Milestone Birthday: Crown Princess Mary

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Crown Princess Mary celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday, a milestone we mark by looking back at some of her memorable hats:

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This evolution shows the refining of a millinery style characterized by classic shapes and modern, clean lines with some unexpected pieces that show Crown Princess Mary is not adverse to experimentation!  What do you notice about her hats over the years?

Images from Getty as indicated  

This Week’s Extras

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Way back in November, Princess Nobuko wore a lovely red brimless calot to a Red Cross convention.

On Friday, Queen Margrethe repeated her purple brimmed hat with bow trim to open a new exhibition on 150 years of representation of women and gender in art.
Also on Friday, Crown Princess Victoria wore a cozy navy knit hat to visit Färnebofjärden National Park, her first in a series of outings that will take her to all of Sweden’s national parks.
Grand Duke George and Princess Victoria Romanoff in fur hats this week while in Moscow

These new millinery designs caught my eye this week (click on the post title above to open this post and view the comments for more):


Beautiful new portraits released by the Danish monarchy for Princess Mary’s 50th birthday


Queen Elizabeth has released a message on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of her Accession today. along with some lovely pictures, including several reading well wishes. What an incredible milestone this is.

Images from social media as indicated 

Belgian Monarchs Wrap Up Middle East Visit

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Yesterday, the Belgian king and queen continued their visit to the Middle East in the United Arab Emerites, attending the Belgium National Day at the Dubai Expo.

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For this visit, which saw the coupe tour the exhibition’s Belgian pavilions, Queen Mathilde repeated her green parabuntal straw hat with rounded crown and wide, sidesweeping brim.

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It is a lovely hat on her, the muted olive shade pairing well with her delicately embroidered dress and the hat’s presence beautifully balancing the dress’ border print skirt. Something, however, about the shape of the hatband is a little off for me- I think it’s the ridge on top, which might do better at the bottom where the crown and brim meet.

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Designer: Fabienne Delvigne “Spinalli.” Dress by Natan
Previously Worn: Sep 6, 2019

What do you think about this hat on its second outing?

Images from Getty and social media as indicated  

Belgian Monarchs Visit Oman

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Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said the Honorable Lady Ahad bint Abdullah welcomed King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgian to the Al Alam Palace in Muscat on the second day of the Belgian Monarch’s official visit to Oman and United Arab Emirates. For this event, Queen Mathilde wore a new brimless hat in muted burgundy straw, simply trimmed with a draped bow on the side.

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This toque shape is a not a new one for Mathilde and it suits her well, framing her face while having a enough presence to stand on its own against her floral frock. The colour is great, both contrasting against the pale dress while highlighting the darker tones in what really is an exquisite pattern. A larger scale hat would compete with the voluminous skirt (and statement belt) and this smaller design is just right.

Designer: Fabienne Delvigne. ‘Geisha’ Printed Taffeta Dress with Pleats by Natan.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

For a visit to visit the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Queen Mathilde topped a beautifully patterned and embroidered Anita Dongre full length dress with a burgundy headscarf. It’s such a beautiful look and another example of diplomatic dressing at its vest.

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What do you think of these looks on the Belgian queen?

Images from Getty as indicated  

Danish Royals Attend Events Marking Milestone Birthday

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On Monday, Princess Benedikte of Denmark attended the opening of “Mary and the Crown Princesses” at the Koldinghus, an exhibition marking Crown Princess Mary’s 50th birthday that “paints a portrait of the Danish Crown Princess and her four predecessors”. For this event, she wore a new hat with domed plaid crown and cuffed pale fur brim.

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Countess Sussie and Count Ingolf of Rosenborg also attended this event, Countess Sussie in an chocolate brimless hat (or open crown headpiece?) with eye-catching twist trim.

On Wednesday, Crown Princess Mary was joined by her two youngest children for a a visit to Copenhagen Zoo to kick off the construction of another exhibit in honor of her milestone birthday, “Mary’s Australian Garden,” an eco facility that will house animal species from Australia. For this visit, Mary wore a casual navy felt fedora trimmed with a burgundy and navy plaid hatband. Princess Josephine and Prince Vincent wore cozy knit winter hats.

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The hat is a great scale on Mary and pairs well with her patterned coat to create a casually chic ensemble.

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Designer: Bonpoint. Coat is Hobbs London’s Meghan Check Wrap Coat 
Previously Worn: this is new

We’ll celebrate Crown Princess Mary’s milestone birthday with a retrospective look at her life in hats on Monday. For now, what do you think about these less formal designs?

Images from Getty as indicated