While many of the royal hats we admire are handmade, there are a number of wool felt hats that are individually made with the help of a few industrial machines. I thought some of you might enjoy this short (five minutes) video covering this process. I certainly learned a lot watching it. Both hats are produced by Burgess Hats; the red bowler is available for sale here and the black topper is available here.
Monthly Archives: August 2013
Royal Births and (a lack of) Hats
Reader Barbara wrote in wondering why in all the activity surrounding Prince George’s arrival (and his presentation to the public when he left the hospital), there was not a hat in sight! As usual, I’ll do my best to answer.
The European royal ladies have given birth in hospital only since the late 1970s. Before that, royal births occurred at home, far away from public view. The first look at a royal baby and the new mum happened through photos taken in a formal photo session or, in some cases, at the christening. When royal mothers started choosing hospital births, that all changed. I suspect that this glimpse of mother and baby while leaving the hospital became an understood public moment in an otherwise strictly private time. And as we know, hats are optional in royal private life.
For the past 35 years, the British royal mums all left the hospital without hats: Princess Anne with Zara; Princess Diana with Willam and with Harry; The Duchess of York with Beatrice and with Eugenie; The Countess of Wessex with Louise and with James. Same with the European Princesses: Princess Caroline with Charlotte; Princess Marie with Henrik; Princess Mary and Prince Frederick with twins Vincent and Josephine; the Belgian King and Queen with Elisabeth and with Eleonore; the Spanish Royals (here, here and here); and Princess Victoria with Estelle, just to name a few. Even the most formal and traditional of the royal houses, the Imperial house of Japan, go without hats to introduce their babies: Princess Masako with Aiko and Princess Kiko with Hisahito.
In my search through past royal baby introductions, I could find only three instances of hats – well, one kerchief and two hats on the wee ones themselves (admittedly, all a bit of a stretch!)
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Princess Anne leaving St. Mary’s hospital with son Peter in November 1977
Princess Anne leaving St. Mary’s hospital with son Peter in November 1977
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Knit caps on Prince Christian and Princess Isabella of Denmark, October 18, 2005 and April 23, 2007
I hope that answers your question, Barbara! Not good news for us hat lovers, I’m afraid, but it I do think new mums of both the royal and non-royal variety deserve as many breaks as they can get.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Japanese Princess Visits Sri Lanka
Princess Tsuguko of Takamado is the daughter of the late Japanese Prince Takamodo (who was a first cousin of the current emperor) and Princess Hisako Takamodo (who we saw last week as well as at the Swedish Royal Wedding earlier this summer). This week, Princess Tsuguko, who works at the Japan Committee for UNICEF, is on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka. She began the visit with a classic white boater hat with crisp navy and white striped hatband and bow.
To visit Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday, Tsuguko wore a classic white Breton hat with an upturned brim trimmed with a pouf of blue feathers on the side.
Photo by The Asahi Shimbun and Sudath Silva
One Suit, Three Hats
Last week, The Countess of Wessex attended the Sovereigns Parade in a beautiful Jane Taylor picture hat to compliment her stunning Bruce Oldfield suit. This is the third time she has worn this suit and each time, she has paired it with a different Jane Taylor couture hat. What’s amazing is with each pairing, Sophie’s hair and jewelry are almost identical- the different feel of each outfit is created only, with a different hat.
Your responses to our first “This or That” post were so fantastic that I can’t resist asking again, dear readers, which of these Jane Taylor hats you prefer on Sophie with her oyster silk beaded Bruce Oldfield suit?
Look 1: Attending the Sovereigns Parade on August 9, 2013 in a Jane Taylor designed picture hat in oyster straw trimmed with a cream lace bow
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Look 2: On the balcony of Buckingham Palace for Trooping the Colour, June 16, 2012 in Jane Taylor’s “Juliet” design
Look 3: At the April 29, 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in Jane Taylor’s “Molly Couture” design
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Photos from Getty as indicated
Milestone Birthday: Princess Mette-Marit
Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway celebrates her 40th birthday today. To celebrate, we’re taking a trip back through time to look at how her her hat style has evolved since entering royal life.
Mette-Marit’s hats were initially quite simple and with minimal embellishment. The only statements we see here are the overly rounded or square shapes on the hat’s crown.
A few years into royal life, Mette-Marit wore a series of similar hats from Philip Treacy. The stronger shapes, larger brims and signature Treacy looped bow suited her well.
By 2006, Mette-Marit’s confidence in her royal role was displayed by a bolder millinery style….
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… which included lots of fascinators!
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More recently, Mette-Marit has moved to smaller, simpler, more streamlined pieces.
I have mixed feelings about Mette-Marit’s recent millinery choices- rumours are that the princess suffers from chronic headaches and if this is indeed the case, hat wearing might not be a comfortable option for her.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
