Tag Archives: late Duke of Edinburgh

Trooping the Colour 2017

Posted on by

Under clear, sunny skies in London today, 1400 troops from the Queen’s personal division, 400 musicians and 200 horses took part in Trooping the Colour today, a military parade and ceremony to officially celebrate the birthday of the monarch.  After a moment of silence in honour of those lost in the recent Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, members of the royal family followed the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in the parade by carriage on its route from Buckingham Palace down The Mall to the Horse Guards Parade and Whitehall for the pageant, then back to Buckingham Palace for their annual balcony appearance.

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth contrasted against the sea of red in her pale plue straw hat with linear woven crown and lattice woven brim. The square crowned design is simply trimmed with a slim hatband that wraps around the base of the crown three times, ending in a knotted bow at the front. I’ll admit- the Queen’s choice of this hat surprised me today as we saw it just two weeks ago at a Buckingham Palace garden party. I suspect this familiar and slightly understated choice ties in with the poignant statement the Queen released this morning but whatever the case, it’s a beautiful hat and it was lovely to see it at such a high profile event.

Queen Elizabeth, June 17, 2017 in Philip Somerville | Royal Hats

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Philip Somerville
Previously Worn: June 1, 2017; June 10, 2014; June 19, 2008; November 26, 2005

For the first time in memory, the Duke of Edinburgh wore morning dress instead of military uniform, with his black silk top hat. Whether this choice was due to the heat (the Duke of Kent also went with morning dress instead of red tunic and undoubtedly hot bearskin hat) or related to his upcoming retirement from official duties, it’s a smart look, especially with that impressive breastplate of medals.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

What do you think of this first pair of royal hats at Trooping the Colour today?

To see hats worn by other members of the British royal Family, follow these links:

Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry
Duke of York, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and the Earl of Wessex
Princess Anne and Autumn Philips
The Gloucester and Kent families

Photos from Getty as indicated; DMC via Getty

Queen and Duke Host Garden Party

Posted on by

Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh hosted another garden party at Buckingham Palace this afternoon. The Queen surprised in a hat she has not worn often, a design in pale blue straw. This piece is a masterful work of texture with linear woven straw shown to great effect in the hat’s symmetrical, flat crown and lattice woven straw giving wonderful movement to the brim. The straw hatband and large front bow, which would look twee on almost any other design, work wonderfully here, playing against the otherwise sleek lines and shape of the hat. Paired with Her Majesty’s pale blue jacquard coat and dress, the ensemble is an example of how to dress hat to hem in the same hue without being overly matched or boring. It’s a brilliant hat and I’m so happy to see it again (thus confirming it has not yet been retired!).

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Philip Somerville
Previously Worn:June 10, 2014; June 19, 2008; November 26, 2005

The Duke of Edinburgh repeated his grey felt top hat with black hatband. In a sweet sartorial touch, you’ll see his tie is matched to his wife’s ensemble.

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Princess Alexandra repeated the cream straw hat we first saw her wear to Alexandra Knatchbull’s wedding last summer. With a rounded crown and cartwheel brim, the hat is embellished with a cream widely woven net veil, pale mist green silk roses and tiny curling feathers. I usually prefer brighter colours on Alexandra but this is a beautiful hat on her and perfect for an event such as this.

Princess Alexandra, June 1, 2017 in RTM | Royal Hats Princess Alexandra, June 1, 2017 in RTM | Royal Hats

Designer:  Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: June 25, 2016
Princess Alexandra’s brother, the Duke of Kent, repeated his grey felt top hat. While our resident top hat experts have long aggrieved the fit of this piece, I can’t tear my eyes away from the hatband, which desperately needs to be steamed. Please, Edward- take care of this.

 

Duke of Kent, June 1, 2017 | Royal Hats

Embed from Getty Images

The Duchess of Gloucester repeated her grey straw cuffed bumper hat with matching veil. I love how Brigitte places the hat at a rakish angle, giving the simple piece a bit of drama. With her navy dress and pearls, the hat tops a classic ensemble and she wears it wonderfully well.

Duchess of Gloucester, June 1, 2017 | Royal Hats

Embed from Getty Images
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: July 1, 2016; June 12, 2016; June 10, 2016
Aside from a certain top hat that needs some care, the hats today at Buckingham Palace were all winners for me. What are your thoughts on this parade of garden party hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated; WPA Pool via Getty; Press Association via the British Monarchy

Catching Up On Royal Hats

Posted on by

After a short vacation, I’m back refreshed and ready for what will be a very busy upcoming month of royal hats! Thanks so much for keeping the conversation going while I was away- you readers are absolutely wonderful. A few of you have requested a post with photos of all the hats we missed over the past week – here we go.

May 21:  Princess Anne attending Day 2 of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2017 in a repeated hat with tall, navy straw crown and cream brim trimmed with navy straw bow loops, silk flowers and feather quills. She wore it most recently in June 2015 at garden party (jump to this post for better views).

May 24: Queen Sonja of Norway opened the 65th Bergen International Festival in a repeated gold straw hat with high, domed crown, flat brim and wide silk hatband we saw her last wear in June 2015.

Queen Sonja, May 24, 2017 | Royal Hats

May 24: The Duchess of Cornwall presented RAF Halton with new colours. She repeated a hat by Lock and Co. with a tall crown, upturned kettle brim and side bow in nubbly natural straw.

Embed from Getty Images

May 24: The Duke of Edinburgh and the Earl of Wessex presented the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award gold awards at Buckingham Palace in a pair of straw Panama hats

Embed from Getty Images

May 25: Queen Elizabeth visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and an equestrian farm in Staffordshire, repeating the orange straw cloche with wrap around the crown that she first wore for Ascot last year. Designed by Angela Kelly, the hat is trimmed with orange straw bows, silk roses and royal blue feathers.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

May 25: Empress Michiko, Princess Kiko, Princess Hisako and Princess Nobuko attended the Japanese Red Cross Society annual meeting. Empress Michicko repeated a white saucer with blow and transparent lattice underbrim and Princess Kiko repeated a bowler variation with upturned, kettle brim and pleated hatband in the same ice blue printed silk as her suit. Princess Hisako wore a charcoal grey straw design with wide, dotted hatband sash that tied in a bow at the side while Princess Nobuko repeated a white hat with rolled brim and crisp navy hatband with white pinstripes.

Imperial Royal Family, May 25, 2017 | Royal Hats

Empress Michiko, May 25, 2017 | Royal Hats  Princess Kiko, May 25, 2017 | Royal Hats

Princess Hisako, May 25, 2017 | Royal Hats  Princess Nobuko, May 25, 2017 | Royal Hats

May 25: Princess Eugenie co-hosted a Buckingham Palace garden party with her father to celebrate the Centenary of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). She wore a new gold straw hat with inverted crin brim by Nerida Fraiman (it’s the Crin Disc Gold from SS 2017). I adore the shape and sheen of this design.

Embed from Getty Images  Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

May 26: Princess Anne delivered closing remarks at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 2017 (read parts of her speech here). She looked fantastic in an emerald green dress topped with a cream straw hat with diagonal crown and sharply upturned brim on one side. The hat is trimmed with a mass of cream feathers on the lowered side of the brim and stacked hatbands in gold and caramel straw. While the hat follows a very similar shape and colour to the one she debuted for Easter last year, I think this one is different. Have any of you seen it before?

May 27: Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko travelled to Toyama to attend the 68th National Tree-Planting Festival. On the first day of their three day visit, Empress Michiko repeated a large, white, domed saucer hat trimmed in a black and caramel striped silk bow she most recently wore during their last visit to this region in October 2015.

Empress Michiko, May 27, 2017 | Royal Hats

May 27: Charlotte Casiraghi photographed attending a wedding in Italy in a white cuffed calot hat. It’s a repeated pice that was worn several decades earlier by her mother, Princess Caroline.

May 28: Empress Michicko on Day 2 in Toyama in a large white saucer with a coordinating bow to her lime and black and white hounds tooth checked suit she first wore June 1, 2014. How wonderful is that hit of lime!

Empress Michiko, May 28, 2017 | Royal Hats  Empress Michiko, May 28, 2017 | Royal Hats

Empress Michiko, May 28, 2017 | Royal Hats 

May 28: Queen Elizabeth en route to Crathie Church for Sunday Service in a repeated magenta straw hat with upswept brim, white straw hatband, straw loops at the side and a pair of magenta feathers. Jump over to this post for better photos from this Rachel Trevor Morgan design’s most recent outing in May 2016.

May 29: Empress Michicko wrapping up the visit to Toyama in her repeated, teal blue, rimmed saucer with grey, black and white plaid bow in the same silk as her skirt. She wore it last June 4, 2016

Empress Michiko, May 29, 2017 | Royal Hats  Empress Michiko, May 29, 2017 | Royal Hats

May 31: Today, The Duke of Edinburgh hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the London Youth charity’s 130th anniversary. He looked rather dapper in his straw Panama hat.

Embed from Getty Images
I think that catches us up! I think there’s only one hat here that didn’t make it into your discussion- Princess Anne’s cream straw hat worn with the green dress. I think this is a knockout outfit for her and am curious to hear what you think. Any final thoughts on the hats we’ve seen over the past week?

This Week’s Extras

Posted on by

Royal Hats

It’s a long weekend here in Canada- I’ll be back tomorrow with hats from closing of the Octave Luxembourg and the Swedish state visit to Indonesia.

Great article and photos of the civil wedding of Princess Marie-Gabrielle of Nassau (who wore some sort of fresh floral headpiece) over at Luxarazzi.

 

On Saturday, Princess Anne attended the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Her cream straw hat with upswept brim and curling feathers is one of her best in recent memory. It’s from British milliner Amy Morris-Adams and it’s new.

 

 

The Duke of Edinburgh in a dapper bowler hat yesterday for  the Grenadier Guards Regimental Remembrance Day

 

 How fun and fresh is British milliner Karen Henriksen’s take on a pillbox? So creative.

 Royal Hats

Surprise announcement this week of Princess Mako’s engagement.  Here is an introduction to her fiance, Kei Komuro, who sounds like an impressive young man. (Japan Times)

Also from Japan, government approval of an abdication bill for Emperor Akihito (Imperial Royals Of Japan)

Great article in the Guardian about King Willem-Alexander’s secret career as a KLM pilot

Fun snaps from Monaco and Sweden as Prince Jacques came to congratulate the Monaco men’s soccer team on their French league win and Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar commended the Swedish hockey team following their World Championship victory. (Svenskdam).

 

 

This Week’s Extras

Posted on by

Royal Hats

The Duke of Edinburgh wore a natty newsboy cap to drive carriage during the first day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show. The Queen was spotted on subsequent days in the trademark silk headscarves (one printed with horses) she always wears to this event. She also surprised today in a new hat that we’ll review on Monday.

Embed from Getty Images  Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth also drove herself to church last Sunday at Windsor in what I believe a purple hat (first worn here). Maybe she keeps some outfits and hats just for private use?

In addition to sharing this peek inside her haberdashery stash, Jane Taylor invites any burgeoning milliners to take part in her summer school courses in August. If I could, I certainly would!

Reader Joyce shared these two interesting articles looking at hats worn to the annual Central Park Luncheon and famous hats from Broadway productions (New York Times)

Enjoy this mini-chat between Epsom Derby Ambassador Emilia Fox and Rachel Trevor Morgan about choosing a hat

 Beautiful use of blue crin on this design from John Boyd.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry hosted a garden party today at Buckingham Palace for the children of those who have died serving in the armed forces. There looks to have been much fun and merriment.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images