Tag Archives: Duke of Edinburgh

Royals Gather to Celebrate Bicentenary of Royal Yacht Squadron

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The Duke of Edinburgh marked the bicentenary of the Royal Yacht Squadron with a Fleet Review of more than 180 ships gathered at Cowes on the Isle of Wight. Prince Philip, who is Admiral of the Squadron and wore a cap related to this rank, presided over the day’s events aboard a Royal Navy patrol boat.

Sailing is a popular sport among European royals; accomplished royal sailors King Harald of Norway, Prince Albert of Monaco, King Constantine of Greece, Prince Pavlos of Greece, Viscount Linley and Prince Henrik of Denmark were in attendance for the naval celebration, all sporting natty nautical caps.

Prince Pavlos and Viscount Linley, June 5, 2015 | Royal Hats

Prince Philip was further accompanied by the Princess Royal, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and Prince Michael of Kent. While Princess Anne sported a headscarf, the royal men (except for the Vice Admiral) wore hats related to their roles with the squadron.

 It looks like an enjoyable day was had by all, doesn’t it?!
Prince Michael of Kent, June 5, 2015 | Royal Hats
Photos from Getty as indicated and Prince Pavlos of Greece

British Royals Attend Service of Commemoration

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Members of the British Royal Family attended a Service of Commemoration at St. Paul’s Cathedral this morning, honouring the British military’s involvement in Afghanistan which has now come to an end. I suspect this service was made all the more personal for this family as Prince Harry, who was in attendance, served two terms of duty in this military operation.

Queen Elizabeth led her family at this event in a repeated her blue straw stovepipe hat, trimmed with a prim felt bow. This remains one of my favourite colours on the queen and I adore the pattern woven into the straw. With her bouquet of tulips and hyacinths, the Queen looked the picture of spring.

Designer: Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: March 5, 2014, October 11, 2011; May 11, 2010; March 8, 2010; November 28, 2008

The Duke of Edinburgh, who holds the rank of Lord High Admiral in the navy, wore his uniform and cap. He gallantly offered his hand to his wife as they descended the steps of St. Paul’s, a sweet gesture that was caught on camera below.

The Prince of Wales, who holds five star ranking in all three branches (Army, Navy and Air Force) of the British Armed Services, also attended this service in uniform.

The Duchess of Cornwall repeated her black winter hat with a ruched crown and faux-fur cuff, pinning  the cap badge of The Rifles to the crown of the hat. While I loved the addition of this military brooch to her hat, I am afraid it feels a little informal for an event with as high a profile as this one. We’re going to look at this hat (and its many clones) in greater depth next week.

Designer: Lock & Co.
Previously Worn: Decemeber 10, 2013; February 7, 2012;  February 6, 2012; January 27, 2012

Also in military uniform were Princess Anne, as Commodore-in-Chief of HMNB Portsmouth and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

The Duke of Cambridge wore his uniform and cap as Flight Lieutenant of the Royal Air Force. The Duchess topped her simple navy dress and coat with a navy felt saucer hat which was trimmed by a navy silk abstract bow. The outfit and hat are rather austere but very fitting for this event. We have not seen Kate in a saucer hat in a very long while and it was a nice change from her go-to embellished berets. I thought her low chignon showed this hat to great effect and that Kate looked very elegant.

Designer: Jane Taylor. UPDATE: This hat appeared months later in the AW 2015 collection.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Prince Harry, who served two terms of duty in Afghanistan, was in attendance in his uniform as Captain of The Blues and Royals.

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The Earl of Wessex wore his uniform and cap as Royal Honorary Colonel of the London Regiment. The Countess wore a new embellished percher hat with black felt beret base, trimmed in PVC ribbon. My first impression of this made me question the use of the shiny ribbon, which looks like patent leather. At second, third and fourth glances, however, I have come to really appreciate this piece. The sense of movement in this hat is absolutely exquisite and the contrast of texture between the two materials gives such visual depth and interest. I think this new hat will serve Sophie very well.

Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

The Duke of Kent, the Duke of Gloucester, and the Duke of York also attended the service, each in their respective military uniforms and caps.

While royal hats are the focus of this blog, the aim of today’s commemoration service was to pay tribute to the service personnel who did not return home. This article at the Daily Mail includes photos of all the British service men and women who lost their lives during the course of this military intervention.

Photos from Getty as indicated

British Royals Participate in Remembrance Service

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The Remembrance Service at the Cenotaph on Whitehall yesterday saw participation from nearly every branch of the British Royal Family. Earlier today was saw hats worn by the Queen, the Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge, and the Countess of Wessex– now we’re going to take a peek at hats worn by the rest of the family.

Princess Alexandra wore a simple black wool hat with rounded crown and downward sloping brim. The hat was trimmed with a sash of crushed velvet, which was repeated in piping round the edge of the brim and on a collar on her coat.

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Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: March 2, 2005; 1996
The Duchess of Gloucester wore a small black velvet hat with a bumper-style tightly upfolded brim. The hat was trimmed by an abstract folded silk bow and the addition of a small enamel poppy brooch. I thought the addition of this brooch was a lovely touch.

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The British Royal men all appeared in the hats and coats of their respective military dress uniforms.

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This is a rather beautiful event to behold, isn’t it?

Photos from Getty as indicated. Please click on each photo to return to the original source. 

Yorks and Wessexes At Trooping the Colour

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Queen Elizabeth’s remaining two children and their families also attended her official birthday celebration yesterday, as expected. Prince Edward wore the uniform of the Royal Colonel of The London Scottish Regiment which includes a kilt and black and feathered cap. Prince Andrew wore a black top hat with his traditional morning suit.

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The Countess of Wessex wore a lovely new pinky-beige straw beret trimmed with organdie ribbon curls and a large cream silk bloom. I thought it was very pretty with her lace frock and struck the perfect note of elegance for yesterday’s formal event. The only change I’d like to see here is a more polished hairstyle to really show off this hat.

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Designer: unconfirmed. I believe it is Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: I think this is a new hat

Princess Eugenie also debuted a new hat in wheat coloured straw. The mushroom shaped hat was embellished with what looked like abstract leaves in soft, neutral colours. The effect was soft and very pretty on Eugenie, who looked wonderful in this hat shape.

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Designer: Sarah Cant
Previously Worn: This is a new hat

While I am always sorry not to see Princess Beatrice and Zara Philips at major British Royal events (they, along with Peter and Autumn Philips did not attend yesterday), the hats in the Queen’s immediate family were all winners yesterday. It’s interesting to notice that while each hat had lots of distinct personality, the overall palate, when seen altogether as below, allowed the Queen to stand out in her vibrant royal blue brim.

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I will be back late tonight with the remaining royal hats from the Kent and Gloucester families.

Photos from Getty as indicated

Wessexes Celebrate Royal Marines in Scotland

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The Earl of Wessex and the Countess of Wessex arrived at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh yesterday where they inspected the guard of honour from the 42 Commando Royal Marines. This event kicked off the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines and it was no surprise to see both the Earl and Countess in hats for the occasion. Sophie paired a pale blue  straw percher hat trimmed with rolled organdy twirls and a pair of angular feathers. I thought the hat softened her militaristic coat dress and although the colour palate was very subdued, it worked. What do you think of this saucy little straw hat?

Countess of Wessex, May 16, 2014 in Jane Taylor | Royal Hats

Designer: Jane Taylor. As I suspected, it is a bespoke version of the “Bluebell” hat
Previously Worn: this is a new hat

Photo from Splash News via Corbis