Swedish National Holiday

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The Swedish royal family celebrated their country’s national holiday today with all of the royal ladies in folk costume with traditional white cotton folded hats.

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Princess Estelle also joined in the festivities in a braided headband in Sweden’s national colours.

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Princess Christina’s daughter-in-law, Vicky Andren Magnusson, was spotted at a related equestrian event in a beige straw hat with triple pleated straw hatband and side bow, studded with feathers in the same shade. Her young daughter Désirée wore a sweet natural straw hat with multicoloured pompom studded hatband.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: May 22, 2012
Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Queen Mathilde Awards Music Prizes

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Queen Mathilde was in Argenteuil this morning to present awards to winners of the Queen Elisabeth – Cello 2017 Competition. For this event, she repeated her pale grey rounded edge pillbox hat with knotted bow trim on the back. This hat is a great pairing with her pale blue dress – a larger or more elaborate hat would overwhelm the dress and the two pieces combine here to create a soft ensemble that seems very well suited to the Belgian queen.

Queen Mathilde, June 6, 2017 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats  Queen Mathilde, June 6, 2017 in Fabienne Delvigne | Royal Hats

Designer: Fabienne Delvigne
Previously Worn: March 8, 2016;  June 12, 2016
Photos from social media as indicated; Eric Lalmand and Eric Lalmand via Belga

Hitachi Couple Attend Memorial

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Back on May 29, Prince Masahito and Princess Hanako of Hitachi attended a Memorial Service for the Unknown War Dead at Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo. Princess Hanako topped her grey dress with an interesting hat I wish we could inspect closer- the base appears to be black straw with a slightly domed crown, flat brim and bow around the back. A white (or pale grey) wrap around the base of the crown seems to extend onto the brim (instead of hugging the crown as a hatband does) and is further topped with a web of what I think might be grey lace. This gossamer changes the shape the hat appears to be from afar and adds such an air of mystery.

Designer:unknown
Previously Worn: I believe this hat is new
We’ll likely have to save our final thoughts on this hat until we can see it better but for now, what do you think of this first glimpse? 

Derby Day At Epsom

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Queen Elizabeth took in yesterday’s Derby Day races at the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse. For this annual event, she repeated her yellow hat in textured straw with plain yellow straw hatband and pink and yellow silk blooms. The warm weather prompted Her Majesty to remove her coat, giving us an unusual look at the hat with its coordinating dress below. Seeing the full context of an ensemble is so valuable and makes me lament how seldom we get this opportunity.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: July 6, 2016; June 19, 2015

The Queen was joined by her cousin, Princess Alexandra, who wore a natural straw hat with tall, domed crown and short cartwheel brim, swathed in a widely woven net tulle veil. This large crowned shape is such a familiar one for her (she has twins in ice blue, lilac, black and navy to name a few) that I initially assumed this piece was a repeat however, it is new. In the bright sun today, the hat looks white but it is actually natural straw (something confirmed at its next outing).

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Designer: likely Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn:  this hat is new

Princess Haya bint Al Hussein topped her pale yellow dress with a cream straw hat with shallow crown and large, oval brim. Trimmed with a large pale yellow silk rose and a twisted straw ribbon and worn slightly askew on her head, the look is soft but still high fashion (just as we expect with Haya).

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Designer: I suspect Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Princess Michael of Kent and Lady Gabriella Windsor are often spotted at the Epsom races but I’ve not spotted any photographs of them this year- please share if you do! In the meantime, I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts about this trio of pastel royal hats.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Hat From the Past

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Royal Hats 36 years ago to a 19-year-old British aristocrat at a society wedding (her own nuptials would take place two months later). The photographs of Lady Diana Spencer this day in the most wonderful red hat with raised brim around the back showed a foretaste of the fashion wonder that was to come.

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This wedding – of Prince Charles’ good friend Nicholas Soames (grandson of Winston Churchill) to Catherine Weatherall – also closely foreshadowed the wedding dress we’d see on July 29. The two are surprisingly similar and clearly, reflective of the fashion of the times.

Hat by John Boyd; dress by Donald Campbell

Photos from Getty as indicated