Princess Anne attended Ladies’ Day today in her second new hat this week, a design in pale blue straw with diagonal crown and mushroom brim. The hat is trimmed with blue and cream feathers (including a blue maribou boa hatband!) and silk flowers and leaves.
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Christie: This is a different colour on Princess Anne. How lovely! The Milliner has done a great job matching the sinamay colour to that really subtle colour in her gorgeous jacket. How elegant and beautiful is the material in it! It also looks as if the brim and crown have some interesting contours in their blocks. I’d love to see what they look like! The only thing I’d say is that I’m not a fan off fluff and pearls – I would just stick with a colour matched sinamay bind and let the trim and shape of the hat speak for itself.
Jill: This really is a lovely color on Princess Anne and the overall lightness is quite nice with her suit. I am not a huge fan of the maribou feathers around the crown and that flower definitely has too many leaves but overall I think it’s really great on her. It’s so nice to see her in some new pieces and embracing something a bit more modern.
Fiona: I love the style of her coat today and again a beautiful collar detail. But I think Anne is a little washed out in the pale blue/mint green. I like that she is wearing a wider brim hat today, but an upturn would have been more elegant. The colour of the trimming detail in the hat – though it is matching the cream and beige threads running though the coat, are not entirely to my liking, would have preferred something a little more structured in the trimming rather than this mishmash of flower, marabou, stripped coque and God knows what else is in there!
Royal Hats: Two new hats for Princess Anne within a week won’t see me complaining! It’s a pretty colour and I echo Jill that it’s SO nice to see her in a more modern shape. Is it overtrimmed? Of course! The maribou does leave me speechless. It’s not what comes to mind when I think of Princess Anne and if I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t believe it.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This hat is new
So far, all of Princess Anne’s Ascot hats this year have been pieces less than five years old- quite astonishing from our favourite royal hat recycler! What do you think of this new design?
Royal Hats 
It’s a real grandma hat. Since she’s a grandma…. I guess it’s OK?
I don’t care for the marabou hatband on this one. I hope Anne is not going to do a lot of this crown shape – it needs to pass on when her mom is gone and not be one that is handed down.
So who got stuck in the feather factory when it was raining glue? You all know how I’m such a fan of Anne, but … the shape of the hat is great, the proportion is nice on her … but the trim. My goodness, the trim. Take off the feather boa (good lord) and the feather and spray behind the roses and then we’ll see. There’s possibly a nice, smart hat lurking in there.
I am amazed and pleased to see Princess Anne in something that is new and she looks absolutely great in this color.
I don’t know who made P. Anne’s hat, but the trimming reminds me of (and I know this is not probable) some of Angela Kelly’s excesses on the Queen’s hats.
The trim and the shape both seem very Angela Kelly to me. Could the queen have had AK make something for Anne as a gift, perhaps?
This is a great look for Anne in my opinion. Understated elegance. I too am glad to see some new things for Anne, while I applaud the re-wearing of these expensive outfits but wearing the dress she wore to Charles and Diana’s wedding not that long ago (and I sure wish I could fit into the dresses I wore 20 years ago) is going a bit far.
The Princess Royal’s new suits and hats are indeed an exciting to see. I would really like to see her taking this light, clean, simplified look a lot further in her hats (and clothes), by ditching the usual soft “New Romantic” decorative features (flowers, feathers, ruffles, chintzy floral prints) completely – as Fiona suggests. On Anne, “prettiness” tends to look fussy and overdone . But modernism – minimalism, clean lines, bold geometries and colour blocking – would look AMAZING on her.
Doesn’t every woman love a romantic hat! This gives some softness to Anne and the colour is perfect with her suit (which is gorgeous!). If some of the feathers were removed I think it could be a perfect hat for Anne!
I agree Princess Anne looks lovely in this hat and outfit. I hope we see it recycled one day soon minus the feather boa trim. Is it just me or does it look like the brim of this hat has been squashed in in places?
What a great hat shape on Anne, the colour is fab too. And hey, if she had some extra help from a drag queen in trimming her hat, whom am I to dislike the maribou – it’s kind of fun!
New to the web site, hopeful of learning more about “hats”!! I had absolutely no intention of jumping into any discussions but the urge overtook me here. Personally, I was thrilled to see Princess Anne in this color, style, fabrics, and hat!! She looks dy-no-mite! This is all so much more feminine. It looks light, cool, fresh, almost soft. All the fru-fru on the hat is wonderful – isn’t this Ascot? It’s Spring and Princess Anne looks entirely ready to embrace the Season. She has pushed on those personal comfort boundaries and as a result she looks fresh, new and truly in style. From a novice’s point of view she was quite a pleasant surprise. Lovely, perfectly lovely.
Welcome here, Cathi!
I like the softness for a change in her choice here. Pleasant colour. The hat is over trimmed .
Might have a heart attack at all the new hats for Anne! But seriously, this is a great one for her. My only complaints about this hat: I don’t like the feathered hatband (a simple grosgrain or even just sinamay band would’ve sufficed very nicely), and I wish it was tilted a little farther back on her head so we could see her face better.
As with the Queen and my estimation of her hat in person vs. in photos, this hat on the Princess Royal looks completely different here than what I saw during the Royal Procession. In person it was just a white hat. I love the more contemporary shape on Princess Anne but I surely didn’t see the beautiful, but definitely subtle coloring.
I am surprised that with all the many splendid offerings on display I have enjoyed seeing Princess Anne’s efforts as much as I have. Is it the milliner who is being so extravagant with the trim or is it the Princess who keeps asking for more? I do like her in more vibrant colors.