My sincere thanks, everyone, for continuing the royal hat conversation here over the past month. It was wonderful to step away from the blog and know you would care for it while I was away. Thank you very much.
You have all done an amazing job sharing all the royal hats that have made an appearance over the past month. Here’s another look at the pair for church this morning at Windsor. Queen Elizabeth repeated her lilac-grey straw hat with handmade blooms by Rachel Trevor Morgan while the Duchess of Sussex wore a headpiece of what looks like black straw and crin petals that I believe is new.
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Sweeping sinamay headpiece in lovely shades of purple from New York-based Suzanne Couture Millinery
Teal wool button percher flecked with gold and wonderful feather trim from Irish milliner Sinead Harrington
Ivory and pale grey sinamay boater with peach and grey silk organza ruffles by UK milliner Marissa Groom
Teal wool button percher flecked with gold and wonderful feather trim from Irish milliner Sinead Harrington
Ivory and pale grey sinamay boater with peach and grey silk organza ruffles by UK milliner Marissa Groom
From UK milliner Vivien Sheriff, a fuchsia beret percher covered in orange lace with beaded applique flower trim
Black & white straw saucer with black lace applique flower trim by French brand Mei Mei France Chapeaux
Fantastic handmade gold wire floral bandeau by Irish milliner Ashleigh Myles
For our dear gents, these dapper and very sleek wool caps by UK brand Marrison Millinery
Wide teal dotted silk bandeau with feather explosion and sequinned bow by Kentucky-based The Mad Duchess
Sleekly elegant ecru straw cuffed teardrop design with pearl trimmed quill by Irish milliner Sheila McCarthy
Olive and ochre felt wide brimmed saucer with slim gold trim and bows from British milliner Sarah Cant
Midnight blue fur felt beret percher with wonderful leather twist trim from Australian milliner Tracy Mackinnon
Black & white straw saucer with black lace applique flower trim by French brand Mei Mei France Chapeaux
Fantastic handmade gold wire floral bandeau by Irish milliner Ashleigh Myles
For our dear gents, these dapper and very sleek wool caps by UK brand Marrison Millinery
Wide teal dotted silk bandeau with feather explosion and sequinned bow by Kentucky-based The Mad Duchess
Sleekly elegant ecru straw cuffed teardrop design with pearl trimmed quill by Irish milliner Sheila McCarthy
Olive and ochre felt wide brimmed saucer with slim gold trim and bows from British milliner Sarah Cant
Midnight blue fur felt beret percher with wonderful leather twist trim from Australian milliner Tracy Mackinnon
And from Dutch milliner Wies Mauduit, this fantastic cocktail hat with silk satin covered button base trimmed with a mass of blue and black feathers studded with crystals and pearls and the most wonderfully patterned birdcage veil.
Princess Marie Chantal is releasing a book this week
Great message from Princess Esmeralda of Belgium
Sheikh Mohammad attempted to keep the terrifying ways he has treated female members of his family a secret but it came out this week. This solidifies my support behind Princess Haya and makes me hope there will be further investigation into Sheikha Shamsa and Sheikha Latifa’s current realities. (BBC)
Lovely pair of photos released by the Swedish court in celebration of Prince Oscar’s fourth birthday. A few weeks ago, another pair were released for Princess Estelle’s eighth birthday.
We end this week with the Duke of Cambridge showcasing a hidden talent!
Photos from social media as indicated
Royal Hats 
Please accept my apologies for the delayed comment.
Welcome back – I was very sorry to hear about the death of your mother. If it’s any consolation, mine died in 2008 at the too-early age of 73 from ovarian cancer; at her funeral, I quoted a British journalist, Bel Mooney, who was writing at that time in The (London) Times, providing advice to readers; that particular week it was to a lady based in London whose mother had died suddenly in New Zealand:
“None of us is the best person we could have been to those we love. All we can do is go on trying and, even when someone has died, we continue the process by concentrating on the very best of memories. You must focus on your enduring love for your mother – everybody will have gained a sense of what a wonderful woman she was – and nothing can ever change that. She is engraved on your heart like the secret inscription on the back of a ring and that is what you will carry with you for the rest of your life. All the qualities she endowed you with will see you through the joys and tribulations that await you. In that sense she has not “gone” for I firmly believe that the spirit cannot die. So now is the time to allow your mother to lighten your heart and help you to live.”
12 years later, I can confirm that I think about my mother almost every day and I like to think that she continues to live on through my life.
In your case, what better tribute to your mother than to continue this fantastic blog.
Thank you, Christopher, for sharing. This is beautiful and I will certainly share it forward, with correct credit.
Welcome back HatQueen!
Welcome back, HQ, we all missed you so much.
As usual, your Caught-My-Eye Department was great. So many wonderful designs!
And William the juggler – fantastic!
Welcome back HQ!
Welcome back HatQueen! It is good to hear you gave your late mother a dignified farewell. (Isn’t it at weddings and funerals that we feel closest to our families?)
Thank you for featuring my Stella cocktail hat on such a prominent place. (And thank you for the compliments, fellow bloggers.) Your selection of hats is wonderful, as always. It hoovers between winter and spring, something we all rather long for in this part of the world: until now we have had neither the one nor the other, only wind and rain, and lots of it.
I read your blog yesterday, but it was too late to answer then. It was International Women’s Day. One might think it is weird we celebrate such a day (there is no International Men’s Day, is there?) but when one reads the shocking report of Sheikh Mohammad’s doings, it is all too clear there is still a long way to go.
To finish I would like to share with you a message which made me feel rather sad. It is from Jill Humphries, the owner and designer of the brand Millinery Jill, whose creations we admire so much on this blog and whose stunning lilac feather hat was posted by Shannon.
Please remember that artists, craftsmen and -woman, earn very little compared to the amount of work needed to keep a small business running. The same goes for musicians, painters, dancers, dressmakers, embroiderers and so on. Yet what would the world be without art, movement, colour or music? So let’s try to buy a hand made product once in a while, instead of ten mass produced ones. Let’s buy tickets for a life performance now and then, whether it be music, dance or theater. If we don’t, the greater part of our lives will shift to the internet, while the real world around us fades into pollution and indifference.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9aK6lkpAIB/?igshid=akpisdl4j9yx
Wow, what an eye-opener! Hoping the royal hat-“borrowers” take notice. And a big YES to supporting artists/artisans and local businesses.
Thank you Wies for reminding us that behind every beautiful work of art is a person whose livelihood depends on the support of the marketplace. I pray that milliners everywhere will weather this viral epidemic which threatens to cancel public gatherings such as race meetings; may their businesses prosper again soon!
Ditto to every comment today; well said everyone.
And a very warm welcome back HatQueen!
Dear Hat Queen, it is so lovely to have you back. I was late in reading your sad news and send my sincerest condolences.
You bring so much joy to a great many people through this wonderful blog and I hope our messages have truly provided you with some comfort.
So lovely to see you again HatQueen! Please, take your time returning as needed (we won’t rush you, but the Commonwealth Service this week might haha). Glad to hear it was a time of good remembrance for your mother.
Meghan’s headpiece looks to be something more mass-produced; not necessarily a bad thing, especially if she’s trying to economize moving into private life, but it’s definitely not as exciting as most of her past millinery choices have been.
Finally, I’m also very happy Wies’ cocktail hat was featured here! Great color scheme, and that structured veiling is so beautiful! Wies, your hats deserve to be on a royal head(s).
Thanks everyone- I am indeed, well. Tired after what has been a marathon 2 months but well. I think we celebrated my mom well- we sang, we laughed, we ate, we remembered- and there was lots of beautiful family time. I couldn’t have asked for more. Thank you so very much for all of your very kind wishes.
So, so happy for your return, HatQueen, and I hope each day is a little better! No dipping a toe in for you — you are really BACK with this delightfully packed post.
Wonderful photos of the Norwegian travelers. And I heartily agree with Camilla about reading to children.
Estelle looks startlingly mature in her solo picture, but back to her giggly little girl self with her brother. What fun to watch her grow up.
HatQueen, it is wonderful to have you back here with us! I hope you are doing well, or as well as can be expected under the circumstances.
I share Shanon’s intrigue with the Duchess of Sussex’s headpiece, but am surprised that it would be new, as it would seem that she would not be needing many hats going forward.
Wies’s cocktail hat is certainly spectacular, as I already noted on her Instagram — likewise the very unusual pink one from Millinery Jill shared by Shanon.
Looking forward to checking out the new millinery designs shortly.
Welcome back Hat Queen! We sure missed you and wish you nothing but the best!
I’m intrigued with the Duchess of Sussex’s hat. I wish we could see more of it.
I was so shocked about the news coming out about Princess Haya and her court case. I also stand with you that more investigation needs to occur on the kidnappings of his daughters. Praying for peace and safety for Princess Haya and her children.
– I think Princess Estelle would look so pretty in the fuschia beret percher covered in orange lace by Vivien Sheriff. The model reminds me of her a lot.
– I love the sleek ecru straw cuffed teardrop design with pearl trimmed quill by Irish milliner Sheila McCarthy. Empress Masako would look great in this on her State Visit to Britain.
– Great design and coloring on the olive and ochre felt wide brimmed saucer from Sarah Cant. I think this would look lovely on the Duchess of Sussex, but since her hat wearing days are reducing, perhaps Princess Eugenie.
– I love the midnight blue fur felt beret percher with wonderful leather twist trim from Tracy Mackinnon. Zara Tindall would look dynamite in this.
– I know Wies Mauduit frequents this blog, and I want to commend her on the outstanding cocktail hat with silk satin covered button base trimmed with a mass of blue and black feathers with patterned birdcage veil. It is utterly magnificent! How pretty would one of the Dutch Princesses (Amalia, Alexia or Ariane) look in this? Have we ever seen Queen Maxima wear a veil on a hat? She would look amazing in this as well.
And can I share a great hat I noticed on Millinery Jill’s (Australia) instagram? The use of feathers is so unique. She is such an extraordinary talent.
Brilliant matching of royals to hats, as always, Shanon! I love the suggestion of the elegant Sheila McCarthy teardrop for the Empress. It would suit her beautifully. I wonder if using the millinery of the host country on a state visit is too much of a departure for the Japanese royals?
And both the midnight blue Tracy Mackinnon and the teal (with those mesmerizing gold flecks) Sinead Harrington are right up Zara’s alley.
And I share your enthusiasm for Wies Maudit’s creation! Wies, you have mentioned vintage materials — is that stunning veil vintage?
Mittenmary, it is. I bought it from a Belgium milliner, who sold a large quantity of veils and ribbons. It came from a firm which stopped doing business several years ago, I believe. The stocks of material were kept in the owner’s home, and when both of the couple finally died, the heirs needed to empty the house.
This particular veiling probably is from the ’50.
Thanks for the response. The hat looks even better when we know the backstory.
So wonderful to have you back, Hat Queen!
Just in time for Commonwealth Day!
Thank you for your comment on Sheikh Mohammed. Will miss seeing Princess Haya, but so happy that things turned out the way they did.
And so happy that you are back!
Princess Alexandra visited St Mary’s Hospice in Birmingham on February 13.
Queen Sonja on March 4 in Jordan
BTW, are the soles of Queen Sonya’s boots studded with sequins? very “desert queen” appropriate!
This is also worth sharing