Remembrance Sunday 2020

Members of the British royal family attended the National Service Of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Westminster today. The Prince of Wales, Princess Royal, Dukes of Cambridge and Kent, and Earl of Wessex took part in the ceremony, which was considerably scaled back from years past (26 former service men and women took part in stark contrast to the more than 10,000 veterans usually included in this event).

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The Queen, Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge, and the Countess of Wessex looked on from balconies above the Cenotaph.

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Queen Elizabeth wore a new black hat with slightly angled stovepipe crown and cartwheel brim, edged in a wide stripe of black binding. The hat is trimmed with a spray of overlapping stitched leaves and a small side bow.

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Designer: unconfirmed
Previously Worn: this hat is new

The Duchess of Cornwall repeated a black felt beret hugger percher wonderfully trimmed with black felt and jinsin twists sweeping over the hat, studded on the side with a large black silk bloom.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. Dress and Coat by Bruce Oldfield.
Previously Worn: Mar 13, 2014

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a new percher hat with saddle shaped velvet felt base, embellished with a beautifully proportioned multi-looped silk bow.

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Designer: Philip Treacy “OC 784” from AW 2020. Coat by Catherine Walker
Previously Worn: this hat is new

The Countess of Wessex was also in a new hat, her fur felt pillbox trimmed with a sweeping embroidered feather applique.

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Designer:  Jane Taylor “Felt Pillbox with Embroidered Feather Trim” from AW 2020. Cape by Zara.
Previously Worn: this hat is new

While the hats at such events are secondary, this quartet really is stellar.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

18 thoughts on “Remembrance Sunday 2020

  1. Well done Windsors all!
    So comforting to see ceremony and tradition amongst all the craziness in the world right now.
    Everyone looked fantastic, and appropriate. MrFitzroy will even overlook the fringe on Kate’s coat, because the hat is just pluperfect. Brava.

  2. A solemn occasion and everyone turned out well, as usual. HM’s new hat is very flattering & I think similar to another hat she has which I can’t find a picture of. In my mind it is yellow with green organza overlapping leaves. Anyway, this all one color version is better and more flattering. Love that Camilla brought back an old favorite. Kate’s hat does resemble a Glengarry bonnet as Jake points out. It also resembles Queen Maxima’s hat which reminds me so much of a tongue so I’m glad Philip Treacy fixed that part LOL Sophie looks good in that hat shape and I like the applique feather as a change. Of course all the men and Anne look grand in their military uniform. (I do miss Harry on the scene though)

  3. Great hats all around on all the royal ladies; I include Her Majesty’s Lady in Waiting Susan Rhodes’s hat, it’s a good size brim with a nice side feather effect. If I had to grab one for myself I’d have to get Sophie’s.

  4. Four fabulous hats here. HM’s is a great addition to her black hat closet, these are the hats that she gets most repeated wear out of, and this one is a winner. Camilla’s oft repeated beret is welcome to see back.

    I was curious about Kate’s, it’s almost identical to last year’s (well the shape anyway), that I wondered if it was a retrim. But because this is from Treacy’s 20 collection it can’t be. But they are so so similar. Can’t help thinking that Kate should do some repeats here.

    • I too thought Kate’s hat looked like a retrim of her 2019 hat it is practically identical, just like her outfit in general! This hat is strikingly similar to the black one worn by Queen Maxima on day 2 of the Dutch State Visit to London in 2018.

  5. As you say, HatQueen, a really stellar quartet of hats. And overall, they all look absolutely perfect for this sombre event. Kate’s hat looks simple, and the curve of the velvet is luscious, but my guess is that appearances are deceptive, and getting those bow loops right from both a design and a practical point of view requires a lot of skill! Camilla’s hat is wonderful, I hope we see it more often.

  6. This is always such a moving occasion for the Royals and for us. I am glad they still managed to continue with this tradition, even though it was scaled back.
    The Royal gentleman and Princess Anne always look great in their military garb.
    This is a lovely hat on The Queen. The style is lovely, and I am curious like Jake on what the material is.
    The Duchess of Cornwall’s hat is a great style on her. I love the flower detail and glad she repeated this particular hat for this occasion.
    The Duchess of Cambridge looks elegant as always. A true future Queen. The Treacy hat looks great on her and the silk bows are lovely. She very much stays true to the military theme.
    I like the pillbox on the Countess of Wessex and absolutely love the cape jacket on her.
    Susan Rhodes’ hat is a wonderful scale and style on her.
    Sir Timothy Laurence looks great as well in his uniform.

  7. 1. It was great seeing FIVE Royals participate in the ceremony down on the street. Always moving.
    2. Queen Elizabeth: Wonderful new hat today. I like the balance of the slight crown angle with the larger brim. Simple yet elegant.
    3. Camilla: I agree with Jake – it’s nice to reach back in the March 13, 2014 hat box and wear what was worn for Sir David Frost’s memorial service. Was it new then?
    4. Catherine: So regal and lovely.
    5. Sophie: Another lovely pillbox, which suits her very well.

  8. I really like this new black hat for HM; it doesn’t feel as fussy as some of her other ones and overall it really flatters her. I do wonder what the material is as it doesn’t look to be any type of felt, which I find an interesting choice. While unconfirmed at the time of my comment, I would guess this is an RTM hat as it looks quite similar to the camel one with multicolor feather spray. Finally, I was curious who was standing on the same balcony as HM, and I found out it is her lady-in-waiting Susan Rhodes, whom HM has been quarantining with, and who is also her niece-in-law:
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    A nice surprise to see Camilla dig so far back in the hatboxes to find this one!

    Kate’s new hat looks great on her, and the epaulets on her coat make the hat look more reminiscent of a Glengarry bonnet. That said, I’m not a fan of the epaulets here, but otherwise it’s a regal ensemble.

    I really like Sophie’s high collared coat and the fact she wore her hair with a more visible bun/chignon. This large pillbox looks good like usual, but it does feel similar to many other hats she’s worn.

    A most excellent outing that looked to be taken with much care while still holding to tradition. Hope all my fellow Royal Hats fans are staying safe and healthy!

    • On shape alone (especially the brim, which is shorter around the back), I also guess Queen Elizabeth’s hat is from Rachel Trevor Morgan. However, we’ve seen very similar trim (stitched overlapping leaves and that slim tube coiled bow) from Angela Kelly/Stella McLaren. Rachel also doesn’t typically do hats entirely covered in fabric. So on this one… I’m really not sure.

    • The hat below immediately came to mind when I saw HM’s new hat yesterday. AK or RTM?
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    • It’s understood that the Queen wears 5, one for each branch of service during the war (the Army, the Navy, the RAF, Royal Marines and the Civil Defence). Kate’s 3 has never been explained- many guess it’s a nod to her 3 great uncles who gave their lives serving during WWI.

  9. The hats should be secondary, but it’s been so long since we saw an event with three new hats and a lovely repeat, that it was a real treat to see them. I particularly like the Duchess of Cambridge’s hat, perfectly positioned and setting off a new military style coat that she likes to wear for these occasions.
    I also thought Sophie’s hat was super on her. Not so keen on those angled stovepipe crowns the Queen sometimes favours.

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