On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cornwall attended a Service of Thanksgiving at St Margaret’s Church to celebrate the life of for former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Foreign Secretary Geoffrey Howe (Lord Howe of Aberavon) who died last October. For this service, she repeated her black straw hat with tall, squared crown, raised brim on one side and simple bow trim. It is a more streamlined design than Camilla usually wears (a nice change for her, I think) but the textural weave of the straw gives it a decidedly more informal feel that seems a little at odds with such a formal dress and coat. This hat’s last outing saw it paired with a less formal, ruffled collar dress– a pairing I think worked more successfully.
Maybe I’m nitpicking here- what do you think?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I love it!!! I think it works better with the angular lines of this coat than with the curvy lines of the ruffled dress.
Camilla always looks great, very polished.
Camilla need to change her “dry clean “service:)- lapels on coat looks not pressed properly. and i do like previous outfit better!
This isn’t my favorite hat for Camilla, but I still think she looks good here. As @SalannB said, this was a memorial and not the actual funeral, so a slightly more informal hat seems appropriate. This milan straw is so interesting because it can look dressy and casual at the same time; I think the difference is the details of the trimmings, the style of the hat, and most importantly, the outfit it’s paired with. And because it’s a heavier straw, it’s perfect for this time of year when it’s not too hot, but definitely too warm for felt hats.
I very much like this combination actually. The slightly shiny lapels and shiny tucks above the pockets are accentuated by the slightly shiny if informal straw hat. I think this is the best use both of the hat and of the coat.
This more streamlined look on the Duchess of Cornwall makes a nice change.
I think that the Duchess looks beautiful.
Very nice.
I really like the ensemble. The Duchess looks great in it. Since I am not as fashion oriented as you and many of your readers, I don’t remember the former outing of this hat!! I am awed by the “eye” of so many of you.
Under the last photo, HatQueen always links to all the previous times a hat was worn. So none of us remember we just click!
Ah, so she (HQ) does! I’m a slow learner. Liked that outfit too!
I like the combination very much, also having in mind that the straw hat is a nod to the fact that we have springtime now.
I rather like the pairing as well. The hat does offset the somewhat severe cut of the coat. I like that she pairs and reuses older pieces, and isn’t always buying things. She has a very common sense approach to her wardrobe that resonates with many of us older women, I suspect. She looks appropriate and approachable I think.
I like it better the first time she wore it, on September 11, 2014.
I like this coat-hat combination better than this one:
http://cache1.asset-cache.net/gc/462754194-camilla-duchess-of-cornwall-attends-a-gettyimages.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=GkZZ8bf5zL1ZiijUmxa7QeYvvOm9DeNUTlLqmxcUOW0oIM6BkgRGZ9xRrDqrdtUeZvaD7tfh4G0aCfZKdBp%2bHQ%3d%3d
I don’t like it , too costume for me,
I actually like the slight informality to this hat. It gives the outfit less severity. It is, after all, a celebration of the life, not a straight funeral.
I should say, a somber funeral, not straight funeral.
And it was a celebration of her uncle’s life. So it was family event for her. Lady who speaks with Camilla is her aunt,