King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima continued the second day of their state visit to Great Britiain today with visits to Downing Street,Pop Brixton in South London and the Thames River where they watched a joint British and Dutch naval demonstration. For this day of events, Queen Máxima gave a nod to her UK hosts, wearing a new hat by London-based Irish milliner Philip Treacy.
In luxurious black felt, the blocked design follows a teardrop shape with deep crease down the middle and is simply trimmed with a single black quill and anchored by two black jeweled beads. The design is all about line and shape – both of which make a major statement even amidst the design’s restrained simplicity and are beautifully highlighted with the wonderful sheen of that velvet fur felt.
On its own, the hat is interesting but combined with this black beaded magenta dress, black accessories (including those sharp drop earrings) and another exquisitely styled chignon, the overall look is magnificent. Choosing a hat made by the host nation during a state visit is always a lovely touch styling it into a look like this is diplomatic dressing on a whole other level.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Philip Treacy. It is OC 497 from AW 2018. Dress by Oscar de la Renta.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new
Royal Hats 
I just love Maxima. With her gorgeous smile, she can pull off any look, but some how this hat reminds me of Gufram’s Becca sofa
I adore Queen Maxima’s entire look. The lush hat stood out against her beautiful bright pink dress. Just striking! She really knocked it out of the park on this State visit.
I love the netting on the pillbox hat worn by the Countess of Wessex. Her suit is so stylish, and I love it paired with the pillbox. She looks fabulous.
And even though The Queen did not wear a hat on the final day, she looks like she enjoyed this visit immensely, and is dressed impeccably as always.
Netting on the Countess of Wessex’s pillbox? I don’t see any netting. Do you mean the texture of the knotted straw?
Magnificent!
Maxima’s hat is sleek and stylish and with that bit of zaniness that at her best she does so well. My only quibble is that it further elongates her look (and she is already tall). I would have liked a hat with a little more side volume/interest to balance her height and the width of her skirt. Maybe her skirt could come up a few centimetres too. Sophie’s pillbox suits her well. That picture of her next to Max shows her natural beauty and beautiful eyes. Her skirt (not seen ) might have come down a centimetre or so for better effect.me.
Maxima’s hat is absolutely stunning! Such an original shape. I love it. The combination with her dress and earrings is perfection.
Maxima’s hat is a masterpiece, with a completely deceptive simplicity that belies its careful design. It wouldn’t work without the shape and the materials being absolutely spot on. I also like Sophie’s classic pillbox, very different from her usual bolder hats, but works so well with the suit. I think it’s classic pillbox placement too, and suits the style.
I love love love max and sophie especially here. The pink and black on max are great and I love the simple dramatic trim on Max’s hat. And Sophie should wear this shape more often. It’s really great, I love the proportion and the texture.
Two stellar looks from these ladies, and don’t they look like they’re having a ball together.
This is Máx full volume, on anyone else this is ridiculous, but she gets away with it. It’s quite something and one of my bests of the year. Sophie’s beloved blue suit gets a very 60s makeover here and she looks fab.
I agree with you JamesB! Queen Maxima looks fabulous and this Philip Treacy hat is to die for, so velvety and interesting, and this look is a candidate for “best outfit of the year” for me. Now Sophie’s new hat is lovely and one that I would like in my millinery closet. Love the texture, placement and the pork-pie crown is my favorite style instead of just a flat crown. It’s been a great 2 days of hats!
You’ve said everything I need to say!!!!! Great hats and I hope to see them worn again and again!
an unexpected nice nod to the hosts, maybe Maxima wil wear more Philip Treacy, who knows.
Forgot to say: HM looks great in that suit! I wonder what the hat is like?
I read that the Queen wore the suit and hat going to church at Balmoral – of course it was only seen in the car !!😊
It looks like this!
Oh, those car shots! Thanks, Nonie and HQ. looks very promising.
Fascinating shape of Máxima’s new Philip Treacy, almost more like a heart than a teardrop. And what beautiful shimmer! It would be tempting to go with a brimmed hat to balance the volume of the dress, but this is perfect.
Beautiful texture on Sophie’s. While it’s not in the same league as her Ascot showstoppers, it’s a nifty addition to her working wardrobe.
I was really surprised Máxima chose to wear a Treacy hat as she seems so devoted to Delvigne, but this one fit her personality so well, and went perfectly with her amazing dress!
I really like Sophie’s pillbox, despite it’s simplicity. I think the knotted sisal and this particular shade of navy make for exquisite details, especially when combined with her fabulous outfit.
It’s unfortunate we didn’t get more royal hats out of this visit, but we were treated to some beauties (most of them new!) this time, and I’m grateful for that!
I think they all know each other pretty well … Edward and Sophie to go the weddings and birthday celebrations for the European Royal Families when Charles doesn’t go !! Just by watching their interactions with other Royals seems they’re well liked !! 😊😊
I love Sophies whole outfit – she looks bright and modern and just lovely ! Maxima – what can I say ? She’s the “lightbulb” she even made the Duke of Kent smile !! Her outfit is fabulous and so colourful … you can’t help but enjoy her can you ? This was a wonderful visit – it had everything … smiles,diamonds,beautiful clothes (on the men as well as the women !😊) it seemed like everybody upped their game – it was a glorious 2 days .. well it was for me ! 😊
I admit I just love Maxima’s outfit – very refined, colourful and stylish all at the same time. The hat is exquisite and so well balanced with the bright dress and black embroidery. Those earring are the icing on the cake. I think she intentionally went “low key” (by Maxima’s definition) yesterday for the day events – as she spent most of the time with Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth, so maybe she was careful not to upstage her. Meanwhile the evening white tie gala – that was a splendid showcase of Maxima’s truly regal style (and we DID get to see the Spencer tiara!!).
I think Sophie’s outfit is alright, I don’t love it though. Maybe because this Oldfield combo feels now outdated (I did like it at its first outing – but now first thing I noticed is how short the dress is and also a little too tight) or maybe I feel that we’ve seen so many navy outfits on all royals that I am a little underwhelmed by yet another one. Hat is alright as well, nothing to write home about. Also it feels like it’s placed somewhat awkwardly (I get the impression it will fall of Sophie’s head any minute now).
Will we see a post on last night’s gala? I am curious of your thoughts on the tiaras….
Gorgeous look for Queen Máxima! And yes, she has that “lightbulb” quality (thank you Nonie!), shining from the inside when interacting with other people.
I think the Countess of Wessex’s ensemble very stylish. Not spectacular, but a beautiful, elegant look for a “hostess”. (Hostesses take care not to outshine their guest, don’t they ?) As for the pillbox, it’s placement seems all right to me. It is supposed to be sitting at the back of the head and will be kept in place with combs or clips sewn into the grosgrain ribbon.
I too hoped for a post on the gala dinner. Royalty watchers in the Netherlands have been climbing up the curtains with joy, so to speak, for seeing the Stuart diamond come out of its box after more than forty years. (Last worn by Queen Juliana for another visit to Queen Elisabeth in the early 70’s.) And there were many more wonderful tiara’s to be admired. (One Dutch commenter even named it the Battle of Bling!)
You’ll see the tiaras in Saturday’s ‘extras’ post!
As far as I’m aware there was no ‘Spencer tiara’. Perhaps you mean the Queen Mary Lover’s Knot tiara which was loaned by The Queen to Diana, Princess of Wales, during her life.
Wow! I love Max”s hat with that dress. What a wonderful way to style this hat! The dress and hat complement each other without taking away from each other. And Sophie going retro looks very good. It isn’t a wow, but it is a great hat and I love the the texture on it.
Fantastic hats! And it looks like a wonderful rapport has developed between Sophie and Maxima. How lovely.