Princess Beatrix was in Nieuwegein today to officially open the third chamber of her namesake lock in the recently widened and deepened Lek Canal which links Amsterdam and Rotterdam. For this event, she wore one of her signature straw bumper hats; better photos over at PPE show it’s a navy design (not denim blue that it shows here) we’ve seen before with a distinctive vented outer upfolded brim that folds into a high point on the side.
Queen Margrethe was in Sønderborg yesterday to open the new Danish Rheumatism Hospital. For this event, she repeated her burgundy hat with upfolded, Breton style brim, trimmed with a pair of trimmed, striped feathers on the side. The brim shape on this design has always been unique, thanks to that single row of stitching that creates an almost hourglass shape around the crown.
To celebrate Crown Princess Mary’s 47th birthday today, we’re taking a look at all of the blue designs in her millinery closet. We have seen Mary step out in six blue hats of varied shades and shapes- here they are in the order they have been worn:
1.
2.
Designer: Susanne Juul; unknown
Introduced: May 5, 2004; August 31, 2005
3.
4.
Designer: both are Susanne Juul
Introduced: November 3, 2009; September 17, 2011;
5.
Designer: Susanne Juul
Introduced: January 15, 2012 and updated with feather trim October 4, 2016
6.
Designer: unknown
Introduced: April 30, 2013
UPDATE – Since this post was published, Crown Princess Mary has acquired the following blue hats:
7.
Designer: Susanne Juul
Introduced: May 15, 2021
While material and colour provide some of the great contrast here, I’m more taken with the diversity of shape that covers some unusually high crowns and brims of all sizes. I’ll always have a soft spot for the ice blue stovepipe cloche (#1) worn during her engagement, a hat that topped such a great look for Mary and signaled this newcomer was not afraid to bravely experiment with unique hats. If forced to choose a favourite, I’d go with the straw beret (#3) for the beautiful curved lines that flatter the face so well. What hats stand out most to you in this group?
Photos from Stella Pictures; Julian Parker, Ole Jensen, Julian Parker and Ole Jensen via Getty
Photos from Getty and social media as indicated
2018 saw some truly wonderful hats enter the world of royal fashion- hats that delighted, wowed and awed us. Each month, dearest readers, you chose a favourite new hat and assembled a list of eleven beautiful designs as your standouts of the year. Choosing a single winner from these eleven great hats proved a difficult task and the resulting poll was neck-and-neck to the finish.
There are some surprises here- this is the first British Royal sweep of the top five hats in this category and two of the heads are ones that have received considerable fashion criticism in the past (a vindication here that tickles me with glee!) in hats worn by milliners who only joined our list of Royal Milliners in 2018. It’s exciting stuff.
Without further ado, here are your top six (thanks to a tie for fifth spot!) Favourite New Royal Hats of 2018:
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Autumn Philips’ ice blue Juliette Botterill button percher with silk abacca looped bow worn April 1
Princess Eugenie’s straw picture hat imprinted with leaves & flowers by Bee Smith worn June 9
Embed from Getty Images
Duchess of Cambridge’s raspberry velvet percher with silk flower spray and veil by Philip Treacy worn October 12
Royal Hats 