Tomorrow’s Trooping the Colour will be a scaled-back event at Windsor Castle with just the Queen in attendance. As we remember the pomp and pageantry of Trooping The Colours past (and future!), here’s a look back at all the hats we’ve seen the Duchess of Cambridge wear to this event:
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Black windowpane straw upsweep by Lock & Co. in 2011; Palest blue-grey Jane Corbett percher in 2012
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Pink straw Jane Corbett sidesweep with white lace trim in 2013; Grey straw percher with lace trim by Jane Taylor in 2014
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
White straw Lock & Co. curved rim percher in 2015; White straw Philip Treacy saucer with pink flowers in 2016
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Pink straw percher with triple crin ruffle by Jane Taylor in 2017; Pale aqua straw Juliette Botterill saucer in 2018;
Pale yellow Philip Treacy waved disc with silk flowers and twists in 2019
While it’s not the most vibrant group of hats we’ve seen (especially after this week’s discussion question!), I’m impressively surprised by the diverse variety of shapes. I think there’s a misconception floating around that Kate mostly wears smaller percher designs, something we see here is not the case.
What do you notice about this group of the Duchess’ hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I loved 2012’s icy blue-grey ensemble, and the way she styled her long hair that time allowed it to blow in the wind marvelously without really obscuring her face. But 2017 has to be my absolute favorite of this group because of the surprise saturated watermelon pink and the way the trim cascades beautifully down the base of her hat.
I’m with the hair up crowd. I think the looks are generally more elegant that way. I particularly like the two Philip Treacy hats for their bold, clean lines. The increased ease and confidence of the Duchess also adds that extra flair to her more recent hat wearing.
What I notice the most is her confidence and maturity increasing over the years. Her style became more streamlined and she branched out into bolder millinery styles – larger flowers, more ribbon detailing. I think her choices in outfit and hat have been lovely, but my favorites are pale pink 2016, bolder pink 2017, and light lemon 2019. I also love her hair down in the 5 years 2011-2015 as it looks so pretty, especially with the perchers.
The hat and dress in 2017 was perfection. I also love 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019. She looks gorgeous in the butter yellow.
That 2017 look is one of my favorites from her ever.
My favourite by far here is that 2017 pink perchesr; the colour is glorious and it was such an unexpected pop for Kate who tends to pastels for big events, I guess so that she doesn’t make herself too prominent.
The variety in shape is quite surprising, and they do all work, even the 2015 mixing bowl which wasn’t that loved at the time. Her looks for these big events have got so much more polished, the hair up does help too. I do think that hair down can work with hats, but for this event, where there’s a carriage ride, an updo stays in place so much better, and looks more out together.
What an attractive selection this is. Very varied in shape and design, although tending to the pastel. Several are among Kate’s most attractive hats in my opinion. I really like the 2012 Jane Corbett, but I think my favourite is the 2017 pink Jane Taylor. On the whole, I think hats tend to look better if hair is up, but I think some of these worn with hair down are very successful. It is interesting to note that four of the first five were worn with long hair, but the last four have all been worn with hair up. I do think hair down creates a more informal look, and it seems to me that Kate has moved very successfully to a more mature look, for this most formal of occasions but also in general, as her royal role has grown.
I agree. The most notable thing about seeing these in series is that all the hats and clothes are lovely and well-matched, and she looks appropriate in all of them, but the hair-down hair-up transition makes a huge difference in how mature and professional she looks. I also think, from a hat perspective, that almost all of these hats look better with hair up. Sometimes the blowing down hair can distract from the precisely designed proportions and trim of the hats.
I don’t agree! Hair up makes her look so old and stiff. When her hair is down she looks so much freer and it makes the hat look so much better.