Overseas visits, an engagement announcement, a christening, a major anniversary, a national day celebration, a wedding, and two Scottish residencies brought us more than the usual number of new royal hats over the summer. During July and August, twelve new royal hats stood out, based on your comments, as particularly successful at their debut. It’s now time to take another look at this beautiful millinery dozen and choose your favourite.

This group also contains diversity of colour, scale and shape with perchers, sidesweeping pictures, kettle brims, a ringed disc, a bandeau and an unresolved millinery mystery (I still don’t know if #11 is a renovated hat but since this was its first outing in this form, I’m including it as new!) in the group. As always, the winner of this poll will be put forward as the first semi-finalist for Readers’ Favourite New Royal Hat of 2018.

1.     2.

Queen  Máxima’s green picture hat with unfinished edges by Fabienne Delvigne worn in Curacao July 2
Princess Ayako’s pink button percher with pearl trimmed silk bow worn at her engagement announcement July 2

3.      4.

Queen Elizabeth’s pink straw hat with fabric kettle brim and feathers by Angela Kelly worn in Scotland July 5
Duchess of Cambridge’s cream straw bandeau with pearls, flowers & tulle by Jane Taylor worn July 9
 

5.     6.

Duchess of Sussex’s olive green crinoline capeline hat with bow by Stephen Jones worn July 9
Duchess of Cambridge’s pale blue straw percher with net veil and silk flowers by Sean Barrett worn July 10

7.     8.

Duchess of Sussex’s pleated navy crin swirl headpiece by Stephen Jones worn July 10
Princess Claire’s white straw disc with with red straw rings and red lace applique worn July 21

9.    10. 

Princess Hisako’s leaf green hat with layered, fluted kettle brim worn on July 28
Duchess of Sussex’s black straw Philip Treacy teardrop percher with quills and twists worn August 4

11.  12.

Queen Elizabeth’s mysterious new cream straw hat with blue brim and grey silk roses worn August 5
Queen Elizabeth’s pale blue felt Angela Kelly design with delicate green feather and gold sprig trim worn Aug 6

This poll will remain open until next Friday,  at midnight GMT. As in the past, each computer or mobile device can vote twice per day for as many hats as you wish. Happy voting!

Photos from Patrick van Katwijk via Getty; FNN News; Jane Barlow/AFP, WPA Pool, WPA Pool, Chris J. Ratcliffe, Steve Parsons/PA Images, Patrick van Katwijk via Getty; Sankei; Mark Cuthbert, Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty

July and August saw so many wonderful hats this year that I’m going to change things up and face them off without September’s offerings (we’ll combine those with October hats at the end of the month). Between anniversaries, a christenings, a national day celebration and other engagements, there were 11 new royal hats worn over the summer which, based on your comments, were widely admired. As those of us in the Northern Hemisphere break out our fall wardrobes, let’s take a last look back at our favourite repeated summer royal hats and choose our favourite.

These eleven hats cover numerous millinery shapes and profiles in colours from pale and muted to primary and popping. As with past polls, the winner of this poll will be put forward as the first semi-finalist for Readers’ Favourite New Royal Hat of 2018.

1.     2.

Princess Anne’s cream straw sidesweep with caramel stacked hatbands and feather trim worn July 2
Queen Margrethe’s pale blue sideswept straw hat with pink and white silk flowers worn July 4

3.     4.

Countess of Wessex’s cream straw Jane Taylor vertical saucer with feather trim worn July 5
Queen Elizabeth’s pale blue straw hat with flowers, silk twists & silver leaves by Rachel Trevor Morgan worn July 5

5.     6.

Duchess of Cornwall’s cream straw sideswept picture hat with sand twist trim by Philip Treacy worn July 10
Countess of Wessex’s cream striped hat by Jane Taylor with grey twists and black feathers worn July 10

7.     8.

Princess Alexandra’s Rachel Trevor Morgan pink straw hat with striped hatband & feather spray worn July 10
Princess Michael of Kent’s black straw oval picture hat with giant feather trim by Philip Treacy worn July 10

9.    10.

Queen Mathilde’s red straw pyramid saucer hat with abacca crescent leaf trim by Fabienne Delvigne worn July 21
Queen  Máxima’s Fabienne Delvigne pale pink straw, wide-brimmed sidesweep picture hat worn Aug 29

11.

Princess Astrid’s turquoise straw calot embellished with ribbon flowers worn August 29

This poll will remain open until Sunday, October 14 at midnight GMT. As in the past, each computer or mobile device can vote twice per day for as many hats as you wish. Happy voting!

Photos from The British Army; Hanne Juul; Max Mumby/Indigo, Andrew Milligan/PA Images, Anwar Hussein, Max Mumby/Indigo, Dan Kitwood, Jeff Spicer, Patrick van Katwijk, Heiko Junge,