Category Archives: Denmark

Princess Beneditkte At The Races

Posted on by

Princess Beneditkte was at the Klampenborg race track on Saturday to present prizes in the Dansk Jockey Club Cup. For this event, she repeated her bright pink straw picture hat. This remains one of my favourite hats on this Danish princess and its recent outing shows how versatile it is. While I prefer the angle Benedikte wore it here, I am much more partial to it’s last pairing (with this chic grey dress) than this combination with her melon plaid jacket. For me, this hat is all about light effortlessness and the jacket (a nice enough piece on its own) is too heavy for the ensemble to feel light.

Princess Benedikte, May 21, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Benedikte, May 21, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Benedikte, May 21, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Benedikte, May 21, 2016 | Royal Hats

Designer: I suspect Susanne Juul
Previously Worn: May 12, 2016; June 5, 2015; September 8, 2013; August 3, 2013; April 24, 2013

What do you think of this hat’s outing over the weekend?

Photos from Klampenborg Galopbane

Catching Up With Danish Royals

Posted on by

The past two days have been busy ones for the Danish royal family. Yesterday, Princess Benedikte, Princess Elisabeth and the Count and Countess of Rosenborg attended the opening of an exhibition on legendary Russian court jeweller Fabergé and his connection to the Danish Royals at the museum at Koldinghus Castle. For this event, Princess Benedikte repeated her raspberry straw wide-brimmed picture hat with a narrow band around the crown. We have seen this hat with a variety of different ensembles and I thought its pairing with her grey dress and pearls hit just the right note. I love it when an ensemble shows a hat off to greatest effect and such was the case here. It’s such a beautiful piece on Benedikte.

Princess Benedikte, May 12, 2016 | Royal Hats Princess Benedikte, May 12, 2016 | Royal Hats

Designer: I suspect Susanne Juul
Previously Worn: June 5, 2015; September 8, 2013; August 3, 2013; April 24, 2013

Princess Elisabeth wore a hat of cerulean blue straw with a gently upturned brim and what looks to be a straw bow on the side. The combination of blue and green in her ensemble was unexpectedly fresh and I only wish there were better photos so we could have a closer peek. You’ll notice that in the lower photo, Countess Susie did not wear a hat.

 Princess Benedikte and Princess Elisabeth, May 12, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Benedikte and Princess Elisabeth, May 12, 2016 | Royal Hats

Today, Princess Benedikte was on hand to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Danish National Association for eating disorders and self-harm. For this event, she looked to be wearing a bronze hat although I believe the lighting is playing tricks on it and it is the same coffee coloured straw designer that she wore for the Swedish King’s birthday festivities two weeks ago (the crown and brim shapes on both hats are identical, making me surmise it is the same piece). Interestingly, it looks like the large flower that appeared on this hat last time was removed, leaving a more simple bow embellishment. Hopefully, the flower trim will return at a future wearing and give us a chance to catch a better view.

Princess Benedikte, May 13, 2016 | Royal Hats

Any thoughts on this trio of Danish royal hats?

Birthday Celebration Of Swedish King: Royal Guests

Posted on by

Celebrations for King Carl Gustaf’s 70th birthday over the weekend also included attendance by representatives from numerous royal houses. Queen Margrethe led the Danish contingent (she and the Swedish King are first cousins) in the same mint green wool crepe hat that she first wore for her own birthday last year. It’s a great hat on her and the interesting shape of this hat’s bumper brim makes it a continued success for me

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: September 8, 2015; June 5, 2015; May 23, 2014; April 16, 2015

Princess Benedikte topped her pale aqua coat with a hat in coffee coloured straw that featured a slightly upturned brim on one side. The hat is trimmed with a giant silk bloom on the side that looks very close to the one on this other hat.

Princess Benedikte and Countess Marianne Bernadotte, April 30, 2016 Photo taken by Sofia Svanholm | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new

Crown Princess Mary repeated her marvellous purple pillbox hat with side feather trim. It’s a wonderful hat on her that was again, styled beautifully with her camel coat. In the last photo below, she is pictured with Icelandic First Lady Dorritt Moussaieff who wore a white felt hat with wide, upturned brim that was filled with silk flower petals.

Designer: Jane Taylor. It is the “Shell” design
Previously Worn: March 17, 2015;  October 7, 2014

One of the most interesting hats of the day was worn by Princess Hisako of Takamado. The design featured a flat, rounded crown in covered in yellow silk, wrapped with a wide yellow silk band and trimmed with a multi-looped bow at the side. The centrepiece of the hat is undoubtedly its brim, made of accordion folded straw piped in yellow. Those of us who follow millinery worn by the Imperial royals will appreciate just how bold and out-of-the-box this design is; while it might carry a 1980s soap opera vibe, it’s so out there that I have to love Princess Hisako for it.

Update: The reason this hat has an 1980s vibe is because it dates back to 1997!

Princess Hisako and Crown Princess Mary, April 30, 2016 Photo taken by Sofia Svanholm | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: October 4, 1997

Princess Beatrix wore a hat in one of her signature shapes with a tall, upfolded bumper brim and flat, stacked crown. The burgundy straw used for this piece has a glamorous shimmer that, when paired with her snakeskin printed tunic and skirt (not to mention that divine cape), makes for a knock-out ensemble. Isn’t this Dutch Princess is looking her best?!

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I suspect this hat is new

Speaking of glamour…Princess Märtha Louise glittered in a metallic lace dress topped with a fascinator in pale pink layered feathers and a net tulle veil.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this headpiece is new

Crown Princess Katherine of Serbia, pictured below right, wore a calot hat in cafe-au-lait coloured straw trimmed with feathers and a net tulle veil in the same colour. As you can also see below, Queen Sofia of Spain and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria (as well as Crown Princess Margarita of Romania in the lower photo) did not wear hats.

Crown Princess Katherine, April 30, 2016 Photo taken by Sofia Svanholm | Royal Hats Crown Princess Katherine, April 30, 2016 Photo taken by Sofia Svanholm | Royal Hats

Finally, Princess Ursula of Bavaria was spotted in small cocktail hat with a pheasant feather covered base and trimmed with a navy double bow and dotted net tulle veil.

Princess Ursula, April 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

UPDATE: Thanks to blogger Hovikirjeenvaihtaja and reader Avery for hunting down this photos of Princess Anna of Bavaria and Hereditary Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha who wore hats afterall! Princess Anna topped her blue suit with a navy beret-based percher hat trimmed with a large sunburst of red feathers on the side. Seated next to Anna in the photo below is Duchess Elizabeth of Bavaria who is sporting a pale blue fascinator or curling straw ribbon and silk blooms.

Princess Anna of Bavaria, April 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Anna of Bavaria, April 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

Princess Kelly wore my favourite fascinator at this event, a mass of intertwined, curling straw ribbons swathed in a bubble of coordinating dotted net tulle veil.

 Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, April 30, 2016 | Royal Hats Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, April 30, 2016 | Royal Hats Princess Kelly of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, April 30, 2016 | Royal Hats

That wraps up coverage of King Carl Gustaf’s 70th birthday celebration! Amidst this wonderful parade of royal hats, which ones were your favourites?

My sincere thanks to Sofia Svanholm for granting permission to share her excellent photos. Do peek at her blog and gallery of photos of this event as both are very well done.

Photos from Getty as indicated; SVT1 Screen shot; IBL, IBL and IBL;  and Sofia Svanholm 

Inventory: Queen Margrethe’s Green Hats

Posted on by

Queen Margrethe is one of the most colourful monarchs in terms of fashion and millinery. When it comes to green hats, however, she’s nearly as shy as the other monarchs we have looked at with just two green hats worn since 2000:

1.Queen Margrethe, July 9, 1999 | Royal Hats  2. Queen Margrethe, April 16, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designers: unknown
Introduced: July 8, 1999; April 16, 2016

The two styles couldn’t possibly be more different! Created nearly 20 years apart, the pieces both reflect the millinery trends of the time, tweaked with interesting embellishments. They are both interesting pieces that I think require a certain presence to carry off well- perhaps that’s what makes them fit for a queen. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another decade or two before Margrethe adds another green piece to her inventory!

I have run out of time to complete an inventory of Queen Elizabeth’s green hats and beg your forgiveness. I’ll put this together later in April when I’m back. 

Photos from Tim Graham and UK Press via Getty

Inventory: Princess Mary’s Red Hats

Posted on by

As we continue building royal hat wardrobe inventories, February will focus on all things red. To kick off this month’s first millinery tour, we’re headed into the closet of Princess Mary of Denmark who celebrated her 44th birthday on February 5. So far, there are three red/burgundy pieces in her millinery wardrobe. Here they are, in the order they were introduced:

1. Crown Princess Mary, January 10, 2012 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats  Crown Princess Mary, January 10, 2012 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats      

Designers: Philip Treacy; 
Introduced: October 9, 2004

2. 2006-11-01 football game 2     3. Crown Princess Mary, May 6, 2009 in Jill Courtemanche | Royal Hats

Designers: likely Susanne Juul; Jill Courtemanche
Introduced: November 1, 2006; May 6, 2009

While we might debate on counting hat #2 in this list (obviously a very informal piece, worn to a football match), Mary has so few red pieces in her wardrobe that I thought it warranted inclusion. While the first hat seems to be Mary’s favourite (with seven public outings so far), I have always had a soft spot for the third headpiece which is the most glorious colour and frames Mary’s face so beautifully. I’ll admit- this is not the most exciting group of royal red hats which is unfortunate, as Mary wears red so very well (I’d love to see her pick up this raspberry straw design from her go-to Danish milliner, Susanne Juul) Do any of these pieces strike your fancy?

Don’t worry, dear readers. We have a few more royal hat wardrobes to peek inside this month and there are some marvellous red designs that await us. Stay tuned!

Photos from Albert Philip van der Werf/dpa/Corbis; Albert Philip van der Werf/dpa/Corbis; unknown; Carsten Rehder/POOL/epa/Corbis