This Week’s Extras

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Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended a memorial service yesterday marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. The Empress repeated a streamlined grey bumper hat.
Flora Ogilvy and her fiance Timothy Versterberg in charming sun hats on vacation in Greece
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Pale pink sauce with lattice crown detail and floral trim by British milliner Lucy Bowler
Chic brimmed straw hat in warm shades of wheat and tan by Dutch milliner Myra van de Korput
Classic and charming blue chambray newsboy cap by Italian brand Borsaolino
Shallow palest grey straw pillbox with orbiting butterflies by British milliner Carrie Jenkinson
Interesting take on a black and natural look in this straw sun hat by Scottish milliner Sally Ann Provan
Green straw halo headpiece with silk flower and butterflies by British milliner Bundle MacLaren

Adore the printed silk hatband on this ivory parabuntal straw trilby by British brand John Boyd Hats 
Black straw disc with lace and red feathers by French milliner Sylvia Martinez
White and navy paglina straw crushable fedoras by American milliner Jill Courtemanche
The sweetest handpainted straw wee bonnet by Spanish artist Lidya Diaz
Blue straw floral printed pyramid with crin overlay by London-based milliner Merve Bayindir
Charming straw boater with raised brim around the back, navy hatband and side bow by British milliner Jane Taylor

Lovely new portraits of Princess Anne to celebrate her 70th birthday along with a sweet gallery shared by her elder brother
The Danish monarchy shared this photo of Prince Frederik visiting Prince Joachim, who is continuing to recover in France
Arthur Chatto and teammates successfully completed their 2000 mile row around Great Britain this morning, becoming the youngest team to successfully do so. They were greeted back in London by Arthur’s family and celebrated this achievement by jumping into the Thames River. 
Wonderful conversations between Princess Anne and WWII veterans gathered and shared for the 75th anniversary of VJ (Victory in Japan) Day.

Photos from social media as indicated

Princes of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall Commemorate VJ Day

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The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall attended the VJ Day National Remembrance service held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire this morning. For the event, the Duchess repeated her oyster straw picture hat with large ostrich feather wrapped around the crown.

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The neutral palate of her ensemble fit well with today’s outdoor service. The hat’s shape is a familiar one for Camilla- she carries it so well- and there was something calm and serene (even with those feathers blowing in the breeze!) about the look that fit the memorial event very well.

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Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: May 15, 2018;  June 11, 2016; June 19, 2015; June 28, 2012; September 10, 2011; July 28, 2009; July 16, 2009; May 12, 2009; July 7, 2006; July 1, 2006; June 19, 2006

The memorial itself was incredibly moving- the outdoor setting, the personal reflections and the beautiful music. BBC reporters interviewed some veterans and other survivors of WWII and their family members as they arrived and the stories shared were compelling to say the least. 75 years has not dulled the emotional impact of what was personally experienced during WWII or lessened the memory of those who were lost. If you’re able to find a repeat of the service, do watch it.

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Photos from Getty as indicated 

Inventory: Princess Anne’s Green Hats

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To celebrate Princess Anne’s 70th birthday on Sunday, we’re diving into her millinery closet for an inaugural inventory of her hats. At the turn of the millenium, the Princess Royal had just two green hats in rotation, both introduced during the previous decade (and both repeated within the past nine years years):

As we’re all aware, the Princess Royal has a knack of reintroducing hats from decades past- in July 2013, she brought back a straw picture hat painted with peacock feathers by John Boyd that goes back to at least 1982 and on December 31, 2017 she attended church in a deep forest green velvet cloche that dates to at least December 1984:

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Since 2000, Princess Anne has added eight additional new green designs to her wardrobe. Here they are, in order of introduction:

1.  2.Embed from Getty Images  3.Embed from Getty Images 
Designer: unknown
Introduced: June 21, 2000; March 12, 2002; June 18, 2009

4.  5.  6.
Designer: unknown; Amy Morris-Adams; unknown
Introduced: December 25, 2011; June 22, 2017; March 9, 2018

7.  8.  
Designer: both are Amy Morris-Adams
Introduced: April 4, 2019; June 20, 2019

I’ve held off tackling Princess Anne’s inventories because they require going back 40+ years to catch all the hats we still see her wear today (the longevity of her wardrobe is clearly one of her superpowers). This first group of green hats surprised me. There are less here than I imagined there’d be- perhaps green is not Anne’s favourite colour but when you think about how many  events/engagements she attends (509 in 2019), this is a proportionately small collection. This group also covers a wide breadth of different shapes- there are not two designs close to being alike. Sure, some shapes look more dated than others but it also indicates a more sophisticated ability to carry off very different hat styles that I suspect I’ve underestimated.

As for favourites- I like the new additions from Amy Morris-Adams and hope their collaboration continues. I also love the early 1980s green straw John Boyd picture hat painted with peacock feathers and would love to see it worn again (although, not with it’s original matching outfit!).

So… what do you notice about this group of hats? Which designs do you think suit Anne best?

Photos from  Allstar Picture Library Ltd via Alamy; Fiona Hanson/PA Images, Joe Giddens/PA Images, Tim Graham Photo Library, Max Mumby/Indigo, Mark Cuthbert/UK Press, Hollie Adams, Max Mumby/Indigo, Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty

Hats From the Past

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Royal Hats to the summer of 1976 and this stylish pair of bucket hats on Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, spotted at Heathrow Airport. We simply don’t see many matching ‘his and her’ royal looks (uniforms excepted!) and when I came across this photo this week… well, it was just too fantastic to share.

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Photo from Getty as indicated

Hat From the Past

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Royal Hats to July 1,1949 when Princess Elizabeth opened the Avon Tyrrell Centre for young people in a wonderful calot hat with bonnet style brim- a brim covered in silk flowers or lace that frames the young princess’ face with a sun-filtered lovely pattern.

The Avon Tyrrell Centre now hosts an outdoor activity center run by British Charity UK Youth, a charity whose patron is Princess Anne. To celebrate the Princess Royal’s 70th birthday, British sculptor Frances Segelman created a striking bust of her that will now be housed at the Avon Tyrrell Centre, 71 years after her mother opened it.

Photo from Getty as indicated