King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima wrapped up their state visit to Norway on Thursday in Trondheim, accompanied by the Norwegian crown prince and princess.
Some of you may remember that on its first outing, this headpiece had two crescents with a split between them (see photos from that event in 2017 below). Or perhaps the two crescents were separate pieces, right from the start? We don’t see many royal hats with such scale options and this development adds to the interest and intrigue for this design.
The Dutch monarchs continued the second day of their state visit to Norway with a program of events including a seminar on human rights, a visit with the Prime Minister, lunch at Akershus Castle and a reception aboard Dutch navy ship in Oslo harbor.
This ensemble is such a great sartorial flat for the House of Orange, the small scale headpiece balancing well against the strong looks of the dress and coat. I’ve said it before- while the calot shape is not my favourite, it serves good purpose for events like these, especially when the host queen elects not to wear a hat!
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima were greeted this morning by members of the Norwegian royal family for the start of a state visit to the Nordic nation.
The scale of the hat pairs well not only with Máxima’s voluminous dress but with the smaller scale hats typically worn by the Norwegian royal ladies. The combination of felt hat and silk dress is less cohesive, although an understandable choice for the current season and today’s rainy weather. I do admire how the neutral accessories let the dress and emerald earrings shine!
Queen Sonja repeated her chocolate and periwinkle blue felt hat with high, upturned brim embellished with ‘V’ cutouts. I’ve said this before- the hat, especially in combination with the chocolate dress, has a sci-fi vibe I find distracting and overly costumey. What I do like are the cutouts, a design element we seldom see but that is so visually effective.
Later in the Day, Queen Sonja changed into a different ensemble with brown velvet tam hat. Any day a royal embraces the opportunity to wear multiple hats is a great day! Tams are not trendily fashionable these days, a shame as the style and rich colour suit Sonja really well.
The brim on this hat seems to have been smoothed out since previous outings, which is a good thing. The shape and scale are almost too familiar on the Dutch queen to discuss much except to say both continue to suit her! I am on the fence about the mixed greens in this ensemble and wonder if there’s too much blue in the green shade of the hat to pair well with the leaf green of the dress?
After the event, Queen Máxima’s entourage was notified that longtime fan Josée, who attends many of the Dutch queen’s working visits, is undergoing cancer treatment and won’t be able to attend often in future. The resulting exchange is quietly beautiful, Queen Máxima whispering in her ear, “I will miss you.”
“Ik ga u missen.” Koningin Máxima groet haar trouwste fan, die deze week een slechte boodschap kreeg. pic.twitter.com/WHczBSDItw
The Dutch princess repeated a black woven hat with domed crown and brim, upturned around the back. The monochrome design is trimmed with a wide black hatband and a layered double bow in the same textured straw as the hat body, placed at the back.
Black hats for memorial events are a tricky thing to get right but the woven straw and tweaked shape of both the crown and brim on this design give it visual the interest we often see provided by a hat’s trim. The styling of the ensemble is great with wonderful monochrome contrast found between the patent leather boots, sleek lines of the suit, silky shine of the bow necktie and nubby weave of the hat.
Royal Hats 