Tag Archives: Princess Victoria

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

Dutch Royal Wedding 17 Years On: Royal Guests Part 1

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When Crown Prince Willem-Alexander married Máxima Zorreguieta seventeen years ago, his status as heir to the Dutch throne made the wedding a state occasion and as such, a large number of royal guests attended. We now look at some of these royal hats.

Queen Margrethe’s hat linked with her fur trimmed coat, the domed crown covered in the same textured blue wool fabric. The denim blue inverse brim made this design unique, hugging the bottom of the crown tightly before opening horizontally, the shape punctuated by a slim lighter blue hatband on the under side. the brim’s front brim vent was further highlighted with a pearl brooch. Despite its small footprint, this hat packs a lot of punch- perhaps too much in combination with the fur collar and cuffs on the coat?

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Princess Benedikte wore a silver tweed coat and hat with fur trim on the bumper brim (and collar and dress hem). The scale of fur trim is just right here and the dark colour contrasts AND coordinates beautifully with the fabric. The fur hem of the dress is a little odd but the hat works really well.

Benedikte’s eldest daughter,  Princess Alexandra of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, topped her lilac dress and coat with a magenta felt brimless hat trimmed with a tall spray of feathers. The pieces are all individually attractive but I’m just not sure they combine well together. Photos of Alexandra’s younger sister, Princess Nathalie, who also attended, elude me.

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Queen Silvia’s midnight blue hat combined straw and velvet- not a combination we often see. The hat’s wide, upturned kettle brim was edged in a wide stripe of velvet which was repeated on the crown. A ruched hatband of light straw added softness, volume and textural contrast between the crown and brim.

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Crown Princess Victoria topped her tailored chocolate suit with a matching straw hat. It’s a hat I’m happy to leave in the past for Victoria, its unrefined finishing and awkward looking hatband making a less than flattering look for her.

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Princess Madeleine’s hat packed a little more style punch and finesse with its angular crown and upswept brim around the back. The sequinned hatband reads a little ‘glitzy cowgirl’ and the roughly woven straw feels slightly unmatched against Madeleine’s beautifully tailored dress and jacket but somehow, the look works for what it was.

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Queen Sonja topped her cantaloupe orange lace suit with a matching silk cloche hat. The upturned brim updated the traditional shape with some angular edge (a touch somewhat nullified by the wide, rather dowdy lace hatband) and a small spray of orange feathers and a canteloupe silk twist on the side attempted to liven the design. A matching canteloupe lace purse and fur stole completed the look- and a lot of canteloupe it was. Melon overkill, I’d say.

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Crown Princess Mette-Marit was barely six months into royal life at this point and her ensemble reflects some of this inexperience. Her navy silk cloche hat was embellished by a wide, ruched hatband and the same matchstick cream stitching around the outside of the brim edge as on the neckline of her dress and, in reverse, on her cream coat. All in all, it was rather bland.
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From bland and boring we move to brilliantly bizarre with Princess Märtha Louise’s hat. A fantastical design that combines a tall, olive green felt square-edged hourglass crown, a wide purple felt brim, purple roses and cobalt, orange and red feathers, the hat is unexpected, whimsical and… well, it’s just bonkers. Pairing this embellished purple suit with this hat was a gutsy move I’ve always admired and makes me smile, still.
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Well- there’s much to discuss here! Which hats stand out to you, most? Which hats have weathered the passage of time, best?
Photos from Getty as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Last Sunday, the Swedish royal family donned warm winter hats to unveil the statue of King Carl XIV Johan (the first Bernadotte King of Sweden) in its new location on the Slottsbacken “Castle Slope” in Stockholm
Prince Alexander of Sweden in a festive hat with his father on Monday to receive this year’s royal Christmas trees


Princess Rym Ali of Jordan in a fetching deep aubergine felt cloche on Tuesday with her children at a tree lighting ceremony.
Queen Elizabeth arrived in Norfolk on the train on Thursday, in one of her characteristic head scarves.
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The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Garnet felt sidesweep with floral ruffles and curling quills from British milliner Bundle McLaren
Navy fur felt cloche with beautifully raised brim from Czech milliner Jolanta Kotabova
Luxe black cherry beaver felt fedora with silver silk hatband from Danish brand Hornskov Copenhagan
A very festively trimmed electric blue veiled button percher from Rachel Trevor Morgan
Dark green fedora with stunning navy and gold brocade hatband from Philip Treacy
Star trimmed red bandeau from British milliner Harvy Santos
Mesmerizing unraveling straw top hat from the insanely creative mind of British milliner Stephen Jones
Scarlet wide-brimmed fedora from Belgian milliner Fabienne Delvigne
And this floral helmet, made by Philip Treacy for a nature exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Glorious!

Lovely holiday greeting portraits from the royal families of Jordan, The Netherlands, Belgium and Greece

Photos from Getty and social media

This Week’s Extras

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Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria wore brimmed hats last Sunday to the funeral of Count Oscar Bernadotte; Princess Sofia wore a black hair bow and snood. You can see the hat and headpiece worn by Dagmar Von Arbin (née Countess Bernadotte of Wisborg) and Countess Marianne Bernadotte here. 
Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Laurence were in Chile last weekend to take part in a number of events to mark the Bicentenary of the Chilean Navy.
A preview of the Swedish royal annual documentary shows the Crown Princess and her family enjoying summer in several casual hats.
On Wednesday, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attended the 50th anniversary ceremony of the Sharoushi Act in Tokyo. The Empress repeated a small grey rimmed saucer hat with layered silk bow.

Princess Masako celebrated her 55th birthday today with a visit to the Imperial Royal Palace. She wore a repeated robin’s egg blue rounded pillbox for the visit.

The following new millinery designs caught my eye this week:
Black wave-shaped saucer trimmed with autumn leaves by Italian milliner Giulia Mio
Forest green cloche with ruffled brim ’round the back by British brand Whiteley
Wonderfully chic wide brimmed, tri-colour straw Panama hat by Australian milliner Neil Grigg
Adore the unique shape on this blocked bright pink hat shared by British milliner Tracy Chaplin
Veiled black felt hat with layered mushroom brim by Russian milliner Lia Gureeva
Button perchers with veil and pompom embellishment from British milliner Rachel Trevor Morgan
Very  handsome navy blue fedora with ribbon hatband and feather trim from British brand Christys
Angular chocolate felt hat and snappy plaid crin hatband by Czech milliner Jolanta Kotabova
Sideswept picture hat covered in coral ostrich feathers by British milliner William Chambers
Slightly bonkers sisal boater covered in flowers and 3D polka dots by California milliner Amy Fowler

And from Irish millinery brand Angels and Insects, this red velvet blocked percher trimmed with luxuriously beautiful scarlet velvet and silk dahlia blooms and green leather leaves. LOVE.

Charming new portrait of Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre on the occasion of the prince’s 13th birthday
Princess Madeleine shared this sweet snap of Princess Leonor’s ballet debut in The Nutcracker

Photos from BestImage and social media as indicated

Swedish Royals Welcome Italian State Visit

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The Swedish King and Queen welcomed Italian President Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura yesterday for the start of a state visit. For the official welcome at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Queen Silvia wore a new hat.

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With a blocked peacock blue felt wave-shaped base, the hat is trimmed with a grey diamond woven veil and a ruffled flower made of grey felt and grey and blue silk. The gentle curves of the base frame Silvia’s head so beautifully and the combination of trim adds another layer of softness. I particularly love the pop of blue to contrast against her exquisite silver grey suit- it’s a good look for her.


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Designer: Kerstin Carlefalk
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Crown Princess Victoria wore another one of her go-to headpieces, this one in pale blue. While a good look of this headpiece evades me, we can see it has a straw twist, some feathers and some ruffled silk flowers. Unlike anything else she’s worn before, I suspect this headpiece was specifically chosen to pair with Victoria’s beautiful lace dress.

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Designer: unknown. Dress by Malina
Previously Worn: I think this headpiece is new

Princess Sofia also wore a blue headpiece, this one a silk knotted bandeau. The scale and colour suit Sofia very well (it’s so nice to see her in more saturated colour!) and

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Designer: Eivy Flodin. Dress by Hugo Boss.
Previously Worn: This headpiece is new

Laura Mattarella’s burgundy felt pillbox with interesting wired bow at the bottom also deserves some attention here- the use of felt to contrast with her velvet dress is really good, as is that wired bow, which gives a fresh and unexpected twist to the classic shape. It’s really good on her. 

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I can’t imagine the choice of blue on all the royal ladies was coincidental- together, they make a well coordinated group. What do you think of these three new blue millinery designs yesterday in Stockholm?

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Photos from Getty and social media as indicated