Next up, we have Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein who wore a black straw picture hat covered in feathers.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Fiona: This is a fun hat stuffed with yards of chinchilla boa. Love the way the feathers move with the tiniest bit of a breeze. Paired with a simple black dress, overall it works well. I think she could have gone with a more tailored dress and the length could have been somewhat shorter, she is a maybe little drowned in it.
Christie: I love this look! How much fun. I’d like to see this hat on an angle, with different earrings and possibly a necklace, but otherwise bravo Princess Haya. You can see she’s already enjoying wearing this hat.
Royal Hats: It’s tough to pull off a hat that follows such a pyramid shape but the softness of the feathers somehow makes the shape work. Unfortunately, I think the dress’ awkward length is dragging the whole look down. Such a shame. It is SUCH a fun hat that would be so much better with a different dress.
Jill: I am torn, I adore the whimsy of the ostrich feathers and the playfulness of the look (so fun when the wind blows) and I think the soft black and white does a lot to liven up her rather sedate black dress. That said, the look feels flat on her. I think even a single solid plume or spine angled up across the front could have made all the difference to add a little height and bring her up and out of the hat. Princess Haya always has great hats though and I have no doubt she will wow us in the coming days!
Designer: Philip Treacy. I think it is a bespoke version of OC950 from AW 2015
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Previously Worn: This hat is new
It seems that we have mixed opinions on Princess Haya’s hat. Tell us, dearest readers- what do you think of this design?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Princess Haya is such a joy to see at these events – she brings her own je ne sais quoi. I love this hat – its movement most of all. I’m trying to imagine how it might look paired with, say, a full skirt. But I think she has probably made the right choice. Haya, like me, is short of limb and that poses all sorts of problems if you are also, as she is, deliciously curvaceous (I’ve gone beyond delicious curves, but never mind that). And may I say that I am particularly pleased by her restraint when it comes to embellishment. Even a brooch might have been a little too much for such a hat, although I am left wondering if a long string of pearls might not have been master stroke.
Love the big hat and think that a simple dress was the only way to go with this hat.
Yes but not that dress! The hat has so great but the dress pulls the whole thing down down down.
This is a very pretty overall look.
Love the hat!
Mr. Fitzroy, I have to agree with your comment. I am not a fan of her solid black dress; the length up is too long for such a petite woman and it needs some embellishment. The best thing about everything is her smile! She looks like she is having a wonderful day!
This hat is fabulous! I look forward to Royal Ascot mainly for Princess Haya’s hats. She wears them with such aplomb!
The dress is “meh” and I think if she had a gorgeous “swishy” skirt, her entire look would have been better. That being said, she is one gorgeous lady!
I couldn’t imagine how this hat could actually be worn at angle, even though that seemed better than dead horizontal, but the model in the HatQueen’s link from the designer proves it can be done in a studio, at least! (I’m not sure I’d like to be wearing that hat in a stiff breeze at any angle! Hat experts: how much does such a hat weigh?) Yes, agree the dress is not successful–but the princess is clearly very happy. I like her bearing.
The dress is extremely unflattering. Pictures 2, 3 and 4 make the hat look a little like an untrimmed shrub, but picture 1, taken at a lower angle, is much more interesting.
I loved her hat from last year and cannot stop comparing the two. The Princess sure can pick hats that give us something to talk about. She looks so happy.
Good hat for Ascot – but I would have liked to have seen the brim not quite so straight across – a bit of a crimp in it would have been nice.
To me it looks like she’s got baby breathes (flowers) on her head. I think the hat would be lovely in movement or when the wind blows.
I wish the brim of this hat was a bit more slopped to give it a bit more dimension, or put at a bit of an angle so the shape would feel less severe and platter-like. The feathers are definitely fun, and I totally agree this dress is not very flattering for the hat or Haya. This is Ascot, and this dress is very boring to me. Looking forward to what else she has in store this week.
Argh, not “slopped”, but “sloped”.
Only at Ascot! This looks bulky and shapeless in the photos. The sweep of the hat and effect of the feathers is probably much better in person.
Love the hat – hate the dress! It’s too long and really does ruin the overall look. That said, I love this lady and can forgive 1 very ordinary look.
I love the hat and Princess Haya pulls it off so well. I saw Princess Haya at Royal Ascot some years ago and she is a true beauty, the day we saw her she was wearing a sapphire necklace with sapphires nearly as big as hen eggs…amazing.
Hedgehog convention comes to mind….Mind you, very elegant hedgehogs, having a great deal of fun.
The hat like the professionals have said is fun.