The Duke of York was joined by his daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie today at Buckingham Palace for a garden party honouring the Not Forgotten Association. While the Duke did not wear a morning suit (and therefore, no top hat), the princesses both used the event to show off new percher designs.
Princess Beatrice wore a navy felt percher hat with large felt bow, pink felt leaves and arrow trimmed pink feathers. While the hat was obviously chosen to coordinate with her colour blocked dress and jacket, I don’t think it was a success. Not only is the choice of a felt hat on a summer day odd at best, the felt trim and feathers simply look messy. I have a hunch that the navy percher hat Beatrice wore to Ascot last year would have been a much better match for this coat and dress.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Eugenie’s round percher hat was covered in blue ombre feathers. While the design was a good match for her blue floral dress and the beautiful ombre detail gives a painterly quality to the piece, the single feather trim was an awkward embellishment. A silk bloom or straw twist (or both!) might have worked better for this design.
Designer: Gina Foster. It is the Orlov design from SS 2012
Previously Worn: This hat is new
We have seen the York princesses on a string of really lovely millinery of recent. Hopefully, this will continue in the coming weeks.
Royal Hats 
Sarah over at The Royals And I blog identified this hat as a Gina Foster design. After some digging, I found that it is the “Orlov” design from the SS 2012 Jubilee Collection. I can only guess that Eugenie liked it, bought it, and took a while to find the right frock to pair with it!
If I ask if these hats are flattering…. one is (Eugenie’s) and the other isn’t. But the bigger problem is that both of the dresses are NOT flattering. The hat almost doesn’t matter it’s worn with such unflattering dresses.
it is comical for sure
They do not seem to understand colour or co ordination. With some thought Princess E outfit could work. Slimmer top with something blue , jewellery or decoration. Feathers do not seem to fit Spring but OK.
Princess B…what is there to say….terrible.
Just plain ICK!
I don’t hate the looks, but can see the issues. Both have fab dresses, Bea’s hat isn’t right, and Eugenie’s just needs to lose that one feather.
They try really hard, bless them. There was a truly vitriolic piece in the Daily Mail (I shouldn’t read it!!) and I feel quite sorry for the flak they get.
Another, Oh dear! I must be too old. What is going on with the split in the skirt of Beatrice’s skirt? Don’t like the hats much, although Eugenie’s has promise.
Bea’s hat looks like a DIY project at a hen weekend. It’s horrible. Eugenie’s hat could be nice without that rubbish feather stuck in the middle.
This was also my thought that Beatrice made the piece by herself. The more I was looking at it, the more convinced I was to such idea 🙂
The choice of felt is rather perplexing for this time of year (although it’s not the first time Beatrice has done this; remember Ascot a couple years ago?). But unlike Ascot before, this cocktail hat is not done well. I understand they were trying to go with something different, but the crimped bow just looks messy and like it got smashed instead. Also, all of the trimmings stick way too far out in front, which isn’t good for a percher. I love a color-blocked outfit, but there are one too many un-alike colors here as well; stick with pink or yellow, but not both with the navy. I do like her bolero jacket, and I think her hair is wonderful!
Eugenie was much more successful in her ensemble. The choice of colors and patterns are great, and those dyed feathers on her hat are gorgeous. As @HatQueen said, the single feather across the top of this hat is a bit odd; another type of trim (maybe a Treacy-esque curl in silver to match her shoes?) would’ve been more appealing.
I think you’re referencing the Sarah Cant design Princess Beatrice wore back in 2014. Also made of felt, I think the colour (of both the hat and the outfit it was worn with) helped it work much better as a summer hat.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Thank you Hat Queen for all your work, it certainly is a busy time for royal hat watching at the moment. I think the comparison between Princess Beatrice’s most recent felt perched hat and the one worn at Royal Ascot 2 years ago is most interesting. The base of each is essentially the same size and shape and made of the same fabric, but the simple embellishment and placement further back on the head of the first worn hat made all the difference.
Yes, this was the hat I was referring to (thanks for linking to it; didn’t have time last night haha). I agree, the color and coordination were much more successful that time. Interestingly enough, this design is still available on Sarah Cant’s website. 🙂
I love orange but that hat makes me think of a giant nacho chip!
Goodness, I hadn’t noticed the split in Bea’s skirt when looking at another site. She needs what my mother would have called a ‘slip’ or at least a split to the knee only. What is the green material showing, I wonder?
I agree with HQ’s comments on the hats – they’re just not quite right. And Michell makes a good point about their placement. We have hats like these that appear to be tipped forward too far and at the other end Mette-Marit who appears to wear hers too far back!
And is the yellow stripe supposed to run straight … or not? The more I look at it, the less I like it.
I don’t think the yellow stripe is supposed to run straight. It didn’t when Queen Rania wore this dress and she looked great in it. https://www.instagram.com/p/4NRwamhrpe/ https://www.instagram.com/p/4M-BGXBrqw/
I am wondering about that split as well. Is it supposed to fall open? I can imagine that if it were supposed to, Queen Rania’s would either have been made without the split, or the split was made to fasten. In any case, the dress doesn’t seem to suit Princess Beatrice (who seems to wear it awkwardly), nor does the overly busy hat, though it was obviously made, or worn, with some thought about the dress. (If she made that hat herself, I would be very surprised, but impressed by her amateur efforts.) She looked much more comfortable and elegant in her orange felt hat two years ago. Princess Eugenie’s outfit, as many have remarked, was more successful–more suitable to the occasion and season, and less complicated, except for the feather.
Imagine the stares and glares if these two lovely ladies (P. Bea and Queen Rania) showed up somewhere together in the same dress; the previously posted pictures of P. Bea at the 2014 Ascot reminds me of orange peals. Let’s see some “normal” hats. These perchers are too artsy-craftsy for me (and probably at quite a dear price to boot!)
Thanks Ayesha for that link. Always interesting to see how someone else can look so different in the same piece of clothing!
I am not a fan of either of these hats. I think both hats just look to busy. I also don’t understand the style of wearing the hats so far forward on the head.
Agree that the single feather adornment on Pss E’s hat looks like an afterthought, but the rest of her outfit was fresh and pretty, I thought. Pss B’s dress maybe looked better in motion than in a still photo? I see both she and Queen Rania covered up with navy sweater/jackets. I think the added layer didn’t help.
Queen Rania’s outfit had long sleeves -that may have helped in drawing one’s eyes lower, lengthening (and slimming) the overall look. Beatrice’s sleeves ending right at her waist and accenting the width of her, er, derriere, didn’t do her any favors.