Tag Archives: King Harald

Norwegian National Day 2022

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The Norwegian royal family celebrated the country’s national holiday yesterday, first at a children’s parade at Skaugum

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followed by the annual balcony appearance at the Royal Palace in Oslo. Queen Sonja wore a new red hat with short, curved brim and rounded bowler crown. The hat is trimmed with an interesting wrapped hatband in ombre dyed orange and dark pink.

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King Herald and Crown Prince Haakon wore gleaming antique black silk top hats.

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Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore a new double layered circular headpiece in what looks like a textured tan fabric. The design looks to tie in a sort of bow around the back, at the nape of her neck.

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Thoughts about the hats yesterday in Norway?

Images from Getty as indicated  

This Week’s Extras

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Top hats for King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon last Sunday for Norway’s national holiday
A LOT of millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Waved screen print fabric covered hat with flexible, changeable brim by Italian milliner Sabrina Baldacchini
Show-stopping red layered crin pyramid shaped hat by Australian milliner Lauren J Ritchie
Fuchsia straw button percher with lush vine of silk morning glories by Brtish milliner William Chambers
Navy felt trilby with blue-hued feather covered brim by Dutch milliner Berry Rutjes
Dusky pink leather button percher with beautiful layered lace trim by Australian milliner Kylie Heagney
Ecru straw wide brimmed slice hat with black embroidery by London-based milliner Filipa Cardoso
Pink, yellow and blue handpainted percher hat with straw twists and feathers by US brand Lifted Millinery

For our dear gents, this beautifully textured Panama hat with crisp and classic navy and cream
double hatband by British brand John Boyd Millinery
Cream straw picture hat with green statement bow and fantastic hand pieced straw brim, inspired
by jockey silks, by American brand Amy Jo Original Hats
The most charming pink and green sinamay handmade tulip bandeau headpiece from UK milliner Bridget Bailey
Grey felt fedora with ribbon work lily-of-the valley trim and beaded hatband by British milliner Jane Corbett
Padded oversize pillbox covered in a fantastically bold, retro floral print by Australian milliner Chris Mullane
Warm gold angular straw short-brimmed hat with neon pink silk organza rose by Czech milliner Jolana Kotabova
Large waved percher covered entirely in magenta feathers by Irish milliner Aoife Harrison

And from Scottish milliner Stephanie, this elegantly restrained grey wide brimmed boater with guipure lace hatband

For World Bee Day on Wednesday, Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar visited the beehives gifted to Victoria and Daniel for their wedding
Princess Alexandra shared a heartfelt message with Alzheimer Society, as did the Earl and Countess of Wessex for Local Resilience Forums in Wessex


We end this week with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge trying out new roles.

Photos from social media as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Yesterday, Empress Masako was photographed arriving for the Spring Equinox Festival at the Imperial Palace in an ecru silk covered hat with upturned Breton brim. This video shows Crown Princess Kiko, Princess Mako, Princess Kako and Princess Hisako arriving in cream silk bumper hats and Princess Tsuguko in a her cloche with short cartwheel brim.
King Harald and Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit shared greetings and words of encouragement along with photos of how they are keeping occupied in isolation


Several of you have commented on this re-post of Queen Margrethe making a dachshund hat. It’s certainly worth another watch!
I have no idea when this photo was taken but it shows one of the wives of  Swazi King Mswati III in a fun, deep red headpiece that I don’t remember seeing before.
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:

 Blue straw fedora with saucy brim with silver lace appliqué with hand embroidered sequins by Dutch milliner Wies Mauduit
Black beret percher rimmed in straw blooms and a straw bow by New York-based brand Suzanne Couture Millinery
Another bold and wonderfully vibrant sinamay headpiece by American milliner Amy Fowler
Lovely drape on this vibrant blue felt beret percher’s double bow by Australian milliner Neil Grigg
Exaggerated and striking white boater hat with tall crown and cutout brim by Korean milliner Q Park
Blue ombre bandeau headpiece of overlapping straw leaves by British milliner Bee Smith
Lovely mulberry felt fedora with extended brim and fantastic pheasant feathers by Kenya-based miliner Chloe Mitchell
Black and white straw saucer with flying rim trimmed with lace by American milliner Tiffany Arey
Mysteriously beautiful veiled black lace mask headpiece by British milliner Jane Taylor
Tan felt fedora with fascinating textured brim by Australian milliner Felicity Northeast
Two-toned blue sinamay percher with sweeping shape by New York-based milliner Sally Caswell
Futuristic black straw saucer brimmed design with orbiting planets by British brand Miss Ginny Millinery
Two blush leather halo bandeau headpieces with statement flowers here and here by Australian milliner Cessiah Alice
For our dear gents, this sleek black fedora with silk paisley hatband from Danish brand Hornskov København

And from British milliner Anne Tomlin, this amazing percher made from straw braid sewn with wire and formed into a caged button percher, trimmed with exquisite handmade lily-of-the-valley and silk abaca leaves.

Happy news from Bhutan on the safe arrival of a new prince on Thursday.

What are you doing to spread support and encouragement these days?

Photos from social media as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Have a lovely Sunday- I’ll be back first thing tomorrow for focused coverage and discussion on hats worn for the Romanian national holiday and look at two (one new!) designs worn by Queen Elizabeth over the weekend at the Windsor Horse Show.

On Tuesday, Empress Masako was spotted arriving at the Imperial Palace with the emperor to rehearse their first court ritual which took place on Wednesday. She repeated her unembellished almond bumper hat.
Also on Tuesday, the Duke of York was spotted in uniform as Colonel of the Grenadier Guards (with cap) for the morning’s Changing of the Queen’s Life Guard at Horse Guards riding new Cavalry Black horse ‘Darby’, apparently practicing for the upcoming Trooping the Colour.
On Wednesday, King Carl Gustaf donned his trusty brown fedora for the World Wildlife Fund’s annual meeting, held this year at Huvudskär and Utö in the Stockholm archipelago. The same day, King Harald commemorated Norwegian Armed Forces Day and Liberation Day at Akurshus Fortress, predictably in military uniform with cap.
Infanta Elena donned a neutral straw fedora to watch her daughter, Victoria de Marichalar, open the Seville Fair in a traditional Spanish mantilla with tall peineta comb (see more photos and video here). And 20 years after meeting at this event, the Dutch King and Queen returned this week along with their three daughters… and a quartet of wonderfully vibrant floral headpieces.


On Wednesday, Princess Alexandra visited a life boat station in Shoreham. She repeated her ice blue straw hat with tall crown wrapped in coordinating net tulle, designed by Rachel Trevor Morgan.
Queen Margrethe unveiled a new statue of Denmark’s longest reigning monarch King Christian IV (1577 – 1648) in Copenhagen yesterday. She repeated a hat with ecru straw crown and grey straw double brim for the event.


The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Emerald straw button percher with vibrant ribbon trim and soaring quills by NY milliner Jennifer Hoertz
Pink felt wide brimmed hat with rose gold diamanté hatband from LA based milliner Gladys Tamez
VA VA VOOM red straw percher with the most fantastic curving trim by Australian brand Jill and Jack Millinery
Exquisite curving cream disc with pink handmade blooms and curving quills by Rachel Trevor Morgan
Navy beret percher with hand-beaded bow by Irish milliner Michelle Gleeson
Classic ivory straw picture hat with monochrome leaf printed brim by British milliner Bee Smith
Colourful red and green embroidered lace headpiece from German milliner Nicki Marquardt
Black and white patterned straw pyramid with crin and tassel trim by Italian brand Giulia Mio Millinery

Another interesting article on the Empress of Japan, written by someone with personal connection (The Asahi Shimbun)
King Hamad Of Bahrain and sons Sheikh Nasser and Sheikh Khaled were spotted out for a ride at Windsor Castle in between days spent enjoying the Royal Windsor Horse Show this week
Did you see this delightfully sweet exchange between Queen Elizabeth and former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on Tuesday?

Princess Margriet presented the Duke of Sussex with an adorable gift during his quick visit to The Hague this week to official launch this year’s Invictus Games, to be held in The Netherlands.

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And finally- the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared this sweet photo of ten wee toes today, in honor of Mother’s Day (notice the background forget-me-not flowers, a favourite of the Duke’s late mother)

Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Funeral of Grand Duke Jean: Royal Guests

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The funeral of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg was attended by representatives from nearly every European royal house, many who wore hats. Out of respect for this event and the Grand Duke’s memory, this post contains photos only (no commentary) and is not open for comments.

Monarchs from Denmark, Sweden, Liechtenstein and Norway:

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Spanish, Romanian and Greek Queens:

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Dutch, British and Norwegian Royals:

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Spanish, Italian, Bulgarian and Portuguese Princesses

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Jordanian and Moroccan Royals:

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Marlene Koenig, author of Royal Musings, published a full guest list here. Representatives from numerous abolished, lesser known European monarchies (mostly French, German and Prussian) were in attendance but have not been included here- you can see them at this comprehensive post over at Luxarazzi.

Photos from Getty as indicated