As those of us in the Northern hemisphere enjoy watching our gardens come to life, our discussion this week follows a floral thread: Which royal hat hosts the largest flower? Jump over to this discussion on Queen Elizabeth’s largest hat flowers for inspiration.
Royal Hats 
Princess Beatrice at Ascot in 2012.
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What about Queen Letizia? Do these count?
She wore a black headband with netting and a large flower on the side for the Garter that Queen Maxi attended as well.
Then there was a yellow hat for a UK state visit with flowers.
And I think for a wedding a lilac hat that plastered her face and had the flower sitting on top of her head.
Do you mean these 3 in the slideshow?
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Yes! Thanks for finding them.
Although from the pictures, they don’t really look like flowers?
I think they’re more of a “spray” instead of one big flower. But, they are still allowed to be part of the fun IMO. 🙂
Princesse Caroline
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One of my favourite royal hat photos featuring a young girl during a June 2015 visit to China who couldn’t resist reaching out to explore Queen Mathilde’s headpiece- one I think might be her largest flower. Hat by Fabienne Delvigne; photo by Philip Reynaers/Photo News S.A. via Corbis
Although this lime green swirled crin rose percher might be a close second for Queen Mathilde!
We can’t forget Princess Eugenie’s two hats with gigantic calla lilies. I don’t remember who made them but I always thought there were a bit funny.
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I immediately thought of this one Q. Max wore to the recent enthronement festivities in Japan.
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She has other headpieces and hats of large flowers
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Queen Mary with large flower and feather. Dated prior to her wedding:
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wow – what a beautiful pic – great find Shanon
Indeed- it’s fantastic!
This photo inspired me to do some digging and I found this
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Empress Michiko in yellow, not gray!!
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And the Queen Mum
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Great catch including the Queen Mother! Her hats must be the most collectively romantic bunch of all.
Fantastic! I don’t remember seeing this hat on Michiko and it’s marvelous!
Princess Anne Trooping the Colour 1969
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That’s wonderful!
Some of you will remember this John Boyd blue pillbox with giant ruffled flower around the back, originally worn for Prince Charles’ investiture as Prince of Wales in July 1969
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I think this is her largest current millinery flower
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Princess Michael of Kent has got to have some hats with huge flowers!
yes there’s quite a number- here’s a few, all seem reserved for ascot or major weddings;
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and this strangely placed one…
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The first hat is sensational. I wonder if the flowers add a lot of weight to the hat and she had to wear more hat pins for it to remain in place.
She also had a huge floral bloom headpiece for her son Frederick’s wedding
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And this one
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I don’t think this is Camilla’s largest, but it’s still a lovely addition from 2019 Ascot:
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I can’t recall the Duchess of Cambridge in a hat with bigger blooms than these, both by Philip Treacy
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Is the flower on her potato chip hat a little bigger?
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The felt bow flowers on her Lock & Co. perchers are also pretty big!
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Great catch on these two. You’ve reminded me that not all flowers are silk… which makes me wonder if this is actually Kate’s biggest flower on a hat?!
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Brilliant! I forgot about this one!
The cinnamon roll! I guess it is a flower.
The designer, Lock & Co., described it as “Swirls of pillarbox-red sinamay circle around a draped centre, inspired by the morning rose flower.” So… does inspired by a flower = flower?!?!
These are also some of her bigger ones
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Two beautiful looks!
I think this is Zara Tindall’s biggest
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Wait- this is bigger! Ascot 2008
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WAIT! An even bigger lily at Ascot in 2003
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Wow! I don’t recall seeing the lily one before.
It was 17 years ago! I remember the risque dress more than the percher hat, even with the huge lily!
It’s not the only percher hat with huge lily we’ve seen on a royal head- here’s Princess Martha Louise with a lace and straw one in 2012
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Thanks for including this one! This is one of my all time favorite looks fort Zara.
Zara at Cheltenham 2012 & 2020
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Royal Ascot 2019 and this gorgeous hat worn to the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 2011:
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A floral whopper on Lady Nicholas Windsor (daughter-in-law of the Duke and Duchess of Kent)
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I find that I like many of these hats where the flower, though much larger than life, is a part of a carefully planned set of embellishments (leaves, net, feathers, etc), but the ones that look like the wearer just plopped a big flower onto her head, not so much.
I agree. Especially where the Flower is giant and plopped off to the side with a tiny base (or fascinator). It looks so precarious!
I also agree. The flower has to make sense with the rest of the hat and the whole look.
In a category of its own, multiple ginormous flowers:
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Here’s another view
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This isn’t the largest flower by far, but may be the largest worn by CP Victoria.
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This is a lovely hat and beautiful look for her. The flower is large but looks proportional with the rest of the hat and embellishments.
That is a great hat on her. I don’t think, however, it’s her largest millinery flower. Photo by Scanpix
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I should have remembered the christening. Isn’t that the one that was Queen Silvia’s?
Correction: not actually Silvia’s, but a reproduction.
Indeed, a reproduction. She also had it made in white and wore it to Queen Margrethe’s 75th Birthday.
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Victoria’s sister, Princess Madeleine, has had some beautiful, large flowers:
2017 – Victoria’s 40th birthday celebrations:
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2016 – 70th birthday celebrations King Carl Gustaf
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2016 christening of Prince Oscar:
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2015 christening of Prince Nicolas (one of my favorite overall looks from Princess Madeleine):
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who can forget last years whopper on queen margareta as featured by our hq….
https://royalhats.net/2019/05/13/romanian-national-day-2019/
Good catch! This one will be tough to beat. Photo by Daniel Angelescu
What a fun post!! Sometimes more is more! Love them all. Well maybe not Haya’s – the flower is great; the brim not so much IMHO.
Is it a flower.. or not…who can say? National Day 2010
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Princess Laurentien 2005
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Here’s a closer view
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you all knew there’d be at least one hat from Maxima, right?
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This hat is the same as the one she wore in Japan, for the enthronement of the emperor.
That one is amazing.
Here’s one from Chile 2003:
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Another Ascot appearance:
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The flowers on this 2013 Ascot hat are also huge… I think that the one above, from Ascot 018, still might be her biggest. Photo here by Rex Features via AP Images
So pretty! If I may add to the Princess Haya thread:
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I think mittenmary’s cream flower still wins.
The Gothic ranunculus! Great catch!
autumn phillips entries…
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camilla’s largest??
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Hmmm… I think this one is larger
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Oh, definitely is! And I love the juxtaposition of the center of the pink flower with the gorgeous necklace.
I love this hat. I wonder if the trim at the center could be removed and a flower brooch inserted. On second thought, might just be best to leave well enough alone.
And then I immediately thought of this belter. I reckon it’ll take some beating…
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wow – its bigger than the hat!!!!
Oh, this may be the champ!
She had a very similar design in white
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Here’s another Philip Treacy huge flower on Lady Gabriella Windsor… but I think Sophie’s still edges it out!
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I suspect there’ll be a lot of Sophie and a lot of Treacy in this thread. Here’s this one to get us started…
Thank heavens she streamlined her look a bit!!
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There are indeed, some huge Philip Treacy blooms on Sophie above! While Treacy’s designs are legendary, Sophie has hit a spectacular millinery stride with Jane Taylor. I think these are her Jane Taylor hats with biggest flowers
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