looked stunning everyday and all of her new hats are fabulous. My favorite is the midnight blue beret with overlapping navy feathers. The placement of the feathers creates a piece of fine art.
I’m normally not a fan of cocktail hats but Zara’s four models were all fantastic. Great colors wonderful styling. The plum one is my favorite. And while this coat here might not be quite the eye-catcher some of the other ones were it has the best length for Zara. Speaking of coats: I love that mint coat of Princess Anne, the hat might not be a winner but the coat surely is. Every time it has an outing I’m getting a bit of coat-envy.
Brava Zara! I have really enjoyed seeing her four lovely looks at the Cheltenham festival – all hats and coats were great choices! Thanks Royal Hats for great posts.
Tour of the Balkans not the Baltics.
Another correction made. Time to sign off for this week I think!
The link given to the Duchess of Cambridge at Christmas was not right – wrong hat! But I cannot remember when she did wear that twin hat – no doubt our lovely HatQueen will come up with a new link…
Sorry- wrong Christmas! It’s fixed now.
To answer your question- Kate has worn this hat twice so far, once for St. Patrick’s day 2014 and once for Christmas Day 2013