Tag Archives: Queen Camilla

Inventory: Duchess of Cornwall’s Red Hats

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Continuing our look at red royal hat wardrobe inventories, we move today to the millinery closet of the Duchess of Cornwall. This will be an extremely short tour as Camilla has just one red hat:

1.2006-04-09

Designer: unconfirmed. Likely Philip Treacy
Introduced: April 10, 2005

UPDATE- A second hat in raspberry wool with black faux fur cuff brim was added on Christmas Day 2017

2. Dec 25, 2017 in Lock & Co | Royal Hats

Designer: Lock & Co.
Introduced: Dec 25, 2017  

This piece is a simple one that shows how great Camilla looks in red, although I can see how one of her go-to picture hats in this shade might be a bit much. She also wore an interesting red headpiece for Prince William’s African themed birthday party in 2003 before she joined the family but I doubt we’ll see that piece in public again. What do you think- yes or no to more red hats for the Duchess’ wardrobe?

Photo from Mark Cuthbert via Getty;  Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock 

Inventory: Duchess of Cornwall’s Blue Hats

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We might not immediately think of the Duchess of Cornwall as a hat wearer of diverse styles but looking through the numerous hats she has worn in all shades of blue, you may be surprised. Here they are, in the order in which they were introduced:

1.2005-07-10  2.Embed from Getty Images  3.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: all are Philip Treacy
Introduced: July 10, 2005; October 23, 2005; December 25, 2005; 

4.Embed from Getty Images  5.Embed from Getty Images  6.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: all are Philip Treacy
Introduced:  March 13, 2006, June 17, 2007; October 12, 2007

7.Embed from Getty Images  8.Embed from Getty Images  9.2008-05-17 Peter Phillips wedding
Designer: all are Philip Treacy
Introduced:  December 10, 2007; April 28, 2008; May 17, 2008

10.Embed from Getty Images 11.Embed from Getty Images 12.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: all are Philip Treacy
Introduced:  June 18, 2008; December 25, 2008; December 1, 2009

13.Embed from Getty Images 14.Embed from Getty Images 15.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Lock & Co; Philip Treacy; Philip Treacy
Introduced: May 10, 2011; March 20, 2012; May 21, 2012

16.Embed from Getty Images 17.Embed from Getty Images 18.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: all are Philip Treacy
Introduced: June 4, 2013; May 19, 2014; June 18, 2014

19.2015-05-12 BP Garden Party 20.
Designer: both are  Philip Treacy
Introduced: May 12, 2015; July 5, 2015

UPDATE: Camilla has added the following blue hats since this post was published: 

21.  22.  23.
Designer: all are Philip Treacy
Introduced: October 23, 2018;  June 19, 2019; Jun 15, 2021

That is an astounding twenty blue hats worn in nearly eleven years of royal life! I suppose with her blonde hair and blue eyes, it’s no surprise that Camilla has turned to blue as a go-to colour. I suspect the first six hats have all been retired (possibly along with #7, #9 and #12) but that leaves eleven hats still in use. I adore the colour of #14 (with updated non-sausage trim it would be a knockout) and the exquisite trim on #18; while I would like to see #3 again, I’m happy to that #2, with its Star Trek vibe, is no longer in service.

There are numerous hats for us to talk about here, dearest readers, and I can’t wait for you to weigh in.

Photos from Daniel Berehulak, Anwar Hussein, John Stillwell, Mark Cuthbert, Chris Jackson, Max Mumby/Indigo, Max Mumby/Indigo and Max Mumby/Indigo via Getty

Best New Royal Hat of 2015: Great Britain Part 1

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2015 best hat small

We have come to our final royal house in our look at the best new royal hats of 2015. There were, however, so many British royal hats this year that we’ll narrow down our favourites in two royal polls. To streamline each one, I have omitted a number of less memorable hats (links are provided below).Click on any of the photos to jump back to original posts to see additional description and detail of the hats.

The hats with the most votes across this semifinal will move forward to a final poll. If you don’t think any of these hats are worthy of the title of Best of 2015, save your vote (or jump back to vote again for hats from Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Norway as well as Monaco, Greece, Dubai and Qatar).

Queen Elizabeth (not including this blue and magenta hat, this blue tweed hat, this grey bowed hat, this black hat, this blue bucket hat, this white hat, this white hat, this turquoise pleated hat, this pale peach hat and the red hat with faux fur trim she wore yesterday)

1.Queen Elizabeth, June 16, 2015 in Angela Kelly | Royal Hats  2.Queen Elizabeth, June 17, 2015 in Angela Kelly | Royal Hats  3.Queen Elizabeth, June 19, 2015 in Rachel Trevor Morgan  4.Queen Elizabeth, June 25, 2015 in Angela Kelly | Royal Hats

5.Queen Elizabeth, June 26, 2015 in Angela Kelly  6.Queen Elizabeth, June 26, 2015 in Angela Kelly  7.Queen Elizabeth, October 20, 2015 in Rachel Trevor Morgan | Royal Hats  8.Queen Elizabeth, November 28, 2015 in Angela Kelly | Royal Hats

The Duchess of Cornwall (not including this mint green hat, this tweed fur hat and the black one worn yesterday)

9.Duchess of Cornwall, May 12, 2015 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats  10.Duchess of Cornwall, July 5, 2015 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats

Princess Alexandra of Kent

11.Princess Alexandra, April 19, 2015 | Royal Hats  12.Princess Alexandra, June 6, 2015 in Rachel Trevor Morgan | Royal Hats  13.Princess Alexandra, June 17, 2015 in Rachel Trevor Morgan | Royal Hats

UPDATE by request, I have added, The Duchess of Cornwall’s mint green hat with twists and Queen Elizabeth’s brown hat with cream bow.

14. Duchess of Cornwall, August 15, 2015 in Philip Treacy | Royal Hats  15.Queen Elizabeth, November 24, 2015 in Rachel Trevor Morgan | Royal Hats

Also omitted from this poll were hats worn by the Duchess of Gloucester, Princess Michael of Kent, Princess Anne (see here, here and here) and the Duchess of York. That leaves the thirteen hats seen above- do you think any of them deserve to be named best new royal hat of the year? Cast your vote below. Voting will remain open until January 1, 2016 and you can vote for multiple hats up to four times per day.

British Royals Celebrate Christmas

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As they do each year on Christmas Day, members of the British Royal Family attended church this morning at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene near the Sandringham Estate. Queen Elizabeth led her family in a new bright red hat and coat with grey and black mottled faux fur trim. The hat, with a flat crown covered in red fabric, features a matching faux fur brim.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: I suspect Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Duchess of Cornwall topped her grey and black embellished coat with a black felt hat with flyaway raised brim. The hat is simply but effectively trimmed in a wide stripe of silk around the brim. Camilla’s hats are often lavishly embellished and this more streamlined piece is a nice contrast for her.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Duchess of Cambridge wore a new hat in hunter green felt. The perching saucer shape on this piece is supported by a large poinsettia-like flower at the back which that gives much texture and interest to the hat. The colour is lovely on Kate and the hat was showed off to great effect by her chignon.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Looks like Lock & Co.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Countess of Wessex looked wonderfully elegant in a grey tweed coat with matching hat. The cocktail hat, with a beret base, features a tall rim at the top of the hat. The small hat is given further visual punch with trimmings of a large twist of coordinating grey straw and a swath of black net tulle (see the hat in greater detail here). Dove grey is an unexpectedly lovely colour on Sophie and I thought she wore the piece well.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Lady Louise Windsor stepped out in a simple black tam trimmed with a small bow at the side. This piece seems to mark Louise’s entry into the realm of hat wearing which, excitingly, gives us royal hat fans one more hat wearer to watch.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Anne repeated the feather trimmed cream straw hat we first saw her wear at Ascot earlier this year. This outing, she turned the feather encrusted, raised brim to the side (instead of at the front, as she wore last time) and this small change makes a vast improvement for this hat. It is still not my favourite piece although I thought Anne looked very well put together in her green tweed coat and chocolate accessories.
 Embed from Getty Images
Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: June 16, 2015

Princess Beatrice wore a new bespoke piece in black velvet.(see a better view here). The bumper brimmed hat is trimmed with beaded detail around the crown and a flat bow with beaded centre on the side of the brim. Placed at a jaunty angle on her head, the colour and scale of the hat made it a beautiful piece for the young princess.

Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Juliette Botterill 
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Princess Eugenie repeated the dark teal straw cocktail hat with black crin swirling trim we saw her debut at Ascot this year. The hat’s beaded brooch trim at the top its base adds a festive touch that makes it a great choice for Christmas and I was happy to see it worn again today.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Nerida Fraiman
Previously Worn: June 19, 2015
Lady Sarah Chatto wore a simple black straw hat with simple rolled brim. Sarah’s personal style tends toward the simple and streamlined and while not as memorable as other hats worn today, it fits well with Sarah’s aesthetic.
Embed from Getty Images
And finally, Viscountess Linley wore a chic fedora while her daughter, Margarita, wore a relaxed Garbo hat. Both pieces were in fashionable navy blue. This brings the total number of hats seen today to eleven- which ones stood out most to you?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall in Australia

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The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall wrapped up the New Zealand leg of their tour (sadly, without any other hats) and moved on to Australia on Sunday. Yesterday, the couple commemorated Remembrance Day by laying a wreath at the Australian War Memorial. For the occasion, Camilla surprised by repeating a long forgotten black straw hat with square crown.

In addition to the wonderful white stripes woven around the brim, the hat is trimmed with a slim white silk band and bow around the base of the crown and a spiralled feather spine. It`s a wonderfully balanced piece not just of contrasting colour but of shape- I adore how the squared crown plays against the gently curving brim. After a conversation here last week about Camilla`s hats sometimes overpowering her, it bears pointing out that the proportion of this piece is perfect.

While this hat is a decade old, its classic colour scheme and elegant shape helps it transcend time. After fearing its retirement, I was so happy to see it again today and can`t wait to hear your thoughts about it!
Photos from Getty as indicated