Tag Archives: Queen Camilla

British Royal Visit to New Zealand: Day 1

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The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall arrived in Wellington today to begin a twelve day tour to New Zealand and Australia. Camilla appeared at Government House for an official welcome in one of her cream picture hats with wide, curving up-swept brim. This piece, in subtly sparkling straw that compliments the metallic sleeves of her coat, is trimmed with a large ruched band that circles around the perimeter of the hat.

Designer: Philip Treacy. Dress and coat by Bruce Oldfield.
Previously Worn: June 15, 2015; June 15, 2013; September 16, 2012; June 19, 2012; June 3, 2012
While we have seen this dramatic hat several times before, it’s outing today is not a surprise as it makes for a grand and elegant ensemble that is perfect to kick off a major tour. There will undoubtedly be several more hats worn during this visit- here’s keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll see a few new pieces in the mix. Stay tuned!
Photos from Getty as indicated

British Royals Welcome Chinese State Visit

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This morning, a ceremonial welcome took place for Chinese President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan, who have come to Great Britain this week on state visit. Greeted by their hosts Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Chinese guests inspected a guard of honour at Horseguards Parade before travelling by carriage to Buckingham Palace. To my great surprise, Queen Elizabeth used this event to début a new hat. In heather hued straw, this hat features a slightly sloped crown and medium sized brim that gently folds upward on one side of the hat. The focal point is the trim, consisting of three beautiful straw roses and several bow loops, also in straw. It’s another well balanced hat of excellent proportion that suits Her Majesty so very well.

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan. Coat by Stewart Parvin.
Previously Worn: This hat is new

The Duchess of Cornwall repeated her large upturned brim hat in snakeskin print straw trimmed with Lady Amherst pheasant feathers. The hat is such a great compliment to Camilla’s taupe coat- a coat that with the wrong hat could easily fall into ‘boring beige’ territory. We’ve talked much recently about neutral royal outfits and hats and I think Camilla’s ensemble today is a lesson in how to do it right.

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Designer: Philip Treacy. Coat by Bruce Oldfield.
Previously Worn: April 30, 2015; November 14, 2012
The two hats we saw today were not bold in colour but each managed to make a strong millinery style statement. Whatdo you think about this pair of royal hats?
Photos from Getty as indicated 

This Week’s Extras

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Royal Hats

The Duchess of Rothesay (as Camilla is known in Scotland) in her smart red beret to commemorate the Battle of Loos (51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland)

The Prince of Wales attended a service at Westminster Abbey last Sunday commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain

Royal Hats

Princess Mako successfully completed her Master’s degree at the University of Leicester (The Crown Chronicles)

Ever wonder how to contact members of the British Royal Family? Here’s a how-to guide that includes mailing addresses (The Crown Chronicles)

New formal portraits of Crown Prince Frederick and Crown Princess Mary were released (Danish Monarchy). The Swedish royals also released this wonderful family picture, taken last December.

Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, and Princess Estelle

 Photo from Anna-Lena Ahlström via The Swedish Royal Court

Inventory: The Duchess of Cornwall’s Ecru, Ivory and White Hats

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Duchess of Cornwall turns to cream straw hats as her summer millinery staple and, as in years past, we have seen her wear several this season. A number of you have curiously inquired about Camilla’s cream/ecru/beige hats, inspiring me to introduce a new feature. Here are all the hats in this category in her millinery closet:

1.Embed from Getty Images  2.  3.
Designer: all Philip Treacy
Introduced: July 2, 2002; June 1, 2004; April 9, 2005

4.Embed from Getty Images 5. Embed from Getty Images 6.
Designer: all Philip Treacy
Introduced: May 8, 2005; June 11, 2005; June 14, 2005

7.Embed from Getty Images   8.Embed from Getty Images 9.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: unknown; Philip Treacy; Philip Treacy
Introduced: March 23, 2006;  April 23, 2006; June 19, 2006

10.Embed from Getty Images 11.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: both are Philip Treacy
Introduced: June 20, 2006; June 18, 2007

12. 13.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: both are Philip Treacy
Introduced: June 19, 2007; June 20, 2007

14. 15. Embed from Getty Images 16.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Lock & Co.; Lock & Co; Philip Treacy; Philip Treacy
Introduced: August 2007; April 22, 2009; June 16, 2009; July 20, 2010

17.Embed from Getty Images  18.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: both are Philip Treacy
Introduced: July 20, 2010; June 3, 2012

19.  20.Embed from Getty Images  21. Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Lock & Co.; Philip Treacy; Lock and Co.
Introduced: August 12, 2012; November 5, 2012; November 9, 2012

22.Embed from Getty Images  23.  24.Embed from Getty Images
Designer:  all Philip Treacy
Introduced:  June 18, 2013; October 23, 2013;  March 10, 2014

UPDATE: Since this post was published, Camilla has added four additional designs:

25.Embed from Getty Images  26.Embed from Getty Images  27.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: all Philip Treacy
Introduced:  June 18, 2014;  June 20, 2017;  May 22, 2018

28.Embed from Getty Images 29.  30.2019-07-06 Archie's Christening 2 250
Designer:  Philip Treacy; Philip Treacy; Lock and Co.
Introduced: June 19, 2018; June 3, 2019; July 6, 2019
31.
Designer:  Philip Treacy
Introduced:  May 11, 2021
Camilla also has two cream hats with navy trim that warrant inclusion here:
CN1.Embed from Getty Images  CN2.Embed from Getty Images
Designer: both are Philip Treacy
Introduced: July 20, 2005; September 17, 2017
Putting this lineup together, I was surprised how many have similar scale, shapes and brim curves (the only anomaly is the felt leaf trimmed #24). I’m glad that the dramatically sloped and curved crowns of hats from a decade ago are mostly out of use- the lines seem a bit harsh for Camilla – and I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the ruffle trimmed upsweeps (#12 & 17) that seem like they would be so much fun to wear.  When you look at this group of hats, dear readers, what do you notice?
Photos from Getty as indicated; Getty Images, Chris Jackson, Tim Graham, via Getty; Pacific Coast News via Corbis; WPA Pool and David Davies/PA Images via Getty

British Royals Celebrate VJ Day Anniversary

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Yesterday, members of the British Royal Family celebrated the 70th anniversary of VJ Day  (the date of surrender by Japanese Forces which formally ended World War II). Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester attended a service of commemoration held at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London. The Queen repeated her white straw hat with tall crown, wrapped in the same bouclé fabric as her suit and trimmed with a pink silk rose. While the hat coordinates well with Her Majesty’s lovely suit, the use of the  thick fabric trim on the hat doesn’t work for me, still.

Designer: Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: June 8, 2014

The Countess of Wessex wore a hat I have been hoping to see again- the navy straw percher hat trimmed in gold feathers that she first wore for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Service of Thanksgiving in June 2012. This hat has a wonderful sense of movement and I thought its pairing with her Emilia Wickstead frock with navy pinstripes was so very smart.

Designer: Jane Taylor
Previously Worn: June 5, 2012

The Duchess of Gloucester repeated her slate grey straw beret and matching coat dress. The coat has a slight military feel and the ensemble felt most appropriate for this commemoration.

Designer: unconfirmed. My guess is Lock & Co.
Previously Worn: June 18, 2015; June 15, 2015; November 6, 2013; June 19, 2013; June 5, 2012

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall attended an outdoor service at the Horse Guard Parade and a Royal British Legion reception held in the College Gardens of Westminster Abbey. The Duchess repeated her mint straw hat with ‘slice’ diagonal brim trimmed with wide jinsin ribbon curls. The placement of the trim is most interesting although I think the piece might benefit from placement a little further back on Camilla’s head.

It looks like a lovely day was had by all (see a larger photo gallery over at the Daily Mail). Did any of these hats stand out to in particular?
Photos from Getty as indicated