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.
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!
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Royal Hats 