Tag Archives: Prince of Wales

British Royals Commemorate Remembrance Sunday

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Members of the British Royal Family joined veterans, military servicepeople, members of government and civilians for a Remembrance Ceremony held yesterday morning at The Cenotaph, in Whitehall.

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The Prince of Wales, who placed wreaths on The Cenotaph of behalf of his mother, was joined by the Princess Royal, the Dukes of Cambridge, Sussex, York, and Kent and the Earl of Wessex, all in military uniform.

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Queen Elizabeth, who watched the service from a Whitehall balcony for the third year, repeated a black straw hat with silk crepe covered crown and binds the upturned kettle brim. The hat is simply trimmed with a stripe of black silk which circles the crown, anchored by two covered buttons in the font.

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Designer: Angela Kelly, made by Stella McLaren
Previously Worn: June 27, 2017; Nov 8, 2015

The Duchess of Cornwall wore a new, brimless hat. The design follows an oversize helmet (or mushroom top?) shape with gently rounded edges. The curved lines of the hat are dramatically accentuated with a mass of overlapping black feathers that circle around it.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Duchess of Cambridge also wore a new, brimless hat, her design built on a formed teardrop beret base with gentle crease down the center which gives it a gentle curve. The hat is beautifully trimmed with black braid ‘frog’ fasteners and corresponding beaded buttons which, along with the embroidered and tassel trimmed swags on her coat, give a thoughtful military nod to the day.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. Coat by Catherine Walker
Previously Worn: this hat is new

The Duchess of Sussex wore a streamlined black felt hat with wide cartwheel brim. The straight sides of the hat’s crown elevate its sophistication, as does its slim hatband, tied in front in an elegantly austere bow.

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Designer: Stephen Jones’ ‘Facetime’ from AW 2019 Miss Jones Collection. Coat by Stella McCartney. 
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Countess of Wessex wore a black felt perching saucer hat trimmed with a large bow. A subtle swirl on the inside of the saucer (created through hand shaping) gives lovely movement to the design.

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Designer: Jane Taylor. It is the ‘Black Felt Hat With Bow’ from AW 2019. 
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Gloucester usually attend this event but so far, do not appear in any photographs (I’ll update the post if they do). In the meantime, there are some beautiful new hats here to admire.

Photos from Getty as indicated 

This Week’s Extras

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On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales visited the 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles at Sir John Moore Barracks in Folkestone to celebrate the Battailion’s 25th anniversary and present operational medals for their recent deployment to Afghanistan. His uniform and cap reflect his ranking of Colonel-in-Chief of the regiment.
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Princess Mako in a white silk covered bowler hat with blue stitched hatband on Wednesday for her arrival in Peru. The finishing on this hat is impeccable- not a pucker or stray stitch in sight
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Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria in traditional folk head scarves on Thursday to present the Öland Inhabitant of the Year Award at Solliden Palace.
On Thursday, Princess Alexandra wore her new-ish hat to the Thrive Flower Show in Reading. In almond textured straw, the classic design features a cartwheel brim and twisted bow at the side. It’s nice to see Alexandra in a hat without an elevated crown!
Also on Thursday, Crown Princess Kiko attended the 55th Blood Donation Promotion National Convention in Kanazawa in a pale blue silk jacquard covered hat with layered hatband and kettle brim.
The final hat on Thursday (busy day!) was on Princess Hisako. She attended the annual Innovation Awards for Advanced Technology ceremony in a pale lime textured suit with hat covered in the same fabric and a stitched white kettle brim with trilby-style higher upturn around the back.
You might have noticed this week that Royal Hats is now found on Instagram here. Don’t worry- there’s nothing there that isn’t already here on the blog!
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Incredible statement hat with ombre hand dyed feather stars by Australian milliner Kate Ghedina
Stunning colour gradients on this sinamay hugger with handpainted lotus flower by Dutch milliner Mirjam de Rijke 
Natural straw boater with wonderful black vintage lace printed with stars by UK brand Mind Your Bonce
Charming Wimbledon-inspired strawberries and cream swirled design by British milliner Anne Tomlin
Such interesting colour pattern on this teal straw boater by Australian milliner Stephanie Spencer
Fascinatingly organic (and rustic!) texture on this hat by Parisienne milliner Veronica Marucci
Lovely movement on this raspberry pink headpiece by Italian millinery brand Gallia and Peter
Gold beaded ivory silk cap with pleated crin soaring swirl by French milliner Sylvia Martinez
Navy kokoshnik bandeau with geometric cutouts by Australian milliner Lauren Ritchie
Such interesting texture on this gold braided straw and leather percher by British milliner Karen Henriksen
Pink straw bandeau wrapped in diamond veil with lavish floral trim by Australian brand Locopa Designs
Another 3D carved wonder, this time in brilliant red, gold and purple, from Australian brand Taboo Millinery
Dutch milliner Wies Mauduit keeps knocking it out of the park with new designs, including this beautiful pink straw picture hat with a fantastic brim shape, beautiful trimming and impeccably finished silk binding. Utter perfection.

Wonderful family shot of the Belgian royal family, taken to celebrate King Albert and Queen Paola’s diamond wedding anniversary
Relaxed shots of Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre who are enjoying their annual summer vacation on the Norwegian island of Dvergsøya
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Photos from Getty and social media as indicated

Royal Ascot Day 2: Prince of Wales & Duchess of Cornwall

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I’m so pleased to be joined by  Dutch milliner Wies Mauduit, creator of  La plus belle! bespoke millinery in The Hague, to share her thoughts on today’s royal hats at Ascot!

The Duchess of Cornwall wore a new picture hat in pale aqua straw with angular, off-center peaked crown and sidesweeping brim. The hat is trimmed with a layered jinsin hatband and side twists.

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Royal Hats: COLOUR! No royal wears a cream/ecru straw picture hat as well as Camilla (or has as many!) and it’s GREAT to see her in other colours-  this pale turquoise is excellent on her. We see a lot of sidesweeping picture hats on Camilla but, as Jay reminded yesterday, it’s because the shape and scale suit her so well. This ensemble is well balanced and while it’s one-note in colour, details on the dress sleeves and neckline, jinsin twists on the hat and a showstopping necklace make it nuanced and interesting.

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Wies Mauduit: Such a pleasure to see the Duchess of Cornwall in pale turquoise – or mint green as it looks in some pictures. The dress is rather simple and with its collar with stitched ribs it has a somewhat sporty look that is well complemented by the neat jinsin curl trimming on the hat. Silk flowers or waving feathers would have been too much, this is just right.

An elegant, streamlined look for Camilla and I would have liked to add: an impeccable one, if it weren’t for the hemline of the dress. It makes me wonder if the fabric is synthetic. (In French couture houses a double folded bias strip of organdie, cotton or silk organza is inserted in the hemline to make it look polished and lay completely smooth. The devil is in the detail!

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Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Prince of Wales repeated his antique black silk top hat (a hat that could really use a polish!).

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What do you think about Camilla’s new hat today?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

 

Order Of The Garter 2019

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Founded by Edward III in 1348, The Order of the Garter is the senior and oldest British Order of Chivalry awarded at the Sovereign’s pleasure as a personal gift. Twenty four recipients of the order, known each as a Knight or Lady,  meet each year for a grand ceremony held int St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on the Monday before Royal Ascot begins.

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Members of the Garter wear elaborate robes and accessories for the Garter Service including a special hat. The hat, in the style of a Tudor bonnet, is made of black velvet with a voluminous, unstructured crown and flat brim. It is trimmed with the order insignia, white ostrich and black heron feathers, and slim cord wrapped around the base of the crown that extends to a pair of gold and royal blue tassels hanging down the side. British royal family members belonging to the order include Queen Elizabeth, who is Sovereign of the Garter, The Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, Duke of York, Earl of Wessex, Princess Royal, Duke of Gloucester, Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra. The Duke of Edinburgh, who is also a member, did not attend the service today.

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King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands and King Philippe of Spain were appointed as Supernumerary Knights of the Garter during state visits to the UK in 2018 and 2017; their attendance at today’s ceremony saw them officially installed in these roles and they wore the full garter regalia.

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Queen Máxima wore a tall, verical saucer hat in dusky pink straw trimmed with a mass of silk flowers and curling pheasant feathers on the underside of the raised brim.

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It’s a great look for the Dutch Queen. I really the slightly darker shade of pink on the hat and adore how its lines and lush trimming play so well off Máxima’s sleek caped coat dress- the pairing of the two items is fantastic. I’d like, however to change two things about the hat- first is the angle of placement on the head (tilt the top edge down a bit so it sweeps slightly more diagonally that so vertical) and the second is to tidy up the brim binding edge. Tweak these two things and a great hat would become a complete knockout.

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Designer: unconfirmed. My guess is Fabienne Delvigne. Dress by Claes Iversen.
Previously Worn: This hat is new. Some suggest it is a reworked version of this Prinsjesdag hat but the straw bases are different shapes and colours.

Queen Letizia wore a kokoshnik-style bandeau headpiece in formed black straw, trimmed with black feathers and veil. It’s the first headpiece in this style we’ve seen on the Spanish queen and it suits her petite frame so well (not leaving the hat looking like it’s wearing her, as unfortunately is often the case). With her black and white printed dress, the headpiece tops an elegant ensemble that’s fantastic on Letizia.

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Designer: It is the “Black Peony” design from Spanish brand Cherubina
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new

The Duchess of Cornwall repeated a hat in almond straw with off-center, peaked crown and side sweeping brim. A beaded straw hatband and side twists studded with ecru silk flowers complete the design. The beaded embellishment on the hatband and side twists add a subtle but welcome bit of sparkle to the design and while the colour is quiet, the scale and style make a great signature look for Camilla.

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Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: June 19, 2018

The Duchess of Cambridge repeated a black sinamay hat with upturned flyaway brim in windowpane lattice straw, trimmed with a curled black an ostrich feather. The brim shape on this piece gives the design a wonderfully light and airy feel and the hat was beautifully paired with Kate’s white coat dress with black trim.

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Designer: Silvia Fletcher for Lock & Co. It is the Lion Tamer design. Coat dress by Catherine Walker.
Previously Worn: July 1, 2016;  June 11, 2011

The Countess of Wessex repeated her natural straw saucer hat with lattice open woven brim  trimmed with a large coral feathers and tan twists. The hat’s shape, reminiscent of Dior hats in the 1950s, pairs so well with her full skirted ensemble. Bright coral is not an easy hue to wear and this ensemble is beautifully balanced between the vibrant skirt and the hat’s feathers.

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Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: May 15, 2018 (it was also your favourite repeated royal hat in 2018!);  Oct 5, 2017; June 20, 2017 i

The Duchess of Gloucester repeated her slate grey straw veiled pillbox hat. It’s a quietly classic design we’ve seen on Brigitte more than a few times but one she wears well.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: June 18, 2018; May 19, 2018; Jun 17, 2017; Jun 1, 2017; Jul 1, 2016; Jun 12, 2016; Jun 10, 2016

Zenouska Mowatt, on the far left below, topped her blue and yellow patterned dress with a navy straw bandeau. The bandeau’s wide curving base is trimmed with silk flowers and leaves on the right side.

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Designer: I suspect it’s the “Catherine in Midnight‘ by Laura Cathcart
Previously Worn: this headpiece is new

The Order of the Garter service this year brought us a wonderful parade of hats to kick off Ascot week with a fanfare. What do you think of these hats in Windsor today? Which designs stand out most to you?

Photos from Getty as indicated 

Trooping The Colour 2019

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Queen Elizabeth’s birthday was officially celebrated today with the Trooping the Colour ceremony performed on Horse Guards Parade by St. James’s Park. A tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, the event is a colourful military spectacle.

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For this year’s birthday celebration, Queen Elizabeth repeated her ecru, pink and pale blue woven silk wool coat and hat. The modified cloche shape of the hat features a steeply sloped crown and is trimmed with beautifully detailed wired sequin flower trim.

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I was surprised to see this hat today- the Queen usually chooses less work ensembles for this event in bright colours that make her stand out in the sea of red uniforms. The gentle colour variation in the weave of the fabric on this hat is beautiful, as are the sequin flowers that embellish it but both of these are lost at distant view, which is a bit disappointing for an event like this.

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Designer: Angela Kelly made by Stella McLaren
Previously Worn:  Mar 17, 2019; Aug 19, 2018; May 9, 2017;  Feb 28, 2017; Sep 11, 2016; Sep 6, 2015; May 20, 2015; Dec 30, 2014, Apr 30, 2013

As in years past, members of the royal family holding the rank of Colonel in various regiments rode along in the military parade with distinctive plumes in each of their bearskin hats to signify their respective regiments:

Striped green and white plume of the Welsh Guards for the Prince of Wales

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St. Patrick’s blue plume of the Irish Guards for the Duke of Cambridge

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White plume of the Grenadier Guards for the Duke of York, whose regiment’s colours were trooped this year.

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The Princess Royal in the wonderful red plumed bicorne hat of Colonel of the Blues and Royals.

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Remaining members of the British royal family also took part, some travelling to Horse Guards Parade by carriage or motor coach and others joining on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to greet waiting crowds and watch a military flypast. Jump over to these posts to view their hats:
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Photos from Getty as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Princess Hisako publicly endorsed the Race For Water Foundation in early February with a sporty baseball hat.
On February 15, Princess Tsuguko attended the opening ceremony of this year’s Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival in a pink silk hat with floral trim. Her sister, Noriko Senge accompanied her and in a sweet touch, Tsuguko referenced her sister during her speech (Noriko’s personal emblem as a princess was an orchid)
The Prince of Wales presented campaign medals to the 1st Battalion Welch Guards on Tuesday while on Wednesday, the Duke of Sussex, who is Captain General Royal Marines, visited the 42 Commando Royal Marines at their base in Bickleigh to carry out a Green Beret presentation. Both wore military uniform berets for these visits.
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Back in October, we looked at the wedding of Duchess Sophie von Württemberg and Count Maximilien d’Andigné. I  came across photos of the couple’s civil ceremony which show the bride in a delicate pink floral bandeau. So pretty. Another sweet touch- Sophie wore her paternal grandmother’s wedding dress for the religious ceremony and here, for the civil ceremony, she wore a retro shift dress belonging to her maternal grandmother.
The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Wonderfully graphic black felt beret with grey & cream rose by Danish milliner Katrin Cecilia Jacobsen
Marvellous red felt fedora with extended brim and belted hatband by Polish milliner Marta Ruta
Beautiful ivory upswept saucer with curling quills & pink flowers by British milliner Vivien Sheriff
Vibrant orange printed saucer hat by EnaGancio fashion, which specializes in African prints
Black straw hat with ruffled upsweep and gold straw trim by British milliner Isabella Josie
Fuchsia straw picture hat with abacca fan and straw twists by British brand Rebecca Couture Millinery
Adore the leaf trim on this elegant navy & ivory straw disc by Australian millinery student Abigail Fergusson
Luxe midnight blue velvet percher with leather flowers, straw twists & veil by Irish milliner Julie Kenny
Headpiece of more than 700 individually placed feathers made by American milliner Milli Starr

And oh my- how I adore this exquisite coral straw teardrop beaded percher with silk abacca twists by Irish milliner Michelle Gleeson. Stunning simplicity at its best.

The Japan Times published two interesting articles this week that are both an insightful read:
Princess Charlene shared this wonderful series of snaps taken during Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques’ first trip to her home continent.
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First African Experience

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Princess Madeleine shared this lovely portrait, taken for Princess Leonore’s fourth birthday and Haga Palace released these snaps of Princess Estelle on the occasion of her 7th birthday this week


On Thursday, King Harald celebrated his 82th birthday- Princess Märtha Louise shared this very fun family portrait with a sweet message wishing him a happy birthday.
We send you off this weekend with a royal red carpet moment from Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, who accompanied their parents to yesterday’s opening of a new development in Monaco. It’s worth noting that the sun was rather bright upon their arrival…
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Photos by Getty and social media as indicated

Dutch Royal Wedding 17 Years On: Royal Guests Part 3

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We wrap up our nostalgic look back at King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima’s wedding on February 2, 2002 with a look at the royal hats worn by guests from Spain, Greece, Jordan, Great Britain, Monaco with a few extras thrown in.

Queen Sofia of Spain wore a cascading headpiece of golden beige organza leaves and roses. While the design looked transported from the 1960s, it linked well with her lace suit.

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Princess Cristina wore a heather purple felt brimmed hat trimmed with feathers in purple and dark grey. I’m still at odds about the feather placement- on one hand, it’s terribly messy but on the other, I like its exuberance and admire how the two shades link with her dark blue velvet and purple silk coat… a rather bulky item (it looked like a blanket) that hasn’t aged well. When a hat makes a coat look better, that can only be a good thing.

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Queen Anne-Marie of Greece topped her textured red coat with a matching hat. In a modified top hat shape, the felt design features a tall, flared crown with domed top, upturned rolled brim with downsweep on one side, a layered red felt hatband and brown mink pompoms. The mink trim links well with the mink trim on Anne-Marie’s coat without being overly matchy and those pompoms are whimsical and fun. This hat’s unique shape is very much of its time but I always thought it was a bold and brave choice for her.

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Princess Marie-Chantal followed the same formula as Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, topping her richly patterned brocade coat with a tall brown fur Cossack style hat. Unfortunately, the hat’s large scale completely overwhelmed her and I’m still trying to see how it relates to the red, magenta and gold printed coat (which it’s own, is gorgeous!).

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Queen Noor of Jordan wore an embroidered headscarf in white, an interesting colour choice for a winter event with her baby blue silk tailored suit. She is photographed below by the Prince of Wales who wore his naval uniform and cap. Princess Sarvath, Princess Badiya and Princess Sumaya are also listed on the guest list but I’ve not been able to locate any photographs of them.
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The Countess of Wessex wore primarily Philip Treacy millinery hats at the time and chose one in camel felt for this event. The design made its style statement primarily by shape, pairing a deeply pinched, tall stovepipe crown with an offset brim. The hat was minimally embellished with a slim hatband tied in a front bow. It’s another design very much of the time and looking at it now, seemed a little heavy for Sophie’s cream coat and delicately embellished dress.

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Prince Albert of Monaco wore military uniform with cap while his elder sister, Princess Caroline of Hanover and Monaco, wore a grey felt cloche with extended brim and wide grey hatband. The hat’s classic shape suited Caroline well although I’m not sure about its pairing with her Chanel dress and coat, pieces that feel like they ought to be paired with something more luxurious and bespoke.
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Princess Míriam of Bulgaria topped her pink feathered skirt and fur collared jacket in a what looks like a headpiece of horizontally placed pheasant and pink feathers, placed on the back of her head.
Princess Inaara, wife of the Aga Khan at the time, wore a calot hat in large flowers with petals made of mocha and copper organza, velvet and crin (see closeup here). The mixed textures on the piece gave it some life and while it related well to Inaara’s fur trimmed camel cape, these combined less well with her mushroom grey tweed suit and earthy green blouse. Too many neutrals, I’d say.
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Other noteable guests included Nelson Mandela and Graça Machel, who wore a traditional African printed capulana headwrap and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his wife Nane, who wore a brimmed hat in pale pink straw. 
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This wraps up our look back at this wedding! What do you think of this final group of hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated