The Duchess of Gloucester celebrated her 75th birthday on June 20. In belated celebration of this milestone, here is a look back at some of her hats and headpieces (click on individual photos to jump to their original source with dates and event explanations):
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
It’s a mix of shapes (with leanings toward boaters, Bretons and berets!), colours and scale, with a few showstoppers thrown in for good measure. If pressed to pick a favourite, it might be the cream and navy hat with waved brim and feathers (first photo in the second to last gallery) worn to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in 2011. We also can’t forget the braided blue straw headband from 1984 that was trotted out again in 2019 – that one’s a sentimental favourite for me, too.
What do you notice about Birgitte’s hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
One of my favorite royals – a very classy lady. Many of these I haven’t seen before but most of them I really like. I particularly like the pale blue/green and taupe houndstooth. Sorry but the blue headband needs to be used to start the next bonfire.
I sometimes think Brigitte’s wardrobe is quite classic, but perhaps unexciting… however going through these pictures there are some really fab looks. The bold Ascot colour combos from a couple of years back stand out, but there are some other really broad picture hats that suit her so well and I’d love to see reinvigorated. I kinda love the Olivia Newton-John headband (Let’s get Physical!) and the hat from the Cambridge wedding is lovely too.
Lots to like here, she might not be the most showy or glamorous Windsor, but she is elegant and appropriate in every one of these looks.
So classic and chic, but also interesting. The trimming of her hats is especially elegant. She even makes the braided blue headband (I hate to say it, but to me it brings to mind 80s aerobics wear) look good!
Soooooo many good hats here! I love the pink and white one (last one in the 4th slideshow), the pale blue & taupe one (first one in 5th slideshow) – actually bring that whole ensemble back out again today and I think it would be marvelous! and the black pillbox with dragonfly brooch (last one in 6th slideshow) is so delightful! Birgitte looks lovely in all of these, there’s not really a clunker in the bunch. Even the braided headband is beautifully made and just need adjustments to how it is worn.
Most of her hats I really like! There are a few ensembles that error on the one note side. But, she has some really bold color contrasts as in the already mentioned emerald green and burnt orange which we all loved a couple of years ago. I also like the contrast with the taupe hat and the charcoal grey jacket, the magenta hat with the baby blue suit, and the burnt orange hat with the chocolate brown coat! Though this is a matching ensemble I thought the aqua and beige houndstooth suit with the aqua hat and beige brim binding was a beautiful combination!
No contest: the fabulous Cambridge wedding hat is my favorite! But there are so many other good looks. I’d like to see two of the ’90s hats, both in tan and aqua, repeated — the one worn with the checked suit and the straw worn with the aqua suit. The raspberry straw from Ascot is great, too. Even though Birgitte wears those structured berets well, it’s fun to see the variety shown here.
What a fabulous retrospective Hat Queen! I admire the Duchess of Gloucester’s dedication to duty and calm, quiet demeanor.
I think a lot of her earlier hats are too fabulous to keep boxed away. It would be wonderful to bring some of these out for another wear. She looks fabulous in large picture hats, boaters, and berets. The hat she wore to the Cambridge wedding is especially attractive.
I quite like the yellow hat she wore to her daughter’s christening, and the earlier photo of her on Remembrance Day made me take another look as I thought at first she was Queen Anne-Marie of Greece. The second photo of her wearing a fedora on Remembrance Day is also a great style on her. I would like to see her wear that again. She really can wear a vast array of styles and colors!
Wow, so many of these I’ve never seen before, and there are multiple ones I wouldn’t mind seeing again.
The emerald green boater with the burnt orange shirtwaist dress is probably my favorite ensemble ever for Birgitte! Two of my favorite colors, and everything suited her perfectly. I wish she would bring back the bright cobalt blue boater in the same shape (7th slideshow, 2nd photo) because I think that style suits her so well. I would also love to see goldenrod hat with blue shirtwaist dress (last slideshow, 2nd photo) because that was another fabulous ensemble for her.
I do also love her Cambridge wedding hat and am sad it only got 2 wears (if I remember correctly). And even though I’m not a fan of the braided blue circlet headband, respect for her pulling it out again almost 4 decades later and wearing it better than the first time.
She managed to stay pretty classic with a majority of her hats, but sometimes it was the details that made (or occasionally broke) them and she always pulled out a few surprises. Here’s hoping the Duchess makes a public appearance again soon in a good hat.
There are so many hats I’ve never seen before! Her style seems very classic. I love these birthday posts!