The Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall and Duke of Cambridge attended the opening of British Parliament yesterday.
For this state occasion, the Duchess repeated a navy blue straw hat with angular crown and sidesweeping brim, simply trimmed with a thick ivory hatband.
It’s a beautifully streamlined look that blended in with the other dark suits of the day. The hat is a great take on Camilla’s signature millinery style and makes an elegant statement, particularly in combination wth her embroidered coat.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: July 21, 2021
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Like Christopher, I was surprised that court dress wasn’t worn, but agree that it was probably because The Queen wasn’t in attendance. I thought Camilla looked lovely, and her coat dress, though perhaps not a standout, was appropriate for an event in which she was far from the focus of attention. The one thing that surprised me was that she was carrying a purse the whole time — surely she has a lady in waiting or other assistant who could have held it for her, but perhaps she’s emulating her mother-in-law by always carrying one.
Replying to other comments here, I am certainly no authority on women’s shoes, but I’m surprised that these are being referred to as beige, they look white on my monitor. I would also be surprised if Camilla’s preferred shoe company wouldn’t make her a white pair by commission if she requested them because it wasn’t cost effective — it’s hard to believe that any UK company wouldn’t stand on its head to perform if they got such a request from the future Queen of England.
Regarding the hat, I agree with sirlancelot that the navy straw hats are remarkably similar and wonder if we’ve ever had a post that compares them all side-by-side? The trim on this one is so basic that it definitely could be an older hat reworked.
I was disappointed it wasn’t full court dress (I assume because the Queen wasn’t there) but thought the hat extremely elegant and appropriate: formal but with interest from the textures, angles and sweeps. As I’ve mentioned previously, I find the use of beige and navy shoes jarring with navy and white outfits and, given how carefully she dresses, it’s puzzling why she doesn’t substitute the beige for white.
It grates on me too – navy would have been a better option. Camilla seems to have foot problems. She buys off the peg shoes from a small U.K. company that specialises in shoes for painful feet. Shame she doesn’t commission them to make a white pair or a blue and white pair but that may be an option that’s not cost-effective for the company.
This is off-topic but I hadn’t realised she had foot problems. But, having done some research online, you’re right that she uses shoes from a specialist company called Sole Bliss and their website has several pairs of heeled versions in navy suede or leather (none in white) which would have been a better option than the ones she or her dresser chose.
Beautiful hat, it suits the Duchess perfectly.
I like this hat very much. It suits The Duchess very well.
Now I want to see the shoes.
Shoes are the last image in the penultimate set of pictures in this post. White pumps with blue toe.
She looked absolutely wonderful and appropriate for the occasion as usual. These hats are her staple and you can see why. I admit I am one of her supporters but even I cant let it go without saying (as recently discussed on here) this must be the fourth ‘navy blue straw hat with angular crown and sidesweeping brim’ which appear identical, except for different trims. Surely one at least must have been reworked???
I feel like the same could be said for A-line coat dress with contrasting embroidery. It’s a little monotonous. And I know it’s important to know what works, but there could be more variation in the styles that work.
Yes, the A-line coat dresses are a little monotonous but for this event the monotony is what’s needed – the Speech is the important thing. When Diana attended the first time and had a new hairstyle it knocked everything off the front pages and the actual contents of the speech and what the Government plans for the next parliamentary session were didn’t get a look-in. When the Queen used to wear a long white gown, it was very much “white gown, crown and on to business” – the gown wasn’t analysed. I think Camilla played a blinder on this occasion, there but not intruding.
I’m 99.9% certain they are different- slightly different shades, shapes and straws. To us, it might seem like overkill but to someone whose working wardrobe includes a lot of hats, I get it.
Love the hat, which goes well with this ensemble. Thanks for not showing her shoes…