Monthly Archives: May 2016

British Royals Commemorate Battle of Jutland

Posted on by

Princess Anne took part in the 100th anniversary commemorations for the Battle of Jutland at a memorial service at Lyness Cemetery today in Hoy, Scotland. Dressed in naval uniform, the Princess Royal joined British and German politicians to remember the largest naval battle of World War One where more than 6,000 Britons and 2,500 Germans died in the battle, fought near the coast of Denmark.  The Duke of Edinburgh was also scheduled to attend this event but had to cancel due to illness.

Prince Michael of Kent was in Belfast, Northern Ireland to officially re-open HMS Caroline, the last surviving ship from the 1916 battle which has recently undergone a  major restoration project and will now be open to the public.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Hitachi Couple Attend Memorial

Posted on by

Masihito, Prince Hitachi and Princess Hanako attend a WW II memorial ceremony at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery yesterday (the cemetery holds the ashes of 2,337 Japanese soldiers recovered from Russia and South Pacific Islands). For this event, Princess Hanako wore a smart black hat with square crown and a downward facing lampshade brim. This style of brim can often overwhelm the wearer but the reduced scale of this design works well for Hanako.

Princess Hanako, May 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Hanako, May 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

What do you think of this 1950’s inspired design on Princess Hanako?

Photos from The Asahi Shimbun and The Asahi Shimbun via Getty

Queen Mathilde Presents Piano Competition Awards

Posted on by

Queen Mathilde was at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo today to present awards to laureates of this year’s prestigious Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition. She used this event to début a new calot headpiece made of what looks to be black textured silk. The design features numerous cut-outs across the back that give it a light and summery feel that works beautifully with Mathilde’s leaf printed silk dress.

Designer: likely Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Some other reports suggest today’s hat is the same as the one Mathilde wore during her and the King’s inaugural visit to England on March 13, 2014 (below left) or on her visit to Ypres last summer (below right). You’ll note that both of these designs are in fact, different.
Queen Mathilde, March 13, 2014 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats      Queen Mathilde, July 9, 2015 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats
The design worn by the Belgian Queen today has a much lighter feel than her other black headpieces, making it a great one for summer. While we didn’t have the best view of it today, what are your initial impressions?
Photos from Getty as indicated; Lesoir; and HLN

Swedish Monarchs Support Art Fund

Posted on by

The Swedish King and Queen attended an annual Association of Friends of the Artists event yesterday at Waldemarsudde, home of the late Prince Eugene. Prince Eugene,  an accomplished landscape painter in his own right, created a Swedish Artists’ Support Fund Foundation in 1937 and Monday’s festivities were in support of this fund. Queen Silvia wore a new hat in cherry red felt with a rounded crown and flat brim. Trimmed with a large white silk rose, a slim black hat band and a swath of black net tulle around the brim, the hat follows a very classic design. While it has a 1980s feel to it, this piece is a good scale and colour for Silvia and I think she wears it well.

Queen Silvia, May 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

Queen Silvia, May 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

Queen Silvia, May 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

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

What do you think of Queen Silvia’s new red hat?

Photo from  Pelle Nilsson T / Stella Pictures via The Swedish Royal Court and Dana Press

Danish Princess Supports Peacekeepers Day

Posted on by

Princess Marie of Denmark was at Kastellet (The Citadel) yesterday to take part in UN International Peacekeepers Day. For this occasion, she repeated her navy felt calot hat with side bow. The side view of this hat shown in the third photo below shows the scale of the bow (something we have not directly seen before)  which is much larger than I thought. This hat doesn’t excite me but its classic design is a good one to have in a royal wardrobe for events such as this. I think we’ll see it become one of Marie’s workhorses.