Our last royal hat discussion question about lace on hats brought up a wonderful array (far more than I imagined!) of hats trimmed in lace. Along this vein, we continue with this week’s discussion question, dearest readers- what royal hats can you recall are trimmed with pompoms?
To clarify- we’re NOT talking sprays or plumes of feathers here– we’re talking puffy and light as air, round balls. While they might be made of feathers (an ostrich ball, perhaps), they will also be found of tulle, felt, fur (real and faux), yarn or other materials.
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Queen Elizabeth in an Angela Kelly designed hat (made by Stella McLaren) worn last April
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Late entry here, Queen Elizabeth with King Hussein of Jordan during her state visit to Jordan in 1984. The hat is by Simone Mirman.
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One more, Princess Margriet: https://royalhats.net/2015/08/25/dutch-royals-celebrate-tenth-anniversary/.
Thank you everybody, I had a lot of fun looking at all these fancy hats with all kinds, shapes, sizes and colours of pompoms!!! 🙂
The Duchess of York, as she was then, in 1934:
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Oh, all right they’re beads not pom poms! I’ve been driving myself crazy thinking I ‘remember’ a blue matador-style hat with black pom-pom fringing, worn by Beatrice or her mother. And in my hunt I found this. The Duchess of York in Los Angeles, 1988:
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If HQ or Jimbo or Jake or mcln or anyone can put me out of my misery with the fringed hat … I’m beginning to think I’ve made it up!
For one giddy moment I thought this was it (Derby, 1987) but closer inspection revealed large ‘dots’ on the net.
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Queen Margethe at the opening of the Danish Parliament in 2008:
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Better photos at Royal Hats, natch, from 2013: https://royalhats.net/2013/05/01/danish-queen-and-princess-celebrate-dema/
Pom poms!!! Love this post. As a mid-century baby, I confess to a secret soft spot for pom poms. I may or may not be wearing a wrap with pom pom fringe as I read this 😂
I remember my mum wearing her hat with mink pom poms and I can almost smell her Chanel No 5 as I think about it. Enjoy your weekend, all.
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Last night, I left Royal Hats early, being absolutely spellbound by the Friday the 13th full moon/harvest moon/micro moon.
Fun trivia fact: There are 13 full moons and 13 menstrual cycles in one calendar year. Now you know, only here at Royal Hats!
November 12, 1976: Luxembourg
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1948, a pompom pierced by feathers:
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This hat and coat was Princess Elizabeth’s going-away outfit following her wedding in November 1947. The beret hat with ostrich feather pompom was designed and made by Aage Thaarup.
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I’m a little surprised Jimbo hasn’t brought up this one:
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Oh my goodness it’s the Hyacinth Bucket hat! Mrs. Bucket wore two versions of this identical hat, one in peach and one in pink. Is it a Frederick Fox?
Yes- I forgot to say it was Frederick Fox. All of them were from him!
Princess Anne, 1995. I think these are pom poms and not flowers, but it’s a bit hard to see.
Silly me…
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Princess Anne, 1996:
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Here’s a better view taken at an October 1999 Chinese state visit. This is one of the most perplexing designs I can think of with a pyramid crown punctuated with a pompom bouquet at the top. Utterly bizarre.
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I have a mental image of the Princess Anne we know today looking back at photos of these old hats of hers and groaning!
Somehow, I don’t think so, Matthew, as she brought this hat back 2 years ago to wear to church over Christmas break.
LOL! I wonder if a larger Princess Anne pompom hat revival is in the offing.
Princess Anne, pregnant with Zara, at a 1981 race meeting. Are flat pom poms, still pom poms?(For some reason these two photos don’t allow a slideshow, despite being next to each other in the Getty Library?)
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Flat pompom is a pinwheel. Remember, a criteria is that they have to be round like a ball!
Thank you!
Off topic side note: Charles in a trilby! 😀
Nice catch Jake!
What’s the difference in a trilby and a fedora?
The Hat Glossary here will explain the difference
A flat pompom? Now that’s just sad!
Princess Anne at the 1967 Braemar Games!
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Found a colour image on the very next page:
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I can’t find a better shot of Queen Elizabeth’s hat and its pom pom (help HQ, Jimbo!). Taken in April, 1970 in Australia.
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Sandra, I’m not sure if this is actually a pompom, but here’s a better shot, plus a color shot for you. I hope you like these.
July 15, 1970 in Canada, and June ,1970 Royal Ascot
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Well, hope I’ve learned something, it has some body so isn’t a pinwheel … HQ will pronounce, I’m sure. Thanks so much for searching out a better shot and even discovering the colour!
Hmmm… let’s put it to the test
puffy? a little
light as air? debatable
round ball? no
I think it’s a no!!
Princess Anne in Malaysia, 1972. There appears to be lots of pom poms on the hat and then a cascade down the back.
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This one is a category by itself — a hat made of pompoms!
GREAT find!!!! That hat is fantastic!
Indeed, Sandra- this pompom hat takes the cake. Well done!
HatQueen, have you considered adding links to these whimsical features to your menu? It would be great to be able to find them easily when we need a little fun.
Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar (with their Dad) in pom-pom hats in 2017.
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And what a little cutie Princess Estelle has always been. These photos are from her third birthday in 2015:
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Mette-Marit and Haakon (and children) in bobble hats at the first day of the World Ski Champs, 2015.
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Mette-Marit’s hat on day 2:
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Doesn’t it seem as though every royal under the age of 50 has appeared in a pompom-trimmed ski cap for the Winter Olympics or some other winter sport appearance?
I think this one counts, hard to tell though as it’s a bit limp. Worn by Mette-Marit in 2006.
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It’s such a sad pompom!
Does this one count? I’ve always liked its cheer:
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That’s a great hat! I love the 2 colored pom-pom.
May 6, 2014
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A giant Origami Pompom? A bit of a stretch — but Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, had so many wonderful hats that appeared to be “one giant pompom” when viewed from a distance….perhaps we can just sneak this one in?
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-TSPA_0122688F&R=DC-TSPA_0122688F&searchPageType=vrl
Definitely not a pompom!
Hotlinked photos also are not OK so I’ve removed all on this thread.
My apologies on the link (and the attempt at humor)….I figured toronto public library was the source, as it seemed to be in their collection — but it’s probably best to stick to Getty Images to avoid any confusion then. Sorry for the hassle.
The Library might include the photo in their archive but it’s not the copyright holder- whoever took the photo is. By all means- link to the library page with the photo but don’t hotlink the photo (open it in its own window and link to that), please.
Some very adorable pompoms on Princess Josephine, Princess Isabella and a young Mia Tindall (and their mums)
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We can’t forget this Rachel Trevor Morgan hat with ostrich feather pompom, first worn for Easter 2013!
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You actually already did a feature on it, but Queen Anne Marie of Greece had a red felt hat with mink pompoms for the wedding of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands— not one of my favorite hats but one that came instantly to mind as having pompoms!
Great memory!
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April, 1954: Australia Tour
http://queensjewelvault.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-queen-mothers-multi-color-leaf.html
I finally discovered another photo, albeit black/white, (new to me, and hopefully new to some others) of the classic bomb-shell photo of HM in Australia, 1954 at a garden party.
Double Apologies: 1: no pompom, and 2: many have already seen this photo.
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UGH! I thought pasted the link, not the photo. Sorry!
Hi Jimbo, I’ve been meaning to post the following for a year or so, and you’ve just reminded me. There’s a story about this hat….did you know that HM’s Aage Thaarup hat held up the entire garden party proceedings? HQ, I hope this comment is not too long. read on…
Hardy Amies discusses the dress worn in the pic, which he designed:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5386703/The-Queens-fashion-designer-speaks-figure.html
This video indicates that Amies intended the dress to be worn with a small black hat, which he has drawn in the design sketch. 0:43-0:44
[video src="http://video.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2018/02/13/3853605308991620374/640x360_MP4_3853605308991620374.mp4" /]
(HM did wear the black hat later on in the tour, with the dress. I haven’t included those pics)
Pamela Hicks (nee Mountbatten) was at the garden party, and wrote about the Thaarup hat crisis here on pp.222 -223
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=DNGKBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA222&lpg=PA222&dq=hardy+amies+dress+for+queen+white+lace&source=bl&ots=44l4RMWJqO&sig=Kgmjb42U6L9ldOFaT_Ma4qjRfmU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj16emXssvaAhVLu7wKHUb2DVQ4ChDoAQguMAE#v=onepage&q=hardy%20amies%20dress%20for%20queen%20white%20lace&f=false
Here’s a pic of a Thaarup hat label ( scroll down to lower pic, and enlarge) to give some idea of what the fuss was about. It’s not exactly inconspicuous:
https://migration.history.sa.gov.au/blog/the-mad-hatter-thaarup-hat-c1955/
I just couldn’t leave out the following irreverent eyewitness report about the ways in which the garden party guests (Sydney’s social elite) coped with the delay and the feverish anticipation, during 95 degree F heat– “guests like stampeding cattle.. flattened the petunia beds”/ “a turmoil of mopped crimson faces and disintegrated makeup” https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18410840
And, to show the reaction of the guests, a different pic of the well-known outfit:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138188402/view
Mcncln, EXTRAORDINARY story and research, thanks so much. The description of HM’s Sydney hat is unbelievable. I only wish there was SOME color documentation of this fabulous hat.
My “take-away” from this 65 year story is – – – Queen Elizabeth is STILL beautiful and vibrant and active and. . . need I go on?
A different view of the hat Shanon had already tagged….here you can see the two tone effect better. Getty actually describes it as an “Unusual Pompon Trim” (apparently a correct variation per the dictionary –who knew?) It’s Pom-wonderful!
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Princess Marina of Kent at the Epsom Derby in 1939 — wearing a cunning little veiled hat with a profusion of mini poms attached…..It seems this was a popular trend in the 30s and 40s — to embellish the netting……
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Fantastic memory for this one, Mr. Fitzroy.
Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones wore a hat with similar pompom trimmed veil to Princess Eugenie’s wedding last October.
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That’s adorable!!
A see-through hat — netting embellished with small pompoms – 1963, Princess Margaret:
https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/princess-margaret-wearing-an-eyecatching-cerisecoloured-duster-coat-and-close-fitting-net-hat-to-match-walking-with-queen-fabiola-who-was-wearing-a-stone-coloured-coat-and-brown-hat-on-the-latters-arrival-at-gatwick-airport-with-her-husband-king-1415868a
A rear view of the hat at 0:42- 0:44
Nice one, Mr. Fitzroy!
Look at her! Impeccable! Just a gorgeous outfit and hat.
(I personally would have considered this as a flower rather than a pompom, but an article about John Boyd, the milliner, that I saw a while back did describe it as a pompom.)
Princess Diana at Ascot in 1981:
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im sure this is a pompom, on the back of this tam o shanhter!!
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and furry ‘pompoms’…
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Here’s a view of the pompom, not obscured by an umbrella!
It’s pretty large but would this count as a pompom? (Princess Beatrice at Ascot in 2015)
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puffy? CHECK
light as air? CHECK
round ball? CHECK
I’d say it’s a pompom!
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EXCELLENT!
thats a big one
and hm looks fantastic
It’s hard to see in this photo, but I believe that is a pom-pom on her hat in 1954
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March 3, 2017
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Ah yes- the lighter purple twin!
These purples reminded me of another purple design- Queen Sofia wore a crin and tulle headpiece to the Cambridge’s wedding in 2011 studded with the same floral pompoms that we used as the buttons on her silk suit.
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And this lone purple pompom on a uniquely shaped hat (a sidesweep bumper!) back in October 1991
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My first thought was the koosh ball (although elusive in most photos) on this fabulous hat for Benedikte:
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Excellent, I knew you would find what I couldn’t. Don’t know how this event escaped my search for this hat. Thanks!
Brilliant! I think this wins for biggest Pom.
I also love CP Mary’s hat!
That’s actually Princess Marie kissing Princess Benedikte.
I don’t know about hats with pompoms, but just wanted to say that that purple looks lovely on Her Majesty. Such a deep, rich color. I love it.
yes the violet purple is my favourite colour on hm – she looks so beautiful and regal
I’ll get the conversation started- these were the first hats with pompoms that came to mind for me! The Cambridges on Jan 30 in Sweden and Feb 2 in Norway last year.
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Yes! The ones that popped into my mind were from either the same or a related trip! I know it’s not fancy millinery, but this is definitely the first thing that pops to my mind when I think of pom poms. Also, I’ve really enjoyed these posts this summer, so thank you!!
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I think we all need something fun at the end of the week!