Category Archives: Norway

Greek Royal Wedding 20 Years On: Norwegian & Swedish Royal Guests

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Continuing our look back at the July 9, 1999 wedding of Princess Alexia of Greece and Carlos Quintana, we turn our attention to hats worn by members of the Norwegian and Swedish royal families. Queen Sonja topped an iridescent lime suit with a picture hat in slightly darker green straw. The hat featured a shallow, rounded crown and a wide brim with dowturned edge and was trimmed with lovely lime silk orchids.

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Queen Silvia also wore a hat much larger than the styles we see her favour most often today. In dove grey straw, her picture hat’s round, flat crown topped an oversize mushroom brim. The hat was simply trimmed with a wide grey silk hat and and brim binding. With her grey ensemble, the overall look oozed elegance.

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Crown Princess Victoria was just 22 at the time of this wedding and, I suspect, not yet a customer of couture hats. Her slouchy brown stitched hat followed an hourglass shape (popular at the time) with upturned Kettle brim and bow on the side.

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Princess Madeleine wore a pink sinamay hat. The hat’s boater style crown was covered in pleated rows of crin and the cartwheel brim, in a relaxed crin ruffle overlay. The hat’s classic shape in light crin embellishment made a sweet and feminine choice for the teenage princess, even if the trailing bow down the back was a bit twee.

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Some of you have commented on the large number of picture hats at this wedding and the two added here were among my favourites. What do you think of these hats?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Norwegian National Day 2019

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Members of the Norwegian royal family celebrated their country’s Constitution Day national holiday today with an appearance on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Oslo, as they have done in years past.

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It was a tale of two hat styles in Norway today with King Herald and Crown Prince Haakon in black silk top hats and the ladies in a pair of pillboxes. Queen Sonja’s design is a streamlined one in brilliant red.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this is new

Crown Princess Mette-Marit but repeated her low height, ivory felt pillbox. Photos today show the crown of the hat has a very slight domed shape.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: December 10, 2018; May 15, 2014; June 2, 2010; May 17, 2010; December 10, 2009

Photos from Getty as indicated; Albert Nieboer and Albert Nieboer via PPE

Funeral of Grand Duke Jean: Royal Guests

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The funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg was attended by representatives from nearly every European royal house, many who wore hats. Out of respect for this event and the Grand Duke’s memory, this post contains photos only (no commentary) and is not open for comments.

Monarchs from Denmark, Sweden, Liechtenstein and Norway:

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Spanish, Romanian and Greek Queens:

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Dutch, British and Norwegian Royals:

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Spanish, Italian, Bulgarian and Portuguese Princesses

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Jordanian and Moroccan Royals:

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Marlene Koenig, author of Royal Musings, published a full guest list here. Representatives from numerous abolished, lesser known European monarchies (mostly French, German and Prussian) were in attendance but have not been included here- you can see them at this comprehensive post over at Luxarazzi.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Dutch Royal Wedding 17 Years On: Royal Guests Part 1

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When Crown Prince Willem-Alexander married Máxima Zorreguieta seventeen years ago, his status as heir to the Dutch throne made the wedding a state occasion and as such, a large number of royal guests attended. We now look at some of these royal hats.

Queen Margrethe’s hat linked with her fur trimmed coat, the domed crown covered in the same textured blue wool fabric. The denim blue inverse brim made this design unique, hugging the bottom of the crown tightly before opening horizontally, the shape punctuated by a slim lighter blue hatband on the under side. the brim’s front brim vent was further highlighted with a pearl brooch. Despite its small footprint, this hat packs a lot of punch- perhaps too much in combination with the fur collar and cuffs on the coat?

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Princess Benedikte wore a silver tweed coat and hat with fur trim on the bumper brim (and collar and dress hem). The scale of fur trim is just right here and the dark colour contrasts AND coordinates beautifully with the fabric. The fur hem of the dress is a little odd but the hat works really well.

Benedikte’s eldest daughter,  Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, topped her lilac dress and coat with a magenta felt brimless hat trimmed with a tall spray of feathers. The pieces are all individually attractive but I’m just not sure they combine well together. Photos of Alexandra’s younger sister, Princess Nathalie, who also attended, elude me.

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Queen Silvia’s midnight blue hat combined straw and velvet- not a combination we often see. The hat’s wide, upturned kettle brim was edged in a wide stripe of velvet which was repeated on the crown. A ruched hatband of light straw added softness, volume and textural contrast between the crown and brim.

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Crown Princess Victoria topped her tailored chocolate suit with a matching straw hat. It’s a hat I’m happy to leave in the past for Victoria, its unrefined finishing and awkward looking hatband making a less than flattering look for her.

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Princess Madeleine’s hat packed a little more style punch and finesse with its angular crown and upswept brim around the back. The sequinned hatband reads a little ‘glitzy cowgirl’ and the roughly woven straw feels slightly unmatched against Madeleine’s beautifully tailored dress and jacket but somehow, the look works for what it was.

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Queen Sonja topped her cantaloupe orange lace suit with a matching silk cloche hat. The upturned brim updated the traditional shape with some angular edge (a touch somewhat nullified by the wide, rather dowdy lace hatband) and a small spray of orange feathers and a canteloupe silk twist on the side attempted to liven the design. A matching canteloupe lace purse and fur stole completed the look- and a lot of canteloupe it was. Melon overkill, I’d say.

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Crown Princess Mette-Marit was barely six months into royal life at this point and her ensemble reflects some of this inexperience. Her navy silk cloche hat was embellished by a wide, ruched hatband and the same matchstick cream stitching around the outside of the brim edge as on the neckline of her dress and, in reverse, on her cream coat. All in all, it was rather bland.
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From bland and boring we move to brilliantly bizarre with Princess Märtha Louise’s hat. A fantastical design that combines a tall, olive green felt square-edged hourglass crown, a wide purple felt brim, purple roses and cobalt, orange and red feathers, the hat is unexpected, whimsical and… well, it’s just bonkers. Pairing this embellished purple suit with this hat was a gutsy move I’ve always admired and makes me smile, still.
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Well- there’s much to discuss here! Which hats stand out to you, most? Which hats have weathered the passage of time, best?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Norwegian Royals On Christmas Day

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On Christmas Day, King Harald , Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre attended the Christmas service at Holmenkollen Chapel in Oslo. Queen Sonja repeated her wintry chocolate hat with velvet crown and fur bumper brim. The brim coordinates with the collar on Sonja’s coat, a touch which adds a bit of formality to piece, and the rich colour works wonderfully with her royal purple silk dress.


Designer: 
Previously Worn: Dec 25, 2017;  Oct 14, 2010; Dec 25, 2009; likely others
What do you think of this hat’s styling on this Christmas outing?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Norwegian Royals Attend Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony

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King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit  attended the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Town Hall yesterday. For this event, Queen Sonja repeated her black brimless hat with pyramid shaped crown trimmed with sequins. The piece is certainly festive paired with her aubergine velvet jacket.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: Feb 7, 2014; Dec 11, 2013; Dec. 10, 2008
Crown Princess Mette-Marit topped her brown tweed and cream colour blocked coat with her winter white felt pillbox hat, worn on the back of her head in the style of a calot.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: May 15, 2014; June 2, 2010; May 17, 2010; December 10, 2009
This is always a glittering event- what do you think of these two repeated royal hats?
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Photos from Getty as indicated

Golden Anniversary in Norway

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King Harald and Queen Sonja celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary yesterday with a service of thanksgiving at Oslo Cathedral, the same church where they married.

For the occasion, Queen Sonja wore a chocolate dotted net veil headpiece tucked into her hair. I thought the headpiece was a bit of a surprise for Sonja, who usually wears hats for major events, until it dawned that the use of the tulle veil might be a bridal reference? If that’s the case, it’s a sweet touch I can’t take issue with, especially as the colour complements Sonja’s hair and her gold suit so well.


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

Crown Princess Mette Marit wore one of her characteristic headbands, this one a new design in black with small rosettes curving around the ears. Princess Märtha Louise also wore a headband style headpiece in metallic silver. The only hat of the day was worn by Princess Astrid, who repeated her turquoise straw brimless design embellished around one side of the design with with ribbon work flowers. 

  

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Photos from Lise Åserud, NTB scanpix; social media and Getty as indicated