While feathers and flowers can turn a hat from bland to brilliant, less common millinery trims are always lovely to see on a royal hat. Take knots, for instance, which give texture, movement and interest in a more streamlined way. Dearest readers: which royal hats can you recall that are bedecked with a knot? No bows please- just knots!
Photo from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I’m surprised we’ve not yet strayed into the wonder that is Princess Anne’s earlier millinery.
This knot/pony tail (or is is a mane?!) is a corker. And I think there are others that could compete just as well! Embed from Getty Images
Brilliant inclusion! And good call pulling at least one of Empress Michiko’s hats.
One more to add, this one from Empress Emerita Michiko: https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/emperor-emeritus-akihito-and-empress-emerita-michiko-are-news-photo/1155552638 (sorry, unable to embed any photos I found of this hat).
BRAVO everyone! This is feast of millinery knots to behold!
I just have a few more hats to add, all worn by Princess Beatrix. Photos all by Patrick van Katwijk/Monarchy Press
https://royalhats.net/2013/02/04/milestone-birthday-for-queen-beatrix-the-majestic-hats/ (Attending the 400th anniversary of the Luthern church on October 10, 2011)
https://royalhats.net/2015/11/28/princess-beatrix-opens-exhibition-3/
https://royalhats.net/2013/10/05/guests-at-the-bourbon-parma-wedding/
Big hat tiny knot!!
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This is the only other one I could find. I think the knots look better when they are bigger, a better proportion for the hat.
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The explosive teal feather duster trim precludes definite confirmation, but this is apparently a very knotty hat on Fergie! One element among and absolute cacophony of accessories! It is, as they say, a lot of look!
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Another very loose knot but one of my favourites (by Juliette Botterill)
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In April 2014, Queen Margrethe debuted this navy hat during a trip to China. It has a unique knotted detail under the brim that I wish we had a better view of!
https://royalhats.net/2014/04/27/danish-visit-to-china-day-3/
I don’t remember this hat and the knots are weirdly placed. They look like knots used in sailing. Maybe she ordered this to wear on her summer cruises?
I think Queen Margrethe also has a small white hat with a knot on the top but I can’t find it. Can anyone help?
I don’t know where to find it but I think I know the one you mean, I think it has some fur on it.
Ah yes, this is multiple materials knotted together in a way! From its most recent outing back in January:
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On April 20, 2010, Crown Princess Mary wore a headband with side knotted detail for a visit to a child care center in Copenhagen
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I’m sorry but there is nothing attractive about this head wrap. I clicked over and couldn’t believe she wore it to a wedding!
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I think Sophie might be ahead in the running for largest knot! Although, Queen Anne-Marie gives her competition with this red hat
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Good ones here, both by Philip Treacy. I think the only other knotted design in Queen Silvia’s hat closet is this bandeau has smaller knots on one side
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A lesser royal but a greater knot! Another Philip Treacy design on Lady Kitty Spencer
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That might be the fanciest knot! I don’t usually like this style of hat but I love this, maybe because of the knot!
The search feature here is great Hat Queen. I remembered Kate having a blue hat with knots at the back and I found it here in no time!
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I’m so glad it worked for you! Great catch on this hat… it reminds me of the green felt one she has, also by Lock & Co., with similar flowers made from these knotted ties.
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I hadn’t noticed before but this Lock and Co. pillbox has a knot detail around the side bow.
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And this Jane Corbett percher has a beaded knot!
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I must not be noticing all the knots because there are many more here than I expected there to be. I really like the ones made into flowers on Kate’s hats.
One of the most somber:
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A knot where the two feathers are joined, on Princess Diana in 1986:
https://sg.style.yahoo.com/princess-dianas-40-most-iconic-222000497/photo-p-heathrow-airport-intricate-navy-photo-222214254.html
Famous for hardly wearing hats in recent years, Mette-Marit had quite a few with knots in her earlier Crown Princess days:
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Here’s a small collection of knots on other hats worn by Máxima, Mathilde, Margrethe, Victoria, and Beatrix:
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In the mid 2000s, Philip Treacy did several collections that featured prominent knots and several of these hats ended up on royal heads
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I’m not 100% certain this is also a Philip Treacy design (late 2000s so it very well could be) but it’s similar enough to include
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Here are two other Treacy takes on the knot, designed around the same time
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And how can I forget these two! Also Treacy, same era
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Here are two designs on Queen Mathilde with knots around the back. The black headpiece was worn for Belgian National Day in 2010 (photo by Patrick van Katwijk/Monarchy Press) and the second, a pale grey calot with knotted detail, for Expo 2015 in Milan
Knotted sisal on the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Cambridge:
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. . . and also on the Duchess of Kent at the 2018 Trooping the Colour: https://royalhats.net/2018/06/11/trooping-the-colour-gloucester-kent-families-2/.
Question for clarity: are we differentiating knots and loops? There were some examples I did post here because I felt they were too loose to be knots and figured they were loops (which I don’t think has been a design feature we’ve discussed yet if memory serves me correctly).
I thought the title of the post would clarify this! Definition of a knot: an interlacement of the parts of one or more flexible bodies forming a lump or knob (as for fastening or tying together).
Based on this definition, a knot doesn’t have to be tight to be a knot!
And GREAT catch on the knotted sisal!
Sorry for not understanding the definition enough! I just didn’t want to post more examples only for them to be disqualified all while cluttering the comments. 🙂
Here are few knot examples from Crown Princess Mary:
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another camilla/treacy beauty – albeit with a very loose knot. think its one of my favourites. she looks wonderful!
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Bea and Eugenie have hats with knots from Juliette Botterill.
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Great catch! Eugenie also wore a grey saucer by Juliette Botterill with the same knotted motif in December 2014 for the wedding of friends. Photo by Jessal/Tanna/Splash News
dont remember these – 2 beautiful hats. love these great looks!
Princess Eugenie also has a pair of hats by Nerida Fraiman with crin edges that are loosely knotted
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I can’t add photos here, but I liked Meghan’s black and white Ascot 2018 hat.
Here you go trickymum!
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I’m KNOT surprised at so many great hats today! (Anna, my earlier post was referring to a different hat for JamesB’s green ensemble – sorry for the confusion.)
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When I posted my comment the picture was much bigger. Why do they get smaller later? You can’t see the details on the hats.
I resize Getty embedded photos down to a size that will not case problems to comments loading. If you want to see the photo full, size, simply click on it to open it in Getty and click on it a second time to enlarge.
A couple more knots (or knots adjacent at least) for Camilla:
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Gosh…. She looks so classy and sophisticated in this photo!
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Starting with one of my favorite hats with a knot, here are 5 for HM Queen Elizabeth II:
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I love HM’s dark green hat! Such a glorious dark green.
Meghan’s hat for Trooping The Color last year had a knot. I can’t remember who the designer was.
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It’s by Noel Stewart
And then this one, which I’ve always rather loved. This is such a fun twist and a fabulous colour. Embed from Getty Images
I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one before! It’s really sharp!
This other green hat is the first hat with a knot that popped into my head. I love the different shades of green.
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One of my all-time favorites!
Knots you say?! I think this one probably qualifies as one of the biggest, or is it more of a Möbius strip? Hmm? Either way, I’m staking a claim for it to be knot adjacent! Embed from Getty Images
As usual with these categories, I come across hybrid trims that don’t quite fit the chosen definition… or do they? Princess Alexandra has quite a lot of hat trims that look “knotty” to my eye but on second glance, are they actually loose gathered loops, or half-bows, twisted hatbands, wrapped bows or hatband ends wrapped in twists?… I give up, and defer to your judgement on this “knotty” problem HQ. Here’s one hat of Alexandra’s that I can confidently say has a knot:
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An example of Could this be a knot? thoughts, anyone?
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I think both qualify as knots! Hybrid trims will be unavoidable because by definition, a knot is “A fastening made by tying a piece of string, rope, or something similar” but when it comes to millinery, most knots are decorative. So, share all the hybrid trims that feel related here. It makes the conversation interesting!
Here’s another one of Princess Alexandra’s hats trimmed with a knot (bottom right corner, click to open in Twitter and click again to enlarge)
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