to a pair of hats, worn 96 years ago. Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg might not be familiar faces but their youngest son certainly is. Princess Alice’s wide brimmed hat with tall crown and wide hatband certainly is a beauty.
Embed from Getty Images
Photo from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
An absolutely fabulous hat.
Nice hat, beautiful women!
Gorgeous hat. I LOVE the wide-brimmed hats of the 1920’s.
The composition of the shot seems to have some of the contrived “informality” we see in Balmoral photocalls of the same era. Although the princess is posing as the driver, neither of the couple is wearing motoring dress – the appropriate garb for a private trip in an open car. The hats they are wearing would tend to be blown off in an open vehicle, and the princess would certainly have felt the draught on her exposed throat without the protection of a motoring coat. (If the photo were a record of a formal public appearance in this car, neither would be shown in the driver’s seat.) For comparison, note the secure close-fitting hats and warm coats worn in contemporary pics of women dressed for driving open tourers: https://fascinationstreetvintage.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/motoring-coat-3.jpg?w=736 Here’s a leather coat and gloves: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/28/c0/78/28c078dc046f8c77159d48db5c40a882–s-style-photography-women.jpg
Great analysis, mcncln! I still love the hat, though.
classic
Agreed!…these hats are timeless and it would be fun to know what color they were. I love the flashback posts.
I know photography has been around since the 1800s, but it still always amazes me to see photographs from so long ago! Great photo of this royal couple, and I agree about the timelessness of both his and her styles.
I like this very much – as Jimbo says it could easily be worn today.
Either hat could be worn today, and the princess’s is wonderfully dramatic. It’s a shame we may never know what color it was.
This photo was taken in January of 1921, when Princess Alice (or Princess Andrew?) was 4 months pregnant with Philip.