Imperial Royals Celebrate Daijosai

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On Thursday and Friday, enthronement rituals concluded with The Daijosai (Great Thanksgiving Ceremony), a festival that dates back to at least the 7th century and is performed by a new emperor the autumn following his enthronement. This festival was held in temporary Shinto shrine compound called the Daijokyu, composed of nearly 30 buildings (about 6,500 square meters) specially built in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace grounds for the Daijosai. For those of you in Tokyo, this will be opened to the public free between November 21 and December 8 before being dismantled, the wooden building materials being recycled for parks and disaster-prevention facilities.

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The Imperial Household Agency purchased specialty vegetables, fruit and seafood from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures for this festival. Rice was cultivated in two rice paddies in the country’s east and west with the locations determined by divination using turtle shells; special fabrics- hemp from Tokushima and silk from Aichi were also provided.

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The day began with Empress Masako arriving at the royal palace (earlier than the emperor, to prepare her elaborate costume) in a cream silk jacquard printed bumper hat.


For the ritual, the emperor wore white sokutai robes with the distinctive black kanmuri hat.

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The empress wore a traditional “junihitoe” multi-layered kimono, this one in white and peach, along with this Heian Era costume’s triple pronged silver headpiece.

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The Imperial Princess (I’ve spotted Kiko, Mako, Kako and Nobuko and suspect the other Mikasa and Takamado princesses also attended) wore a similar metal headpieces but with more delicate, beaded triple prongs (following a tree shape, I think?) and silk cord that loops around the top of the head and hangs down in a multi-bowed tassel on either sides of the face.


The event concluded with a banquet, hosted by the emperor and empress. The Imperial Princesses were in attendance, the Akishinos in cuffed calot hats, Princess Nobuko in a teal button percher, Princess Akiko in a brimmed cream hat, Princess Yoko in a pale blue percher, Princess Hisako in a green saucer with cream brim and flowers around the raised back, and Princes Tsuguko in a petal trimmed peach bumper.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Top Royal Hats: June 2019

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Despite stiff competition (and one victory by very close margin), results for favourite new design and favourite repeated hat worn in are in. For the first time on Royal Hats, the two winners were worn to the same event- the Order of the Garter Service held at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle:


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Countess of Wessex’s cutout straw saucer with tan organdie twists and coral feathers by Jane Taylor worn June 17 



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Queen Máxima’s dusky pink vertical saucer with silk flowers and pheasant feathers worn June 17

Jump over to the poll for favourite new hat here and the repeated hat poll here to see the results in greater detail.  
Photos from Getty as indicated

Duchess of Cornwall’s Christmas Hats

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Over the next six weeks, we’re going to fill quiet days with a series that takes us back through royal hats worn on Christmas Day. Today, we start with the Duchess of Cornwall:

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Navy felt crown and straw brimmed hat with blue moire silk tafetta brim binding & hatband with statement flower in 2005; Leopard print felt beret with feather pinwheel trim in 2006, both by Philip Treacy

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Black straw sidwsweep with velvet hatband and flying bow in 2007; Navy blue felt beret percher with silk rose in 2008, both by Philip Treacy

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Dark blue faux fur papakha in 2009 and its chocolate twin in 2010, both by Philip Treacy

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A slouchy wool Lock & Co hat with faux fur cuff brim in 2011

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Flat crowned designs in jewel tones from Philip Treacy- purple in 2012 and navy in 2013

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Dramatic black felt upsweep with wide ribbon binding by Philip Treacy in 20015 and 2016


Red wool hat with ruched crown and faux fur cuff brim from Lock and Co in 2017

Update- since this post was published, the Duchess has worn the following hats on Christmas Day:

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Royal purple felt helmet with feathers by Philip Treacy in 2019

I thought there would be more repeated designs in this group, and I’m also surprised by how Camilla’s hats have become more streamlined over the past decade- those early hats make major statements! What do you think of this millinery progression, dearest readers?

Photos from Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock; and Getty as indicated

Hat From the Past

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Royal Hats to the 1977 Silver Jubilee tour and a stop in Portsmouth that saw a very interestingly shaped, striped hat on Queen Elizabeth. A bit of a UFO vibe on this one, I adore its creativity.

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Photo from Getty as indicated

British Royals Commemorate Remembrance Sunday

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Members of the British Royal Family joined veterans, military servicepeople, members of government and civilians for a Remembrance Ceremony held yesterday morning at The Cenotaph, in Whitehall.

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The Prince of Wales, who placed wreaths on The Cenotaph of behalf of his mother, was joined by the Princess Royal, the Dukes of Cambridge, Sussex, York, and Kent and the Earl of Wessex, all in military uniform.

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Queen Elizabeth, who watched the service from a Whitehall balcony for the third year, repeated a black straw hat with silk crepe covered crown and binds the upturned kettle brim. The hat is simply trimmed with a stripe of black silk which circles the crown, anchored by two covered buttons in the font.

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Designer: Angela Kelly, made by Stella McLaren
Previously Worn: June 27, 2017; Nov 8, 2015

The Duchess of Cornwall wore a new, brimless hat. The design follows an oversize helmet (or mushroom top?) shape with gently rounded edges. The curved lines of the hat are dramatically accentuated with a mass of overlapping black feathers that circle around it.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Duchess of Cambridge also wore a new, brimless hat, her design built on a formed teardrop beret base with gentle crease down the center which gives it a gentle curve. The hat is beautifully trimmed with black braid ‘frog’ fasteners and corresponding beaded buttons which, along with the embroidered and tassel trimmed swags on her coat, give a thoughtful military nod to the day.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. Coat by Catherine Walker
Previously Worn: this hat is new

The Duchess of Sussex wore a streamlined black felt hat with wide cartwheel brim. The straight sides of the hat’s crown elevate its sophistication, as does its slim hatband, tied in front in an elegantly austere bow.

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Designer: Stephen Jones’ ‘Facetime’ from AW 2019 Miss Jones Collection. Coat by Stella McCartney. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Countess of Wessex wore a black felt perching saucer hat trimmed with a large bow. A subtle swirl on the inside of the saucer (created through hand shaping) gives lovely movement to the design.

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Designer: Jane Taylor. It is the ‘Black Felt Hat With Bow’ from AW 2019. 
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Gloucester usually attend this event but so far, do not appear in any photographs (I’ll update the post if they do). In the meantime, there are some beautiful new hats here to admire.

Photos from Getty as indicated