Today saw the return of the Most Noble Order of the Garter Ceremony at St. George’s Chapel. Held every year on the Monday before Royal Ascot, the The Order of the Garter is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain, established by King Edward III nearly 700 years ago as a personal gift of thanks from the sovereign for those who have held public office, made a significant contribution to national life or been of personal service. After lunch at Windsor Castle, the twenty-four Knights and Ladies of the order process down the hill to St. George’s Chapel, each dressed in elaborate regalia, velvet robes and Tudor-style hats with tall white ostrich plumes. It’s quite a spectacle.
The Prince of Wales, Princess Royal, Earl of Wessex, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of York, Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra are all royal members of the order.
TRH’s the Duke and Duchess of Kent #GarterDay https://t.co/gG2GSM9uQE—
Shane Andrews MBE (@gingio) June 13, 2022
They were joined for the first time by the Duchess of Cornwall, who was appointed to the order today.
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Several royal spouses attended the service as well. The Duchess of Cambridge wore a new hat described by the designer as a “Beautiful teardrop hat. Woven straw base. Adorned with an array of silk roses, rosebuds, leaves, and silk abaca bow.”
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The beret has a lovely shape and this periwinkle blue shade is just splendid. Kate often uses the coat dress + percher hat formula and while I’m always up for experimentation, I can’t argue that it remains a great look on her.
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Designer: Floral Leaf Teardrop by Juliette Botterill.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
The Countess of Wessex repeated an ecru straw, oval saucer hat with sharp sidesweep trimmed with white, cream and ecru feathers placed on both sides of the raised brim.
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Photos today hint at a lovely sparkling sheen in the straw, which I suspect brings the hat to life when seen in person. I’m still on the fence about the feather placement, which has never seemed quite right to me.
Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: Jul 5, 2018; June 22, 2017
The Duchess of Gloucester repeated the blue sinamay hat with wide pleated brim she has worn several times recently. Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence repeated his black silk top hat.
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: Jun 3, 2022; March 29, 2022
This is always a lovely kick-off to Ascot week and after a two-year hiatus, it’s so great to see the full event return. What do you think of the hats today at Windsor?
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
The Duchess of Cambridge’s periwinkle blue hat and ensemble is very pretty but I would like to see a wee bit more variety in her hats and dresses.
I agree that The Countess’s hat is not one of her best but I love the pink dress. Some pink twists, flowers or quills could add to it’s appeal.
The Duchess of Cornwall’s Garter hat does seem to be more extravagant and plush looking than some of the others. I’m wondering if it’s actually brand new or if the Garter bonnets are reworked and reused as new Knights are created. ? ?
Great to see Camilla be added to the Order of the Garter, although I’m a bit sad we don’t get to see what hat she would’ve chosen as in years past.
Kate looks stellar as always and this periwinkle/cornflower shade is a great one for her, but it does feel like we’ve seen her in a lot of blue ensembles recently.
I’ve always found this hat for Sophie to be quite messy with the haphazard trim, but it feels even worse this time as she’s worn it more forward/lower on her forehead than previously. I would like this one retired tbh.
I shouldn’t be surprised Birgitte repeated this so quickly as she almost always does this for the Order of the Garter service, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still be a little disappointed it wasn’t another hat and outfit. However, the second photo in the slideshow demonstrates how Edward could wear this hat if he wanted to pull a Mike Tindall. 😀
A nice look for Laura Lopes and nice to see Camilla’s children there. Finally, while quite elusive, I see Zenouska Mowatt was also in attendance as she usually has been in the past; you can see her conversing with Sir Timothy Lawrence in the background and she is wearing a red percher hat of some sort:
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Much better photo of Zenouska and her hat!
Can you explain the hats worn by the Garter members? Some look like oversized berets while others look like medieval hats.
While they might look different from various angles, they are the same design- a voluminous velvet crown (that sometimes flops over like a beret or tam o’shanter) and a completely flat brim. The crown is elevated on one side, almost ‘pushed up’ by the ostrich feather trim.
I also meant to say that in the photo published of the Queen with Charles and Camilla, it’s interesting to see that the Royal Family still adhere to the strict etiquette (including for church services) that ladies keep their hats on indoors, and men take theirs off.
Camilla looks very good in her robes and hat. I love Kate’s overall ensemble, and the hat is splendid. The whole look is one we’ve seen countless times before, though, so I couldn’t have said it was new off the top of my head.
I like Sophie’s hat. It’s true the feathers are rather OTT, but I appreciate that sort of exuberance, and it’s the right sort of statement hat for this occasion.
I love the teal blue of the Duchess of Gloucester’s hat, and this wide-brimmed style is a lovely change from her oft-worn little berets etc – although we have now seen this one rather a lot recently too!
Just to mention that the Twitter photo labelled TRH The Duke and Duchess of Kent must be mistaken, as the Duchess of Kent isn’t a lady of the Garter, so it must be Princess Alexandra.
I like Kate’s hat, the tiny piece of veil was just what it needed to elevate it
I do want to offend so I’m trying to be careful with my opinion of Sophie’s hat but looks like a bird has flown against the hat and didn’t survive
Laura’s hat is very nice, love the color
I wonder if the Carter’s hat is 700 years old
I meant the design of the Carter’s hat being 700 years old
Love Catherine’s Hat, she looks beautiful.
Camilla looks so incredibly regal in the garter robes, they were made for her, she looks wonderful.
Kate’s new hat is okay. But seriously, another blue coat dress? This one is practically identical to one she wore a few months back too. Sorry, but it just feels wasteful.
Sophie is mixing and matching well, this hat looks so different to its first pairing.
Brigitte is the Queen of recycling (okay, maybe Anne takes that crown…) and I still like this pairing.
The Duchess of Cornwall’s daughter, Laura Lopes, wore a smart navy Philip Treacy percher with bow.
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