Tag Archives: Princess Mette-Marit

Norwegian Visit to Ethiopia

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Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit arrived in Ethiopia on Monday for a two-day visit.

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

While it looked like the Crown Princess had donned a pink pillbox for the couple’s official welcome yesterday from  Ethiopian President Dr. Mulatu Teshome Wirtu, a side view showed the design is actually a slim bandeau that circles her head, trimmed with three overlapping loops behind her right ear.

Nov 7, 2017 | Royal Hats Nov 7, 2017 | Royal Hats

Nov 7, 2017 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown. 
Previously Worn: the headpiece is new
I know, I know…. it’s not a real hat. It is, however, the style of millinery Princess Mette-Marit has worn for most of the past decade (for medical reasons, it is rumoured) and it simply is what it is.
Photos from Getty as indicated and Belga

This Week’s Extras

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Royal Hats

Luxarazzi writer Svenja provided excellent coverage (here, here, here, here and here) of last weekend’s marriage of Hereditary Prince Ferdinand of Leiningen and Princess Viktoria Luise of Prussia – both descendants of Queen Victoria. There were some very memorable hats along with an impressive bridal tiara. (Confessions of A Castelholic)

Carina Axelsson shared this self-portrait taken while walking her dogs in her chocolate Tyrolean hat

Princess Michael of Kent in a safari hat in PR photos for her new book about raising an orphaned cheetah as a teenager in Mozambique

Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand in a tall crowned white cloche hat

Queen Sonja and Crown Princess Mette Marit in cozy autumn hats for outdoor engagements this week.

Princess Beatrix opened the new Simavi office in Amsterdam yesterday in a repeated rusty brown hat with pyramid shaped crown

Hats that caught my eye recently:

Striking royal blue beaded cocktail hat with peacock feathers by UK based Butterfly Millinery
Three pink beauties from Australian brand Jill and Jack Millinery – a boater, a leather headpiece and a bowed percher
Luxurious jewel-tone felt trilbies from Goldust Millinery
This button percher with the most exquisite straw leaves from the Danish studio of Susanne Juul
Unusual headpiece of layered squares of crin in different shades of blue by William Chambers Millinery
Black and white laser cut stunner from New Zealand milliner Claire Hahn
 Royal blue teardrop beret percher with effortlessly flying feathers by Rosie Olivia

And from the studio of legendary milliner Stephen Jones- a thread spool top hat variation and a trio of tandem boater hats in the most luminous lamé organza, modelled by longtime members of his staff. Bonkers but brilliant.

 Royal Hats

Prince Harry arrived in Toronto ahead of today’s opening of the Invictus games to fit in visits to mental health facilities and rub elbows with athletes (even acting as an alarm for one Aussie athlete catching a nap). For Canadian readers, the Invictus Opening Ceremony will be broadcast this evening on CTV.


Sweet self-portrait shared by the Crown Prince and Princess of Norway

Greek Royals Celebrate Double Milestone Birthdays

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Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece threw a lavish party at their Gloucestershire home over the weekend to celebrate Pavlos’ 50th birthday and Princess Olympia’s 21st birthday. Guests have shared that the party theme was “Prince And The Revolution” with a dress code that called for revolutionised black tie. The costumes that resulted are quite spectacular. While this was officially, a private event, so many photos were shared by both hosts and guests on social media that it does not seem intrusive to share.

Host of the party, Crown Princess Marie-Chantal, wore a Philip Treacy headpiece of silver stars unlike anything else we’ve seen on a royal head.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWCgVT1gOtX/

While not in a hat, Crown Prince Pavlos made an equally loud style statement in floral silk brocade trousers and vest with purple velvet jacket. Princess Olympia topped her Steven Khalil designed dress with an avant garde circular headpiece with pink roses and upright feathers. I suspect it was also made by Philip Treacy.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWBkESuD7jw/

Princess Theodora of Greece’s black and silver headpiece was trimmed in black lace butterflies.

Queen Máxima wore a lavish floral crown of silk orchids, peonies and garden roses. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWDd2dogvmm/

King Felipe is visible in the far left of this picture. Spanish media have reported that Queen Letizia, Infanta Elena, Infanta Cristina and Inaki Urdangarin also attended but no photos have surfaced so far (same for members of the Danish royal family along with Prince Pavlos’ parents and other siblings). The woman in the centre with butterflies and a feather headpiece is Pia Getty, Princess Marie-Chantal’s older sister.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWFOJZOhr2k/

Crown Princess Mette-Marit wore what looks to be an embellished metallic headband (again!).

Francesca von Habsburg-Lothringen wore a purple feathered headpiece and was accompanied by her daughters, Archduchess Eleanore and Archduchess Gloria.

Other royal guests not in hats or headpieces included Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Prince Gustaf and Carina Axelssen, and Rosario Nadal, former wife of Prince Kyril of Bulgaria. India Hicks, who attended with her partner and three of her four sons, took a more risque approach to the dress code in a tuxedo with shirt and tie of bodypaint.

Norwegian Royals Celebrate National Day

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Members of the Norwegian royal family celebrated Constitution Day today with an annual appearance on the palace balcony for the Oslo children’s parade.

Embed from Getty Images
Queen Sonja wore a striking hat in cream straw with a square crown and and wide brim raised on one side. The hat is trimmed with a navy hatband and brim piping, a classic combination that gives high contrast punch to the design. I think it’s a fantastic piece for Sonja. As in years past, King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon both wore morning suits with black silk top hats. I’ll wait for our top hat experts to weigh in but it seems to me that King Harald could do with a slightly larger size.
Queen Sonja, May 17, 2017 | Royal Hats
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn:  May 20, 2003; May 30, 2001 
Crown Princess Mette-Marit stuck to national colours, topping her navy coat with a red beret hat worn on the back of her head. While not my favourite piece, it’s a great colour choice for today’s national holiday.
Princess Mette-Marit, May 17, 2017 | Royal Hats
Designer: unknown. Possibly Mona Strand.
Previously Worn: this hat is new

Princess Märtha Louise dressed in traditional folk costume for her own, private celebrations and shared this snap.

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Gratulerer med dagen! #17.mai #grunnlovsdagen #hurra

A post shared by Princess Märtha Louise (@princessmarthalouise) on

It looks like a great day was enjoyed by all. What do you think of this quartet of hats?
Norwegian Royal Family, May 17, 2017 | Royal Hats
Photos from Getty as indicated and Vegard Wivestad Grøtt / NTB scanpix via the Royal House of Norway

Norwegian Royals Host Iceland State Visit

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King Harald and Queen Sonja welcomed Icelandic President Gudni Johannesson and his wife Eliza Reid to the Royal Castle in Oslo yesterday for the start of a three-day state visit. For this welcome, Queen Sonja wore a new navy felt cloche with upturned, short Kettle brim. The underbrim of this piece is in black, giving the traditional shape a punch of contrast.

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: This piece is new

Crown Princess Mette-Marie also wore a new design in the same pale aqua silk as her coat. Half headband, half Juliette cap, this piece has an Elizabethan feel to it that meets Mette-Marit’s penchant for small millinery but leaves me scratching my own head. Widening a headband really doesn’t make it a hat.

Designer: unknown. My guess is Mona Strand
Previously Worn: This piece is new

Princess Astrid repeated her green straw fez shaped hat trimmed with blue and green flowers and leaves.  The ensemble feels better suited to a Florida vacation than a winter event in Norway but I applaud Astrid’s brave use of colour and await a better look at this hat and its interesting trim.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: October 13, 2016

It’s always nice to see the Norwegian royal family in hats but none of these three blue designs stand out as particularly successful to me. What do you think?
Photos from Getty as indicated; Heiko Junge, NTB scanpix; Berit Roald / NTB scanpix