This Week’s Extras

On Wednesday, royals from the houses Bonaparte, Orleans, Bourbon and Murat gathered in Paris to mark the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s death. Princess Philomena, Countess of Paris, wore a black feather and crin fascinator.

On Tuesday, Crown Prince Frederik marked the anniversary of the liberation of Denmark in Haderslev
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Salmon pink straw percher with lighter-than-air silk oversize poppies by UK brand John Boyd Millinery
Adore the crown contours on this sunny yellow fedora by Bulgarian brand Hatter’s Daughter
Sky blue crin halo bandeau with statement goose feather pinwheel by UK brand SB Millinery
 Mulberry straw disc rimmed in silk blooms by French milliner Clothilde Toussaint
Ivory button with lavender and apricot ombre flying bow birds by British milliner Awon Golding
Fantastic texture and shape on these woven straw caps by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Adore the swoosh stripes on this black and white felt cloche by British milliner Anne MacDonald

 

Black mini button percher with the most beautiful calligraphic wired twists by UK milliner Piers Atkinson
Blush lace covered pyramid with crin brim extension by London-based milliner Merve Bayindir
Striking quilled straw disc in hues of blue by Australian milliner Michelle Robinson
Natural straw hat with camellias and green abaca draped hatband by American milliner Maria Etkind
Seafoam straw hat with hexagon shape halo brim and gold wire trim by British milliner Sarah VandenBon
Collapsible summer cloche in vibrant orange and pink by Australian milliner Christine Waring
Lovely floral patterned hatband and brim binding on this straw hat by Australian milliner Lisette Margini
Gorgeous lace placement on this blue straw beret percher by British milliner Lucy Davies

 

Sweet photos of Prince Henrik shared for his 12th birthday

Prince Albert attended the Monaco E-Prix with his children and their maternal cousin Kaia.
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The Hereditary Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg planted a cherry tree in Oetrange to celebrate Prince Charles’ first birthday. They also released a sweet video you can watch below.

Images from Getty and social media as indicated 

This Week’s Extras

Infanta Elena walking her dog in a deep plum felt trilby with slim leather hatbands and side feather trim
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Princess Sofia in a black knit hat for a visit to a grocery store with set hours for elderly and immuno-compromised customers during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Duchess of York celebrated Princess Eugenie’s 30th birthday on Monrday by sharing this wonderful snap taken on her wedding day. That tiara is so fantastic on her!
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
White hugger covered in exquisite guipure lace by American brand Suzanne Couture Millinery
From Australian milliner Jill Humphries, a lipstick read teardrop leather percher with removable vine of roses
Royal blue straw button percher with grey stripe bound ruffle trim by British milliner Camilla Rose
Pink and purple tartan boater with layered hatbands and rose trim by Australian brand Christie Millinery
Black swirled crown straw saucer with windowpane brim and lace applique from French brand Mei Mei Chapeaux
Fuchsia silk orchid headpiece with curling feathers and gold trim by British milliner Emma Linney
Exquisite handmade lace full-face covering cloche by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Charcoal and ecru straw swirled brim design by Dutch milliner Myra van de Korput
Love the orange and pink ombre brim on this straw picture hat from British milliner Sarah Cant
And from British milliner Vivien Sheriff, this navy disc headpiece with beaded lace applique trim and curling quills

How time flies! Princess Aiko graduated from high school this week and will begin her university studies next month.
Lovely photos shared by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last weekend for Mother’s Day. The card Prince George made for his mum is awfully adorable.
We close this week with standing ovations for frontline workers- thanks I’m sure we all heartily join in


Photos from social media as indicated

This Week’s Extras

Infanta Elena took in Madrid Horse Week events last weekend in a chocolate fedora with smart striped hatband
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King Carl Gustaf was sported in his trusty brown fedora with Queen Silvia’s boarding a flight to India on Monday and, below, on Wednesday during the visit.


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Princess Marie Chantal of Greece and her eldest son Constantine (Tino) in wool caps in Gloucestershire.
Australian milliner Wendy Louise Diggles shared this great index on different styles of top hats.
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The ornaments on the Christmas Tree in the workroom of John Boyd’s millinery studio in London make me smile!
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Grey straw boater with hand-dyed blue guipure lace hatband by Scottish milliner Stephanie Gallen
Teal velvet bandeau with beautifully draped silk abaca and sparkling buckle by British milliner Dorothy Morant
From Australian brand The Essential Hat, gorgeous Panama straw fedoras in two colour ways (see here and here)
Pink satin covered pillbox with braided edge detail by British milliner Laura Cathcart
Scottish milliner Sally-Anne Provan’s felt fedora with metallic, angular hatband in my favourite colour- peacock blue
Copper silk turban with faux fur pouf from Parisienne milliner Clothilde Toussaint
Plum felt percher with flying bow and beautiful silk poppies by British milliner William Chambers
Stunning movement on British milliner Sarah Cant’s blue halo bandeau with black leather stylized lilies
Adore the geometric printed hatband on this angular trilby by London-based brand Sahar Millinery

And from Australian milliner Lisa Alexander, this black straw saucer with incredible exploding fireworks trim.


Lovely new pictures of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde released for their 20th wedding anniversary.
New official portrait from the Monaco royal family
Lovely portrait of Princess Amalia released this week for her 16th birthday.
And from a beaming Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and Hereditary Grand Duchess Stephanie, the happy news that they are expecting their first child in May.

Photos from social media as indicated

Greek Royal Wedding 20 Years On: Danish & Spanish Extended Families


We don’t often see a  royal bride who counts four queens between her mother, grandmother, and aunts but such is the reality of Princess Alexia’s family tree. As such, her wedding was an extraveganza of royal hats on high profile royal heads.  Alexia’s grandmother, Queen Ingrid of Denmark, wore an ensemble in pale lilac with a cuffed ring brim hat. Made of the same fabric (silk crepe?) as her dress and coat, the hat’s centerpiece was its woven crown, a unique design touch that gave it wonderful texture.

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Queen Margrethe topped her vibrant floral dress with a picture hat in the same hues. The wide brimmed design, in grass green straw, was trimmed in whimsical twists of layered pink and white curling straw.

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Princess Benedikte was in sunny yellow from head to hem. Her straw hat featured a flat crown, silk hatband stitched in narrow rows and folded into a flat front bow, and a wide downturned brim overlaid in a swath of yellow net veil studded with silk rose petals. While the colour seems very much of the time, the classic shape translates better than her ruffle trimmed suit!

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Princess Benedikte’s elder daughter, Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein Berleburg, wore an ivory straw hat with flared and domed crown and wide brim that sloped downward in back and upwards in front. An overlay of informally ruched sinamay paced over the brim gave movement and a touch of modernity to the design.

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Princess Benedikte’s younger daughter, Princess Nathalie of Sayn-Wittgenstein Berleburg, seen behind Prince Charles in the photo below, wore a sky blue sinmay hat with squared crown and sideswept brim trimmed with a multi-looped bow on the side.

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While Queen Sofia did not wear a hat, Infanta Elena’s statement piece was impossible to miss. While structure here is difficult to pinpoint (Is it a pyramid? Do I see a small, rounded straw crown on th very top?), the hat’s focus was its wide cartwheel brim entirely covered in cream ostrich feathers. The phrase “lot of look” comes to mind to describe Elena’s couture suit and hat on steroids and I admire how much milliny confidence it must have taken to carry off such an over-the-top hat. It’s such a memorable royal hat moment.

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Infanta Cristina topped a blue dress and grey silk organza coat with a neutral almond straw hat with curved brim. The hat’s classic shape and streamlined trim (just a slim hatband) made a chic maternity look for Cristina.

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Infanta Margarita, who we seldom see, wore a very simple veiled headpiece. This is one of those times when function seems to have trumped fashion as the choice seems to satisfy the need for a headcovering, but that’s all. Do any of you recall seeing this headpiece from other angles?

There are some colourful and memorable hats among this group of royal relatives- I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Photos from Getty as indicated; ORBAN THIERRY/CORBIS SYGMA

This Week’s Extras

Queen Silvia celebrated Swedish National Day, along with the king, in Ludvika last Thursday in a repeated ivory felt calot hat with silk flower and brown feather trim. Festivities later in the day saw the Queen and adult princesses in folk costume with traditional white cotton folded hats.

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Also on Thursday, Prince Harry was in uniform to preside over the annual Founder’s Day Parade at the Royal Hospital Chelsea (a retirement and nursing home for former members of the British Army). Royal Hospital residents, known as Chelsea Pensioners, wore their distinctive tri-corn hats.
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On Thursday, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko conducted rites related to the abdication at the Musashi Imperial Graveyard in Tokyo. The empress emerita repeated a slate grey veiled saucer with knotted bow.
On Saturday, members of the Imperial royal family attended the 5th anniversary memorial ceremony for Prince Katsura. The Imperial royal women, who included the Empress, the late Prince’s mother, Princess Yoriko and sister,  Yasuko Konoe (formerly Princess Yasuko of Mikasa) all wore black hats.


Infanta Elena and her father, King Juan Carlos, attended the men’s singles final match yesterday at the French Open Tennis tournament in Paris in summery straw fedora hats
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The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Wonderful dusky pink embellished bandeau (see the detail!) by Scottish label Angels and Insects Edinburgh
Exquisite veil on this black button percher with white silk flowers from British brand Lock & Co.
Elegant coral sinamay teardrop with crin layered bow by Irish milliner Edel Black
Fantastic pink straw boater with animated bow & hand-dyed pheasant feathers from British milliner Ian Bennett
Adore the shape and movement on this royal blue straw veiled headpiece by Irish brand Marc Millinery
Wonderful black percher with white oversize pinwheel flower by London-based Spanish milliner Rafa Peinador
Prettiest textured straw button percher with ombre straw ruffle by British milliner Ellie Vallerini
Trios of lovely lilac and pale grey designs by Italian milliner Guiliana Mio
Love the unique swirling curves this denim blue straw design from British label John Boyd
Cream straw button percher with amazing ombre fuchsia & aubergine crin trim by British milliner Tracy Miller
White and yellow marabou feather fluff hat by London-based milliner Awon Golding

Great family photo released by the Danish court on the occasion of Prince Joachim’s 50th birthday

The Duke of Edinburgh celebrates an incredible 98th birthday today and I’m sure you join me in wishing him the happiest of birthdays.
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Photos from social media as indicated