We conclude our look at the hats seen Saturday for Trooping the Colour with those worn by members of the Gloucester and Kent families. It’s always wonderful to see the Duchess of Kent at this event and rather disappointing there is not a better view of her hat to share. It looks to be a lavender pillbox, likely in straw, trimmed with a large spray of face-framing feathers on the side.
UPDATE- thanks to avid royal watcher and photographer Paul Ratcliffe for sharing this photo of the Duchess, just for us! This view confirms her hat is a high lavender textured straw bandeau, with feather trim framing the right side of her face. The colour is lovely on Katharine and the bandeau style suits her bobbed haircut really well. It’s a fresh and modern headpiece that proves cutting edge style is possible at any age!
Designer: I believe it is Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Lady Helen Taylor repeated the white homberg crowned ht with upswept brim and navy bow trim we saw her wear to this event last year, with an added red and fuchsia hued silk flower on the front of the hat. The addition of this flower transforms the hat (hiding the distinctive crown shape makes it appear to be a different style) and firmly ties the colour palate to Helen’s fuchsia printed dress. Seeing this transformation makes me wonder why we don’t see such minor millinery renovations on more royal hats! Helen’s sister-in-law, Lady Nicholas Windsor, wore a dusky pink straw button based percher hat trimmed with large silk roses and dotted net tulle veil.
Designer of Helen’s hat: Stephen Jones
Previously Worn: June 17, 2017
Designer of Paola’s hat: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this is new
Lady Helen’s younger daughter, Estella Taylor, seen below on the far right, wore a button based cocktail hat in natural straw, trimmed with cream, ecru and grey fabric rosettes and a grey net tulle veil.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this is new
While Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Gloucester were in attendance, they did not appear in any photographs.
UPDATE- Again, avid royal watcher and photographer Paul Ratcliffe comes to our rescue! My deepest thanks to Paul for posting these photos just for our benefit! Princess Alexandra repeated her dove grey straw with tall, flat crown and cartwheel brim trimmed with a large straw knotted bow and a swath of dotted net tulle overlaying the hat’s brim. The Duchess of Gloucester repeated her black pillbox with new addition of a black tulle veil.
Designer of Alexandra’s hat: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: June 6, 2009 and likely others
Designer of Brigitte’s hat: unknown. My guess is Lock and Co.
Previously Worn: March 19, 2013; June 20, 2011; Oct 9, 2009; June 03, 2006
Lady Rose Gilham was also in attendance on the Buckingham Palace balcony this year in a slate blue-grey vertical saucer hat trimmed with a bow and feathers.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this is new
Julia Ogilvy, who recently graduated from the Harvard Divinity School, paired her dotted grey dress with a tall grey straw stovepipe hat with cartwheel brim trimmed with an exquisite spray of straw roses and leaves. Flora Ogilvy repeated the wide brimmed cream straw picture hat with square crown and large, layered side bow that she seems to have permanently appropriated from her mother’s millinery closet! And no wonder, as it’s a wonderful, classic and clearly versatile hat.
Designer of Julia’s hat: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this is new
Designer of Flora’s hat: unknown
Previously Worn: June 17, 2017; June 11, 2016; originally worn by Julia June 15, 2006
Zenouska Mowatt topped her vibrant pink, lilac, orange and white patterned dress with a textured white straw beret percher hat trimmed with curling white feathers and a pink and orange straw knotted flying bow. There’s a lot of texture going on in this piece and while I really like its idiosyncratic creativity, I’m not convinced it complements or relates enough with the dress to work well together.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Michael of Kent used the occasion to début a new hat. In almond straw, the design features a flat crown and wide, cartwheel brim and is simply trimmed with a wide straw hatband. Marie-Christine favours dramatic millinery statements and this one feels surprisingly sedate and traditional for her. It’s another versatile piece I think we’ll see again many times in years to come.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn:This hat is new
Lady Frederick Windsor topped her beautifully cut suit with an ecru straw vertical saucer hat trimmed with a cream feather lotus flower and slim, curling straw tails. The steep diagonal lines of the hat work so well with the similar line on the hem of Sophie’s jacket. This is not a hat I’d be drawn to on its own but with this suit, forms a really lovely ensemble.
Designer: Siggi Hats. It is S18-459 from SS 2018. Suit from Catherine Walker
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Lady Gabriella Windsor wore a cream straw hat with angular crown and gently sideswept brim, trimmed with straw twists and a handful of white silk sweet peas. It’s a style, scale and colour of hat we’ve seen often on Gabriella but one that she carries so well. The open neck of her blue coat dress is a particularly effective compliment to the lines of the hat and the two pieces join to create a beautifully balanced look.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Royal Hats 
What a delight to see Katie Kent out again, and in such a wonderful hat! The bandeau works well on her, and pairs nicely with her outfit. It looks like the base is covered in a wider netting of some sort and the feather petals also frame everything amazingly. Brava!
Can’t tell if I’m more or less perplexed by Lady Helen’s hat this year; the addition of the bright pink roses seems to help, but her dress is rather odd for my tastes. Oh well, she always manages to keep us guessing! Paola looks nice in her cocktail hat, but like usual, she goes neutral and it doesn’t make a splash like others do. Estella Taylor’s cocktail hat is a good choice for her and looks great overall, but I wonder if the base should be an inch (or a few centimeters, whichever you prefer) smaller as it seems to overwhelm her forehead slightly.
Have we really not seen this grey hat on Alexandra since 2009? I guess she has others that look similar enough, but I really like this one and hope we don’t have to wait almost a decade to see it again. The pillbox shape always works well for Birgitte, but I wouldn’t mind seeing some more brimmed hats for her; also, the netting on this hat makes it look too funereal for my tastes, even when paired with her pale blue outfit (that necklace is awesome though!). Lady Rose’s disc hat is a safe choice for her, but I think the angle is too severe, and the color and trim are rather boring unfortunately.
It’s great to see a new hat on Julia Ogilvy, and this silver-grey is a fabulous color for her! I think the crown may be a bit high, but overall definitely worth repeating again! If Flora is going to continue to wear this hat, especially to the same event, multiple years in a row, then she needs to try some colorful outfits instead of going beige-cream monochrome again. I think an orchid purple-colored outfit would look great on her! It’s always good to see Zenouska out, and I love her whole ensemble! I think the hat does pair excellently with her dress, which is a fun combo of colors and random stripes.
Marie-Christine: you get the chance to debut a new hat, and this is what you choose? A large brim always suits her, but enough of the beige already! I like Sophie’s asymmetrical blazer with the ruffles for something modern, but I’m not such a fan of her hat; something in the bolder bluescale would’ve made more of a statement. Gabriella’s hat finally isn’t completely cream in color! It’s a gorgeous hat for her, and I love its pairing with this blue dress and light coral shoes.
I must say I am a sucker for the larger picture style hats, therefore Princess Alexandra, Princess Michael, Gabriella and Flora are automatic wins for me. I also really like Lady Frederick’s hat and perching it at that angle mimics the cut of her jacket. Zenouska’s hat if fine but I think if she could have changed one of the flying bows to that bright pink to match her dress it would have been a wow.
Might anyone tell me, please, who are the two little blond boys in the sailor suits?
Grandsons of the Duke and Duchess of Kent, sons of Lord and Lady Nicholas Windsor
Yes, that does help. Thank you for the kind reply.
Thank you, Paul Ratcliffe, for contributing the photos! It wouldn’t be Trooping with a view of the two Duchesses and Princess Alexandra. I like the face-framing effect of the Duchess of Kent’s lavender. The Duchess of Gloucester’s black pillbox is a classic piece, but I’d prefer a lighter color for this occasion.
I’m appreciating that a white or cream picture hat is the way to go for the royals who don’t have many hat-wearing occasions! Lady Gabriella’s is the best of this bunch, and an excellent match to that beautiful blue coat.
And what fun to get more views of the royal tots and their hijinks!
These are all lovely and suit their wearers beautifully. If forced to pick a favorite, I’d go with Julia Ogilvy’s grey hat. Though I also love the way the angle of Sophie’s hat echoes the fall of her suit jacket. Estella Taylor has picked up her mom’s hat wearing talent.
HatQueen, if I can comment here, breaking the large events up by family is an excellent idea. It makes is so much easier to keep track of the comments as they come in, and I’m sure is easier for you to sort out the photos and information as well, so thanks!
I’m glad it works for you as well as it works for me!
I will have to look at the family tree. Who is Zenouska Mowatt and to which line does she belong? Lovely hats though.
Lara, Zenouska Mowatt is the daughter of Paul Mowatt and Marina Ogilvy. Her mother Marina is the daughter of Princess Alexandra and Sir Angus Ogilvy.
As Matthew said, she is Princess Alexandra’s granddaughter. She usually stands with her cousin Flora Ogilvy and aunt and uncle, James & Julia Ogilvy on the balcony at Trooping the Colour. Her mother, Marina, and brother, Christian, have not attended royal events for a long time.
I think you’ll find that the Duchess of Kent’s hat was a Jane Taylor design
Thanks, Penny!
Lady Gabriella’s hat and blue coat are beautiful! I also love Julia Ogilvy’s hat. Gray can be tricky but that hat is stunning!
I also really like large hats on Princess Michael – she looks chic as ever at this event. I think Lady Frederick Windsor’s hat looks quite fetching on her.
It’s so nice to see the Duchess of Kent attending events again. Her hat looks quite charming. It’s also wonderful to see Lady Frederick Windsor looking so well, not to mention chic, after her terrifying accident. Her suit and hat are very smart. Lady Gabriella also looks very elegant. It really looks like the family all had a wonderful time on the balcony, although the Duke of Edinburgh was truly missed.
From this bunch, Princess Michael, Lady Gabriella, and Lady Frederick Windsor look extremely graceful and refined. They’re always a pleasure to see, but I’m not particularly surprised by any of their looks- they usually look very good at this. I do like the big hats on Princess Michael, and this one is lovely. In the far away picture, I was enamored with Zenouska Mowatt, but up close I care for it a little less. My very favorite hat here is the Duchess of Kent, with Julia Ogilvy as a runner up. The purple/lavender looks great on the Duchess and I wish we had a better close up of it.