Members of the royal family spending Christmas in Norfolk joined Queen Elizabeth for traditional Christmas Day service at St. Mary Magdalene Church. The Queen wore a new outfit and hat again this year in pale dove grey with fuchsia trim. The hat, covered in the same wool silk crepe as the coat, features an upturned kettle brim and flat crown and is trimmed with a wide fuchsia hatband and a large grey ostrich feather wrapped around design.
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I so want to like this hat but I’m afraid the dull colour and feather trim fall flat for me… not to mention the awfully distracting pink trim on the coat.
Embed from Getty ImagesDesigner: Looks like Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: This hat is new
The Duchess of Cambridge looked festive in a burgundy velvet kokoshnik style headpiece. Kate has worn several hats of this design this year and while this one links around the back in a circle, the raised kokoshnik shape and fluted bow at the back save the headpiece from looking like an open crowned doughnut. The pairing of this hat with Kate’s stunning red coat and burgundy accessories works beautifully, especially for such an unexpected colour pairing.
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Designer: Jane Taylor; it is a bespoke version of the “Halo” design from AW 2018. Coat by Catherine Walker
Previously Worn: This hat is new
The Duchess of Sussex also repeated one of her go-to hat shapes this fall, a formed beret in black felt. The blue ombre dipped goose feathers and black flying crin bow on this hat make for wonderful trimming, adding some life to the piece and bringing Meghan’s black and navy ensemble together. What a great new hat to add to her wardrobe (and from a new milliner, too!).
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Embed from Getty Images
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Royal Hats 
Just a note to say “sorry”. I replied to the Christmas posts the other day, remarking that another hair style would show the hats to better advantage on some of the younger ladies. It was there for a little while and then removed. I enjoy this blog and I was not trying to be critical-just express my opinion. I will not post again because I truly do not mean to be judgemental and don’t want to appear so.
Merry Christmas everyone! And thanks again, dearest HatQueen, for your outstanding work. So much fun for all of us here.
I’m probably among the few who really like HM’s hat and outfit. It’s different, it’s so Queen Mary, it’s fun and brave! I like everything about it. Thank God she does not turn up in boring outfits like Kate or Meghan – of course both of them looking very good. But oh so boring.
Kate’s hat is my favorite of this bunch. I do also love the Queen’s. I didn’t love the pink edging on her coat though. Meghan’s look is great in total but I do have to say the feather’s reminded me of helicopter blades.
Meghan’s hat is my fave. Yes, it’s a style we’ve seen her wear before. But I love the combination with the blue feathers
Kate looks good. I like the rich fabric and color.
The color for the Queen is not the best one. So I understand they wanted bright pink to make her stand out in the crowd. But the hat looks a little bit messy with that huge feather.
The Queen’s hat and outfit are not my favourites, but I think they do fulfill the purpose of enabling her to be seen at a distance – and the pink braid adds some definition to an otherwise rather amorphous look.
Meghan’s hat is the most interesting and successful one of this shape that we’ve seen on her, I think.
I thought at first that Kate was wearing a pill box, and was disappointed to see that it’s a crownless affair. However, I have to say that I think this is the best interpretation of a crownless hat I’ve ever seen! I even quite like it seen from behind…
Like Matthew, I thought this was a fun change from what we often see for HM. I do agree the details are messy, but the overall look is good. If there had been only the one feather that’s swooping up over the crown, then I think we would like this trim more, but adding an additional one hides the hatband too much and makes things too messy unfortunately. If the bound edge of the coat was solid magenta, then I would like it more. The brooch, of course, is beautiful and helps bring everything together. I just wish she would’ve repeated this gorgeous hat: https://royalhats.net/2018/01/22/sunday-church-in-norfolk/.
Kate is wearing a beautiful color that’s perfect for the holiday, but I would’ve preferred a pillbox to this halo design. Or better yet, bringing back this ghost of Christmas past: https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fashion/photo-gallery/41686019/image/41685999/Kate-matched-her-hat-her-coat-Christmas-Day-service.
I though Meghan looked lovely and this particular cocktail beret hat is a better shape than many others she has worn, but I do agree with JamesB that she needs to add some other colors to her wardrobe.
So sad we had to miss Camilla!
The Queen’s hat made me smile I think it’s unique, not beautiful but something different than the usual. The Duchess of Cambridge looks lovely this color is really beautiful on her.
I’m with you on this one Matthew, these pics of HM brought a big smile to my face, ticking so many “first impression” boxes. Ostrich feather? unquestionably and traditionally regal, tick. Dove grey to match HM’s lovely silver curls? so soft and feminine, tick. Fuschia pink contrast trim? Such a modern palette, tick. For the clothes: Pretty print setting off a detailed neckline? feminine and cheerful, tick. The missing final touch is fuschia pink lipstick (though I dare say HM would have nixed that suggestion. But I can vouch for how fantastic it would look — my blue-eyed silver-haired mother wears this lipstick colour every day).
That said, I do agree with the criticisms about how this look is constructed. It’s one of those ensembles which looks a lot better from a distance than up close. The coat trim that appears like upholstery braid is quite unsettling. The fuschia pink hat band is, sadly, scarcely visible from the front. More visible pink in some form on the front of this regal hat would help to tie this look together.
Duchess Kate: Intriguing colour combination. I applaud Kate’s experimentation with halo styles, but I feel that symmetrical versions like this one (and her recent black velvet halo from November) do not suit her face, especially from the side, and that a pillbox shape would be a more flattering substitute –such as the black pillbox she wore in 2016 for The Battle of The Somme service. (However, halos which have height, irregular outlines and asymmetry- 2 that I can think of which Kate has worn this summer– I feel suit her very well indeed).
Duchess Meghan continues to delight with her choice of hats. This one is yet another chic and elegant beauty. I adore the modern combination of navy and black together, and since dark colours perfectly complement Meghan’s colouring, I will always be happy when I see her wear them. The very awkwardly designed handbag aside, this is a stunning hat and outfit. My pick of the three.
ditch the ostrich feather so we can see more of the hatband could help to balance it out..
Well, I guess I’m going to have to stand alone in saying that I like HM’s entire ensemble quite a bit. My first thought was that it was a change from what she usually wears, but a nice change. Yes, the buttons are not in entirely vertical columns, but in my opinion, it’s perfectly obvious that this is deliberate and not bad sewing. I like the fuschia trim as well as the smaller-than-usual brooch. And, while freely admitting that I know very little about the hat styles of long ago eras, the first photo in the first gallery made me think of Queen Mary for some reason. As for the hat, my only wish would be that the feather was arranged so that the fuschia hatband could also be seen from the front, but aside from that, a fun hat for a holiday.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s hat looks wonderful in that first photo where it looks like a pillbox, but like some others, I don’t really care for the kokoshnik style, and hope Kate moves on from it soon.
The Duchess of Sussex has picked a very interesting hat to be the focal point of an otherwise extremely bland outfit, but I do hope she will experiment with a little more color as time goes on.
The Queen seems to like a feather in her hat but this one is a bit unruly although I agree quite reminiscent of Queen Mary. The hat might work better with a neater feather and more of the fuschia hat band showing. The Queen would still be among the best dressed older woman in any congregation, anywhere. That’s all I expect from my elderly head of state/monarch.
Both duchesses look polished although I prefer the cheerier red/burgundy combination to the navy and black.
The Queen’s ostrich feathers turn the hat into a complete mess. At first I thought the feathers were dirty confetti or perhaps whatever comes out of a paper shredder. I guess that fuchsia hatband encircles the crown, but it’s only visible when all feathers are in total disarray.
As for the coat — the trim and the randomly misaligned buttons are just too distracting. Everything about this outfit is too distracting. So how to save it? Removing the ostrich feathers, ripping off the trim, redoing the buttons and re-dying the gray fabric into a more vibrant color seems a rather tall order.
The dress material might be all right, if not dangerously similar to many of the Queen’s other floral patterns.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s shoes and coat trim are perfect together.
The Duchess of Sussex’s hat is the best of the bunch.
Black and navy together is a thing now? When I was young, that was considered a no-no – presumably because they aren’t different enough to look like they’re meant to be different, or similar enough to look like they’re meant to be the same.
The hats are nice enough, but I feel HM looks better in her usual bright colours. Grey is not a flattering colour on most people, and adding a thin bit of pink trim (I thought it was oversized blanket stitch at first) does not change that. Maybe reverse the colours? Bright fuchsia pink with grey trim? But the proportions still seem odd.
I like the shape and color of HM’s hat. The ostrich feather looks very messy. 😦 I was loving Kate’s hat till I saw the open crown. As open crown’s go it is one of my favorite’s, but that isn’t saying much. I thought Meghan’s hat was the same as her hat for Eugenie’s wedding. I do like it, but oh, so similar to many of her other hats.
Ohhhh. I’m not loving any of this alas.
HM – love the colour combo. But the hat feather has gone adrift, or maybe Angela meant it to have that peculiar upward turn. The trim is amateurish and those top buttons are afloat.
Kate – she’s bought the same thing in another colour again. The hat is a good match, and the colour is festive. But I’m yawning a bit.
And Meghan, can she wear anything but navy?! I’m not loving black and navy together, no matter how chic she looks.
I wish Camilla were on hand!
Also as we are looking at their heads I can’t help but comment on the terrifying rate at which Harry’s hair is disappearing. He used to find much merriment in making fun of Prince William in public because of his balding. I always found it rather unkind and commended William for taking it all on the chin but I guess Harry isn’t finding his old jokes so funny now.
Happy Christmas to all! Oh, how I agree, Hat Queen! The dove grey is a really beautiful colour for a coat – in some photos elsewhere, it even looks like a very pale pink – but the braiding is just awful and ought to be ripped off at the first available opportunity. As for the hat, again the colour is beautiful, the ribbon contrasts very nicely and the shape and size suit Her Majesty so well. But oh! The ostrich feathers, not very artistically applied, are just way over the top.
I would definitely give the Duchess of Sussex my vote for best hat – or in fact best ensemble! Her Majesty looks like the result of a failed craft project to me. And I simply love My Queen. But the fuschia braid and the ostrich feathers on the hat don’t work for me. Having said this, the grey needs something to brighten it up, just not this trim. The hat reminds me of one of the Duchess of Cornwall’s which has been shrunken. And the Duchess of Cambridge’s jarring (to me) colour combination, paired with the hat which needs a crown makes me wince.
I like the colours of the outfit and the idea behind the hat trim but maybe because of the wind but the Queen looks like she has a mop attached to her hat 😦
I love Catherine’s variation on her recent velvet kokoshnik style. I actually thought this was a pillbox hat at first but I love the halo style and the addition of the bow at the back is just lovely especially with her hair down. I feel like wouldn’t like it as much with her hair up but it’s beautiful with her hair down like this.
I don’t usually like Meghan’s hats but the feathers and bow on this are nice. I must say get that hats are new to her as an American but I feel like all her hats are so same-y. They are all blending into one for me now. This must be her fourth? fifth? black or navy beret style hat in the last few months.
Quite honestly, except for Duchess Kate’s coat they all look a mess. Yes, the Queen’s hat does remind one of Queen Mary, but those ostrich feathers are just too much. The whole outfit seems unsuitable for a winter’s day, very odd from the Queen. As for Duchess Meghan, the open neckline and coat flopped open look so sloppy. The hat is okay, but the navy/black combination just doesn’t work, and what is moire, does not photograph well. However these days must be an ordeal for her, everyone looking for faux pas!
Mess? That feels a little harsh.