Funeral of Queen Fabiola

The Belgian Royal Family was joined by monarchs and representatives from numerous other royal houses for Queen Fabiola’s funeral today. Empress Michiko of Japan wore a petite black saucer hat that featured a flat fan bow and net tulle veil.

Empress Michiko, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Queen Margrethe of Denmark repeated her a black Karakul fur toque with feather pouf trim.

Empress Michiko and Queen Margrethe, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Queen Margrethe, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Queen Margrethe, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Queen Silvia of Sweden wore a black felt cloche hat with wide, folded black velvet band around the crown.

Queen Silvia, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Queen Silvia, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Queen Silvia, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Queen Sofia of Spain wore a black pillbox which was covered in net tulle and wrapped with a band of black velvet around the outside of the hat.

Queen Sofia and Princess Beatrix, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats Queen Sofia and Princess Beatrix, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands repeated her black fur felt hat with pointed crown and upfolded felt and straw double brim.

Princess Beatrix, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Empress Farah of Iran wore a black silk pleated turban that was interlaced with strands of metallic black straw and trimmed with a loosely woven black straw rosette.

Empress Farah, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

Princess Astrid of Norway, who accompanied King Harald, wore a black bumper hat. At first glance, I thought this hat and coat combination were made from the same Karakul fur but after a closer look, I believe they are made of textured wool.

Princess Astrid, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

And finally, the Duchess of Castro wore a black calot trimmed with a silk ruffle that spanned the side and back of the hat. Duchess of Castro, December 12, 2014 | Royal Hats

I think that includes all the royals who attended this event (please let me know if I missed anyone). The hats were all rather simple, but simple elegance is exactly what was required. Did any of these royal hats stand out to you today?

Photos from Vincent Kalut, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van KatwijkPatrick van Katwijk, Patrick van Katwijk, Patrick van KatwijkPatrick van KatwijkPatrick van Katwijk, Didier LebrunPatrick van Katwijk, and Albert Nieboer, all via Corbis

Spanish Royal Wedding Ten Years On: Remaining Non-Reigning Royals

The Royal Hats Blog We have finally come to the final post on our look back at the hats worn by family and guests at the May 22, 2004 wedding of the Princes of Asturias and Letizia Ortiz Rocosolano! Our peek is at the hats worn by representatives from non-reigning royal houses.

One of my favorite hats in this group was worn by Empress Farah of Iran. In palest blue straw, this hat featured a flat crown and large, mushroom shaped brim. The brim is not a shape we see often, perhaps because it can easily swallow up the face of the person wearing it. Brim proportions aside, the hat was a lovely compliment for the Empress’ perfectly tailored coat and, as usual, she looked elegant and very refined.

Empress Farah of Iran, May 22, 2004 | Royal Hats Embed from Getty Images

Maria Vladimirovna, Grand Duchess of Russia, wore a kokoshnik-inspired hat in the same white, pink and red silk print as her dress. Trimmed in pink silk with a bow at the back, this halo shaped hat framed Maria Vladimirovna’s face and made her look all the more Russian.

Maria Vladimirovna, May 22, 2004 | Royal Hats

The Duchess of Bragança topped her pale peach silk suit with a cream straw hat trimmed in a peach sash around the crown and bloom on the side. The brim on this hat was slightly upturned on one side- a feature I would have loved to see exaggerated more to give the hat more panache and personality. It was a little too sedate, as it was.

 Duchess of Braganza, May 22, 2004 | Royal Hats

Princess Béatrice of Orléans, Comtesse d’Evreux showed her fashion fearlessness by pairing a bold magenta headpiece with an even bolder magenta frock. A mass of magenta straw curling leaves and flowers, the headpiece was wrapped in net tulle veil and worn directly on the top of Béatrice’s head. While I do not want to question the Princess’ fashion sense (she was a fashion consultant for many years for Women’s Wear Daily and Dior), the placement of this headpiece doesn’t seem right. Nor do the lilac satin gloves, reminiscent of identical ones worn by a certain diva Muppet.

Princess Béatrice of Orléans, Comtesse d'Evreux, May 22, 2004 | Royal Hats

Marina Doria, the Princess of Naples, wore a white lace veil anchored at the back of her head. While this was presumably done for religious reasons, the combination of the lace veil with Princess Marina tanned décolletage and white disco ball skirt was unexpected, to say the least. Her daughter-in-law, Princess Clotilde of Savoy, wore a headpiece of swirling white feathers that wrapped around her head.  I suspect the intent of this piece was to add to the ethereal effect of her organza trimmed suit but in reality, it looked like she was sporting a pair of white ear muffs.

Princess Clotilde of Savoy and The Princess of Naples, May 22, 2004 | Royal Hats Princess Clotilde of Savoy, May 22, 2004 | Royal Hats

While we have seen numerous brightly hued and whimsical hats worn at this wedding, I do not believe any topped the chapeau worn by Princess Inaara Aga Khan for sheer fun and frivolity This hat, in white straw wrapped in an overlay of red fishnet with polka dots, was trimmed in a red, purple, lime and white straw bow at the front. Princess Inaara paired it with a white suit – a good thing, to be sure, but a choice which made the hat stand out all the more.

Princess Inaara Aga Khan. May 22, 2004 | Royal Hats

That draws our look back at King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s wedding to a close. And what fun this has been! I am curious to hear what you thought of these and the other MANY royal hats that made an appearance at this event. Which one was your absolute favourite?

An index of all hats worn at this wedding can be seen at this post. We’ll be back to regular royal hat news and features first thing Monday morning.

Photos from  Lalo Yaky,Tim Graham and Pascal Le Segretain via Getty; El Mundo, El Mundo and El Mundo; Getty/Stringer via Getty; and El Mundo

Milestone Birthday: Empress Farah

Empress Farah of Iran celebrates her 75th birthday today. To honour this milestone, here are a look at some of her hats:

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images  Embed from Getty Images

I have always loved the ice blue mushroom-shaped picture hat she wore to the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Asturias in May 2004 shown above. What others stand out to you here?

Photos from Getty as indicated