Crown Princess Mette-Marit has paired her classic ivory felt pillbox by Mona Strand with six different looks:
Look #1: With a cream Valentino collarless coat with bow-trimmed sleeve cuffs for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009
Look #2: With an ivory ruffled collar coat for Norwegian National Day, May 17, 2010
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Look #3: With a cream Carolina Herrera silk dress with navy belted sash worn June 2, 2010 for a Dutch state visit.
Look #4: With a folk embroidered Valentino coat on May 15, 2014 for the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution
Look #5: With a cream and brown tweed Fendi dress with pleated, chevron stitched skirt worn for the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony and the November 2021 Dutch state visit.
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Look #6: With a navy crepe Ganni fit and flare coat and a red dress for National Day celebrations in 2019
Which ensemble do you prefer most with this hat?
Photos from Bauer Griffin; Stella Pictures; Gonzales Photo/Stian S. Moller/PYMCA-Avalon/Universal Images Group via Getty; Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I adore 2009’s mod look! Sleek and chic, and I love how the black tights and heels contrast with the rest of the white outfit and blonde hair. Definitely my favorite of these!
2014’s Valentino coat is a close second, and this simple hat pairs wonderfully with it. I also like the 2018 look for something a bit different; the dress and down (but still coiffed) hairstyle make for a slightly more relaxed look that is still formal for the event. The other three looks are largely forgettable for me.
I love this style of hat on M-M! It really suits her. My favorites are the first white coat worn at Nobels and the Valentino folk-inspired coat. I adore that coat and think it would also look great paired with her burgundy calot. Hair down works, but up and sleek is perfection with this hat.
Look #3 is my least favourite – she looks like a hospital nurse with that white dress and navy belt.
Otherwise, I like all the ensembles, especially the first two.
It’s difficult to pick a favorite look from the 6 choices because I don’t like the hat at all! I agree with JamesB’s hat placement comment for starters. That said, I’ll offer some gentle critique:
1. I don’t like the black hose and shoes.
2. I was distracted by CP Haakon’s top hat – not the antique silks that we have all come to admire and envy!
3. Her hat could have been switched with her mother-in-law’s for more interest. I really like Queen Sonja’s hat.
4. Folk styled ensembles are always fun, but I wonder if the millinery choice could have picked up some other accent colors, also in a folksy way.
5. The dress isn’t bad, even though brown isn’t often a Royal choice. Could it have been better suited to an older Royal?
6. It’s hard to tell, but she did incorporate the Norwegian flag colors for the occasion, so she gets my salute.
PS CP Mete-Marit has such a warm, delightful smile!
Sorry to say but I don’t really like the hat or any of the outfits. Outfit number one is okay but not with the black tights, I like the shoes and the white wooly scarf. The brown and cream outfit has a Mrs Danver’s vibe.
Just for good measure Queen Sonja’s hats aren’t my cup of tea either. I do very much like Ingrid-Alexandra’s outfit in the last picture.
Valentinos FTW! 💚
I think it goes well with every option and I love the folk embroidered coat. I also think it looks better with her hair down as in the most recent photos.
I think the hat works beautifully with every outfit but the folk Valentino (there I just think the busy print clashed with the style of the hat. The hat was very retro, the coat was clearly not, but it was a great coat, and I wonder what type of hat would have played better with it.) The 2009 Nobels was the best outfit/hat/styling in my opinion.
I believe Princess Charlene has a similar hat, and it works well with each of their more minimal aesthetics.
Hmmm…. the only white hat in Princess Charlene’s wardrobe is this Gallia e Peter fedora. She did wear a pale blue textured very flat pillbox for the twins’ christening but it feels quite different to Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s pilllbox.
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I do love this hat – especially as the first outing it is just such a picture of icy Scandinavian elegance. I love the pared back look, which is really dramatic, and with the sleek updo just perfection. I know some people think it’s worn too far back, but for me that is a part of the drama of this hat. In a totally different vein, the folksy black and white coat is also a great match for it.
Some of the other looks – well they’re all good, just maybe not quite as stellar as the first two. My least favourite is the pairing with the brown and white dress. I really like the dress, I just think it needs a broader hat that can compete with it as itactually does have a fair bit going on.
But I still am such a sucker for MM’s monochromatic, uber-minimal aesthetic, it’s such a great look for her.