Author Archives: Royal Hats

Ascot 2021 Day 1: Tindalls

Posted on by

Zara and Mike Tindall rounded up today’s royal attendance at the first day of racing at Ascot Racecourse. Zara topped her cream and black dotted dress with a cream straw beret percher hat trimmed with silk roses and black dotted veil. A slim straw box completed the piece at the back.

Embed from Getty Images

 It’s a shape and scale we’ve seen often on Zara but one that combined beautifully with this charming dress, drop earrings and beautifully styled hair. The hat is beautifully balanced on its own and I adore how the dots on the dress were linked to the hat with the use of that dotted veil.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Designer: bespoke Juliette Botterill. Dress is ME+EM (Polka-Dot Mini Dress in Cream/Black). Styled by Annie Miall.
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Mike Tindall wore a beautifully shined black silk top hat. Some of you will remember a story we heard about this hat being accidentally sat upon at a past Ascot- it’s great to see all seems to have been repaired!

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

What do you think of Zara and Mike’s hats today?

Stay tuned for a look at the nonroyal hats that caught our eyes today at Royal Ascot!

Images from Getty as indicated  

Ascot 2021 Day 1: Princess Anne

Posted on by

The Princess Royal attended the first day of racing today in a new hat with sloped crown and contoured brim, trimmed with a fan of pleated crin, a spray of pearls and a ruched navy silk hatband. The hat is made of layered navy and purple straw which give lovely dimension to its colour.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Interestingly, Princess Anne has another hat in the same, distinctive shape, shown below at Ascot in 2016.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

I’m not keen on the angular crown and find the brim contour a bit awkward; I think a gentle sidesweep would work better. I also think the ruched hatband is a dated touch – how much crisper and more refined would a sleek silk ribbon hatband be? That all being said, it’s lovely to see Princess Anne in a new hat and I applaud her navy column dress, printed jacket and matching pashmina. These new pieces are fantastic on her.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Designer: unknown. Dress, jacket and shawl by Shibumi
Previously Worn: this hat is new

What do you think of Princess Anne’s new hat?

Images from Getty as indicated  

Ascot 2021 Day 1: Earl & Countess of Wessex

Posted on by

The Earl and Countess of Wessex attended Royal Ascot today, the Countess in a beautiful hat first worn nearly a decade ago.

Described by the milliner as “a large petal disc,” the buff pink design follows an asymmetrical wave (or petal!) shape and is trimmed with a large silk rosette and curling quills. Many of you will remember its initialwearing at the Tindall’s wedding in July 2011.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

I’m afraid few photos today do the piece justice. It has beautiful scale, presence and movement, its neutral colour softening its statement just the right amount. I think it suits Sophie so well. As much as I adore seeing new hats at the races, it’s also great to see pieces, such as this, we haven’t seen as much as they deserve.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Jane Taylor. Dress by ARoss Girl x Soler (Amanda belted silk crepe de chine maxi dress)
Previously Worn: June 3, 2014; July 30, 2011

Prince Edward repeated his black silk top hat which, as always, was gleaming. The hat’s proportion and height suits him so very well (and his printed tie adds that note of whimsey he often brings to the races!).

Embed from Getty Images

What do you think of this pair of hats today at Ascot?

Images from Getty as indicated  

Ascot 2021 Day 1: Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall

Posted on by

After not seeing a royal hat at Ascot Racecourse for an unthinkable two years (last year’s only royal hat at the races was worn at home), it was fantastic to see several royal hats at the races today! We’ll kick things off with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Camilla debuted a new hat today in pale aqua blue with parabuntal straw domed crown and sinamay sidesweeping wide brim. The design is finished with a padded silk hatband and knotted bow at the side, secured with a blue covered button.

Embed from Getty Images

It’s another beautifully proportioned piece, the bow balanced with the raised brim on the opposite side. I particularly admire how the different materials on crown and brim give respective weight and lightness to these elements.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Philip Treacy. Ribbon trimmed coat and cream dress by Bruce Oldfield. 
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Prince Charles repeated his antique black silk top hat.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

What do you think of the Duchess’ new hat today?!

Images from Getty as indicated  

Centenary of Southern Jutland’s Reunification

Posted on by

One of the many royal events postponed during the height of the pandemic was the June 13, 2020 100th anniversary of Denmark’s reunification with Southern Jutland following the German defeat in the First World War. This celebration took place a year later than scheduled, yesterday, with Queen Margrethe, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Christian attending a ceremony at the old border to Germany, at Frederikshoej, south of Kolding.

Embed from Getty Images

Queen Margrethe marked the occasion with a new wide brimmed picture hat in white parasisal straw, simply trimmed with a silk hatband.

Embed from Getty Images

It has been a long while since we saw the Danish queen in a hat with brim as large as this and it’s a nice change to see, even though I’m not excited by the all white ensemble.

What do you think of Queen Margrethe’s new white hat yesterday?

Images from Getty as indicated