While there are still a few more hats and headpieces to look through from yesterday’s christening in Sweden, I’ll save those for Monday and get on with our regular weekend review.
Infanta Elena and another fedora at a bullfight. ‘Nuff said. (Hola)
Princess Kiko in a prim white hat with blue pleated hatband to accompany her son, Prince Hisahito, on his birthday visit to the Imperial Palace (Getty)
Reader Laura passed on this retrospective of Queen Elizabeth and 30 hats worn to Ascot (Good Housekeeping)
Speaking of Ascot…I have long thought that one of the UK royals should collaborate with Scottish milliner William Chambers. This ostrich trimmed hat he shared this week would make SUCH a fantastic statement at the races!
Belgian milliner Fabienne Delvigne shared a peek at this new design – I wonder if we’ll see it again soon on a young Belgian or Dutch princess?!
Lovely photo shared by Princess Madeleine of young Prince Nicolas meeting a new equestrian friend (Princess Madeleine Facebook)
The British Royal family spotted today, headed out for a Highland picnic (Daily Mail)
Royal Hats 
this is a picture of the FD children’s collection of 2011, we had them in different colours in our shop at the time
I enjoyed seeing the Good Housekeeping retrospective on the Queen’s Ascot hats. Of the ones I hadn’t seen before I like the soft little number she wore in 1951. It seems so feminine and framed her face so well. Her styles got rather severe in the 60s except for the strange be flowered turbans and have remained more rigid and straight angled for the most part except for some lampshade hats covered in fabric or tulle which I sometimes like. I do appreciate the Queen Mother finding a pretty style and sticking with it. But of course the Queen’s adventures in hat wearing make for the most interesting viewing.
The William Chambers hat looks perfect for Princess Haya. It would be lovely on the Countess of Wessex, but I think she’d want it scaled down.
That hat would be PERFECT on Haya!
I went to Buckingham Palace and saw the exhibition of the Queen’s wardrobe a few days ago. It was very impressive to see so many outfits that are known through iconic photos. There is one area which acts as a sort of corridor, which has glass cases filled with hats all along one side, I’d say probably 60-70 of them. They are grouped by designer. It was an impressive selection. Large numbers immediately conjured up the 1960s and 1970s vividly, and I can’t myself imagine them being seen as attractive again… That was a phase of brimless hats of all kinds, with embellishments often sprouting from the crown. Others, from the mid-1980s onwards, are still elegant to my mind (for instance the one the Queen wore for Prince Andrew’s wedding). The most recent outfit was the lime green one worn for Trooping the Colour this year. The exhibition was really interesting. It does make me wonder about the (physical) extent of the Queen’s wardrobe, though! I’m assuming that there are in effect two, one of clothes, hats etc that have been retired and have been selected for preservation, and the other of stuff that the Queen might choose to wear again. It must be really difficult to preserve all these items. Some of the older hats have obviously had the best care they could have received, but don’t look fresh (very slight dips, trim slightly limp etc).
I enjoyed looking at the Queen’s Ascot fashion. I wonder if the photo for 1970, I think it was (with the Queen in pale peach), has been reversed? The Queen is wearing a brooch on her left shoulder (viewer’s left), which I don’t think I’ve ever seen her do before, and she’s also sitting on the right hand side of the carriage, whereas I’ve only ever noticed her in the place on the left. I was thinking both the Queen’s and Prince Philip’s faces looked slightly unfamiliar, which would be explained by them being reversed, but that may be my imagination!
Very possible- there are several other archive photos of them that have been reversed as well.
The picture is indeed reversed, as HM’s coat is buttoned “incorrectly.” Is Philip wearing the same infamous grey topper here, as well as the picture from 1952? Amazing!
The William Chambers hat is GORGEOUS. Reminds me of Vicountess Linley at Royal Ascot 1994
So true about the Viscountess Sassy! I also love this Chambers hat.
The Delvigne helmet hat is very unusual, especially for a child, and I would love to see it from a few different angles.