Members of Belgium’s royal family attended an annual mass to commemorate deceased relatives and ancestors yesterday at the Church of Our Lady in Brussels. Queen Mathilde used the occasion to debut a new black calot hat trimmed in overlaid stripes and a large twisted circle of textured black roughly woven fabric.
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Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Marie-Esméralda, King Albert’s half sister, wore an oversize chocolate felt fedora with relaxed brim piped in lighter cafe-au-lait hued ribbon. A patterned hatband in the same two shades finished the piece with a sharp bit of contrast that made the relaxed design look a bit more formal.
Previously Worn: I suspect this hat is new
Previously Worn: Feb 19, 2013
Princess Sibilla of Luxembourg, who is cousin-in-law to King Philippe and his siblings, wore a simple black pillbox hat on the back of her head. It’s a classic millinery choice very fitting for such an event as this.
Previously Worn: Dec 12, 2014 and likely others
Royal Hats 
Queen Mathilde’s calot hat looks as if it is made of “laize de paille”, an old fashioned material of structured (artificial) straw. Laize is woven like fabric, and rather coarse.
Princess Léa’s fedora definitely looks as if it is worn backwards, I wonder why ! Made she just liked to change.
The hat worn by Queen Mathilde seemed to either be too small or set too far back on her head. For whatever reason, the scarf she had wrapped around her neck bothered me more though. After she removed her coat and scarf, the total ensemble seemed to work perfectly. It was nice seeing the other members of the Belgian family.
I agree that the texture on Mathilde’s hat is a nice contrast, but it’s messy in the details. Also, she wears so many calots, so I think a simpler cocktail percher hat here would’ve been a good departure from her usual style.
Marie-Esméralda looks good in her fedora, and while I know others have worn brown to this event in the past, but I just don’t think brown is an appropriate color for funerals and memorials. Call me old-fashioned, I know!
Léa’s fedora is nice, but it’s interesting how it is tilted over her left eye instead of the right, and that makes it seem a bit off to me. Also, the last time she wore this hat, the bow was on the opposite side, so I wonder which time she was wearing it backwards. I also think a fedora worked better with her pantsuit compared to other hat styles.
Sibilla’s pillbox didn’t excite, but it worked well with her voluminous hair. I still prefer her in larger brims though, as she can wear them quite well!
No so surprised Astrid didn’t wear a hat (although her black cartwheel Dior New Look hat would’ve been a great choice), but I would’ve thought Paola would’ve at least wore some sort of veil to this event.