Christening of Prince Julian

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Prince Julian, the third son of Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia, was christened this morning at the Drottningholm Palace Chapel in Stockholm.

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For this event, Princess Sofia wore an ivory velvet bandeau headpiece with large bow at the back.

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The shape is a great christening choice- the bow frames Sofia’s face and leaves an open view to sweet Prince Julian while the scale gives the look some gravitas. Sofia wears ivory well, the colour contrasting with her dark hair and linking with her floral dress, which is the real statement here. While I’ve got some construction quibbles about the bow, the scale and balance of the piece is on point.

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Designer: Headpieces By M (Matthias Lavesson). Dress is the Etro “Santa Barbara Floral A-Line Long Puff-Sleeve Maxi Dress”
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new

Queen Silvia wore a new brimless hat in pale aqua, trimmed simply with a folded bow along one edge of the design.

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The off-the-face style pairs well with the funnel neck on Silvia’s jacket and while the ensemble is in one colour, the textured crepe used on the hat bow and jacket give enough contract to keep the ensemble from falling flat. While It’s another elegant look for Queen Silvia, I’m a bit curious about placement – the amusing photo below shows a good view of the hat’s shape, albeit mid-air. It looks to me that it is blocked as an oval percher beret and I wonder if it might have worked better worn as such with the bow on top instead of a calot, with bow on one side. Thoughts?

Designer: Hat and suit by Georg et Arend
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Crown Princess Victoria repeated her lilac ribbon flower headpiece. It’s a beautiful design that certainly deserves another outing and while I’m not a great fan of the fussy dress, the headpiece pairs well with it.

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Designer: Parant Parant (Örjan Jackobsson). By Malina ‘Adele’ dress.
Previously Worn: August 31, 2019

Princess Estelle wore a pink dress her mother wore in 1986, topped with a darling white multi-looped hair bow.

Princess Madeleine paired her painterly blue and white dress with cascading headpiece of white silk blossoms tucked behind her right ear. While I hear some of you calling for a hat, I think the delicacy of both the headpiece and dress make them good companions.

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Designer: unknown. Dress is the ‘Luminous Frayed Edge Midi’ by Zimmerman
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

Finally, Princess  Leonore and Princess Adrienne wore a sweet blue hair bows.

The Swedish royals do these family milestone events so well, even in a pandemic-mandated reduced capacity. What do you think of thesehats and headpieces today?

Images from Getty and social media as indicated  

Hat From the Past

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Royal Hats 118 years to this gem of a hat, worn by Queen Alexandra in 1903. It looks to be a pyramid of stacked lace applique orchids. Fantastic, isn’t it?!

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Images from Getty as indicated

Ethiopian Royal Hats Part V: Overthrow and The Royal House Today

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We’re joined again today by longtime reader, hat aficionado (follow him on Instagram or Twitter) and dear friend of Royal Hats, Jake Short, for the final post in what has been a fascinating series on the history and hats of the Ethiopian Imperial Family (see Part 4 here).  Thank you, Jake, for leading us through this learning journey into a royal house we don’t often talk about. Link to all of Jake’s previous posts at the bottom. 

Overthrow of the Monarchy

In 1974 during economic crises at home and abroad and a famine in northeast Ethiopia, a revolution overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie and imprisoned him and most of his family on 12 September (although Crown Prince Asfaw Wossen was abroad in Geneva, Switzerland for medical treatment at the time). In March 1974, some of the last photos were taken of the emperor in a hat.

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In November 1974 after the Crown Prince publicly condemned the Bloody Saturday executions without trial of 60 former government officials, including one of the Emperor’s grandsons Rear Admiral Iskinder Desta, the Derg (military government that had taken over Ethiopia) proclaimed the end of the Solomonic dynasty and imperial rule in Ethiopia,  A year later on 27 August 1975, Emperor Haile Selassie was tortured and assassinated by order of the Derg, although at the time state media reported he had died of respiratory failure. Many other members of the imperial family remained imprisoned for a decade- the women until 1989 and the men until 1990- during which time several died.

The Ethiopian Imperial Family Today

In 1989, was proclaimed Emperor-in-exile while he was living in London, taking on the regnal name Amha Selassie. He later moved the Washington, DC area in the United States, where there is a large Ethiopian community. 

 

Many other members of the Ethiopian Imperial Family also relocated to either London or Washington, DC after they were released from prison. After Amha Selassie’s death in 1997, his son Crown Prince Zera Yacob Amha Selassie was declared Head of the Imperial House of Ethiopia and remains so today, living in Addis Ababa.

Restoration of the monarchy seems unlikely, although there remains an Ethiopian royalist movement and the use of imperial titles is respected by the current republican government in Ethiopia. While some imperial family members continue to live abroad, with many in the Washington DC area, others have returned to Ethiopia. The family last made international headlines in 2018 when Prince Yoel was married to Ariana Austin and their wedding was covered in Vogue magazine.

The Crown Council of Ethiopia, which existed during the monarchy, was formed again in 1993; by 2004 it had evolved from political aims of monarchical restoration to promoting and preserving Ethiopian culture and heritage. The current head of the Crown Council, Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie, is a grandson of Haile Selassie, son of the Emperor’s youngest child Prince Sahle Selassie, and a cousin to Crown Prince Zera Yacob.

Rastafari

I couldn’t end this series without mentioning Rastafari (sometimes called Rastafarianism, although this term is rejected by many Rastas). Rastafari began in Jamaica during the 1930s as mostly a religious movement rooted largely in Judeo-Christian beliefs with influences from Afrocentrism, Pan-Africanism, and African/Black nationalism. As you may have noticed earlier, Ras Tafari was Haile Selassie’s birth title and name; it is unclear why this was used by the emerging religious movement. Nevertheless the Emperor remains a central figure to Rastas, who believe he was either the physical second coming of Jesus, another personification of Jah (Rasta term for God derived from “Jehovah”), or a messenger/prophet from God. The fact Haile Selassie was crowned Emperor with the titles “King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God and Light of the Universe” gives further credence to their beliefs.

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The emperor never claimed to be these things and was known for his devout adherence to Christianity, although he didn’t discourage the idea of his divinity either, reportedly saying, “Who am I to disturb their belief?”.

In 1966, Haile Selassie visited Jamaica, where he was greeted by 100,000 people at the airport. 

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His arrival in Jamaica became known as Grounation Day,  the second-most important Rastafari holiday after the emperor’s coronation day.

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Conclusion

There is a lot more that could be said and explored here, but for now I hope you enjoyed this look back at some of Ethiopia’s royal hats. Finally, I want to leave you with this 1954 photo of Emperor Haile Selassie in a graduation cap after receiving an honorary law degree from Howard University, a HBCU (historic Black college/university) in Washington, DC.

Howard University is not too far from where I live, and I go for runs at a public track next to the campus. On my way there I pass by a business with this image of the Emperor in the window, a reminder royalty is never too far away.

Immense thanks, Jake, for this this wonderful series. I appreciate the thoughtful way you weave history and hats together! 

Jump over to the any of Jake’s previous posts: 


Hawaiian Royal Hats Part I   
Hawaiian Royal Hats Part II: World Tour and Golden Jubilee
Hawaiian Royal Hats Part III: Bayonet Constitution and Illegal Overthrow
Hawaiian Royal Hats Part IV: After the Monarchy and Into the 20th Century
Hawaiian Royal Hats Part V: Hawaiian Royals Today
Men’s Royal Hats
Royal Men’s Hats: Fedoras and Trilbys
Royal Men’s Hats: Caps and Berets
Royal Men’s Hats: Pork Pies, Hombergs, Boaters, Bowlers and the Rest
Recommend Hat Repeats for  Queen Elizabeth
Recommend Hat Repeats for Queen Máxima Part I and Part II
Recommend Hat Repeats for Queen Margrethe
Recommend Hat Repeats for Queen Mathilde

Photos from Getty and social media as indicated; Howard University Archive and Jake Short. 

Inventory: Princess Beatrice’s Black & White Hats

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Princess Beatrice celebrated her 33rd birthday on Sunday, an event we mark here with a hat inventory! For the first time, we’re looking at black and white hats and while it’s not a colour combination that immediately comes to mind for this York princess, it should be- we’ve seen her in ten such designs so far! Here they are in the order of debut:

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Designer: all are Philip Treacy
Introduced: June 17, 2008; June 16, 2009; June 18, 2009; 

4.  5.  6.
Designer: Philip Treacy; Nerida Fraiman; Sarah Cant
Introduced: December 25, 2010; May 24, 2016; June 10, 2016

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Designer: Juliette Botterill; Nerida Fraiman
Introduced: December 25, 2016; June 22, 2017

9.  10.
Designer: Sally Ann Provan; Judy Bentinck
Introduced: June 21, 2018; June 9, 2019

Its an impressive and graphic millinery group that Beatrice wears really well. While the early, dramatic Philip Treacy perchers look a bit dated now, they were the height of fashion at the time- all of these hats reflect trends at the times they were worn. I’ve always adored the playful movement of #6 and think the most recent three hats, with their more sophisticated lines, suit this York princess so well. It was for very good reason that #9 was our favourite new hat of the year in 2018.

What does this collection of black and white hats say to you?

Images from Getty as indicated; Max Mumby/Indigo, John Stillwell – WPA Pool, Chris Jackson, Mark Cuthbert/UK Press, Steve Parsons/PA Images, and Chris Jackson via Getty

Queen Arrives at Balmoral

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After staying privately at Craigowan Lodge in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth took up residence at Balmoral Castle today. She was met at the castle’s gates today by the 5th Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Scotland and their mascot, Shetland Pony Lance Corporal Cruachan IV!

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For this arrival, the Queen repeated her cerise straw hat with stepped crown, sidesweeping brim and double straw hatband. The design is trimmed with a trio of vibrant handmade silk flowers on the side studded with arrow trimmed feathers.

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The colour is dynamite on Her Majesty and I really like how the contrasting materials between the straw hat and tweedy coat give some dimension to the overall ensemble. While the hat’s balance and shape are beautiful on their own, it’s those incredible silk flowers that are the standout, the multiple colours on the inner petals magnetically drawing the eye in while the ruffled outer petals give such texture and movement. Masterful, really.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan. Coat and dress by Stewart Parvin
Previously Worn: May 18, 2019; June 21, 2018

What do you think of this hat today on its third outing?

Images from Getty and social media as indicated