Royal style: battle of the hats from Princess Kate to duch*ess Sophie (2024)

If there's one fashion item the royals know how to do well, it's hats.

From feathery fascinators to boaters to pillboxes, the versatility of the hat cannot be understated.

Over the years, we've seen creative and colourful looks at events like royal weddings, Ascot and Cheltenham. Headwear can either be a simple accessory, or the main event.

The trend for smaller, more delicate headpieces dates back to the Victorian times, but it wasn't until 1950s New York, a time where a woman couldn't leave the house without a hat and gloves, that fascinators began to really take off.

Hat designer John P. John, now almost unheard of, was once the Christian Dior of headwear.

According to the New York Times: "In the 1940's and 1950's, the name Mr. John was as famous in the world of hats as Christian Dior was in the realm of haute couture. At a time when other milliners were piling on flowers, feathers and tulle, Mr. John was stripping hats naked, relying on pure shape for effect."

He designed hats for Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo and Vivian Leigh, called smaller hats 'fascinators', and paved the way for two royal-approved milliners, Stephen Jones and Philip Treacy, to conceptualise the modern fascinator as it exists today.

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, as she was then, propelled the fascinator to global fame in 2012. The variety of headpieces were the fashion focus of the moment, with Princess Beatrice's blush pink fascinator briefly becoming the most talked-about hat in the world.

Milliner Jane Taylor of Jane Taylor London has designed hats worn by the duch*ess of Edinburgh, Pippa Middleton, Rita Ora, and Zara Tindall.

She told HELLO!: "Headwear for any formal event should elegantly accentuate you and your whole look. For events such as the races where you can have a little more fun, opt for a hat that plays on colour or shape to lift your look. Not both or your look will have a novelty feel to it which is not recommended.

"More formal events choose a neater shape such as a pillbox, halo, moonband or neatly trimmed brimmed hat. We never use the F word here! Fascinators are really another word for headpiece. These should work with the shape of your facial proportions and especially focus on a tone of your outfit that suits your skin colouring. We often hand dye a particular tone to enhance our clients' features and finish the look perfectly."

Here are some of the best headpieces we've seen from royals over the years...