On Friday, Princess Anne was in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Beaumont-Hamel, the First World War battle that saw hundreds of Newfoundland soldiers slaughtered on the French battlefield in the opening day of the traumatic Battle of the Somme. For this event, the Princess Royal surprised in a new hat. A pale blue saucer, the design is trimmed with a slim bow and feathers on the crown as well as a pair of blue applique straw leaves placed on the underside of the raised brim. It’s an entirely new style and shape for Anne that works very well for her, thanks to the scale (it’s just the right size for her). While I wish it was a more saturated blue, I’m happy to see Anne in a stylish hat.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This is a new hat
You can see video of this ceremony at this CTV news article. What do you think of Princess Anne’s blue saucer hat?
Photos from CBC, VOCM and The Telegram
Royal Hats 
The Princess Royal looks spectacularly beautiful!!! This outfit is so beautiful on her and I am including the dark gloves, shoes and purse. It gives the outfit some punch and contrast while nude shoes would have been so disappointing and with pastels just are too pale. I love a little colour in a glove with an outfit and I think she is one of the best dressed Royals in a while, excepting Her Majesty who is always impeccable. Her outfit is flattering, with contrast and timeless – the very definition of royal elegance.
Anne has been wearing some pretty good hats lately this is one of them
A really elegant hat, and I particularly like the leaves on the brim, an unusual and effective touch.
Wow! I love this look on Anne! It looks lovely on her and it’s nice to see her trying a less daring hat.
She looks absolutely wonderful. Very appropriate for the ceremony and for the season. However, wish she had worn white gloves and nude court shoes instead of the dark gloves and black court shoes. She is such a hard working royal that I feel embarrassed to criticize her attire.
I really do think this saucer is one of the Princess’s best hats ever, and her hairstyle is good with it, and the colour and the leaf detailing are just right. I admire her greatly for her devotion to duty.
Anne does look great…a timeless elegance. The hat is just the right size as mentioned and she is a tireless worker for the “firm.”
I agree. She looks beautiful.
Love love love. I read the gloves as that deep saturated blue, not navy, and the purse as navy, not black, so neither really bother me. But then, the Princess Royal has all my respect for her hard work, unfailing loyalties, and quietness about all her duties and responsibilities. #Team Anne.
this is really lovely, the straw leaves on the underside are a really unusual touch that works very well.
Quite a nice hat on Anne.
The small photo I saw online yesterday really does not do the Princess Royal justice. She looks fabulous and the leaves wafting on the underside of her hat as the sun shines through are beautiful. Navy gloves aside, she gets 100+ percent.
Love, love, love this hat on Anne! Actually, I love her whole look. Yes, I agree a deeper color might have been more effective, but I think the effect of the leaves on the underside is spectacular. The only wrong note is that of the navy gloves and what looks like a black purse. Other than that, Anne was spot on in this outfit.
My God, is this Anne?! She looks wonderful. She can really do it, this shape is so good on her. (Let’s leave the navy gloves and bag for another day shall we…)
I can’t resist saying once again that I was ten feet away from her. The colour was really very pretty. The last photo is much more accurate as far as the colour goes. A lovely soft aqua that really suits her.
Princess Anne looks fabulous! The leaves show up beautifully when the sun shines through the brim of her hat. Such a pretty effect.
This is a fantastic hat for Anne! I think a saucer really fits her hairstyle well, and the color is very nice as well. The leaf detailing underneath is especially awesome. Hope we get to see this again, just not too soon, and not in 30 years either haha.
It’s interesting that Princess Anne wore this lovely new hat to lay a wreath at the War Memorial but removed it for the event that immediately followed at The Rooms, which included an outdoor ceremony, inspection of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, and unveiling of a museum exhibit on the province’s involvement in World War I. It was a hot, sunny day and I did wonder why she chose to remove the hat!
I love it and thought she looked so elegant and appropriate for this event.
It was lovely to see The Princess Royal trek over to Canada to remember the many Newfoundlanders who lost their lives in this battle.
Absolutely appropriate, and at the same time, very fetching. I love the straw leaves on the underside of the hat. I hope the Princess continues this trend.
A new hat for Princess Anne! I like the hat, its placement, its size and that the leaves visible in the brim. I certainly don’t object to Princess Anne’s recycling 30-year-old hats they’re intestinally designed but clearly dated, but her wearing new hat occasionally is a real treat! Well done!