Rule two: Keep a hat on the side
Before wearing the crown, future queens have to conquer the minefield of millinery and find a hat stylish enough to impress onlookers without becoming a meme magnet, like Princess Beatrice’s Philip Treacy headpiece worn to the 2011 royal wedding.
Kate has experimented with a velvet stylised trilby from Jane Corbett in 2011, over-the-top headbands, such as the Jane Taylor pearl appliqué worn to Prince Louis’s christening in 2018 and an alpaca hat for church service at Sandringham.
Princess Diana wearing a Philip Somerville hat and Catherine Walker suit in Dubai, 1989; Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, wearing a Philip Treacy hat and Alexander McQueen coat dress.Credit:Getty
For the Platinum Jubilee, Kate demonstrated her current preference for tilted, cartwheel hats from Philip Treacy.
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“It might not be a groundbreaking style, but it’s great to see the return of the flattering, slanted brim,” says Melbourne milliner Melissa Jackson, who anticipates orders for disc styles in the lead-up to the Flemington Spring Carnival.
“If you have great earrings to show-off it’s even better.”
Although Kate wore the Saturn style navy and white Treacy hat for Trooping the Colour, reminiscent of the turban hat worn by Princess Diana in Dubai in 1989, her go-to style is tilted with a flower beneath the brim, as worn with the lemon Emilia Wickstead dress at the Service of Thanksgiving. She wore the same style hat at Trooping the Colour and Royal Ascot in 2019.
“With her hair worn up, the tilt of the hat elongates the neck and perfectly balances Kate’s complete look,” Jackson says.
Rule Three: Remind people that you have the common touch
Kate has always managed to walk the fine line of mixing designer clothing, such as the Alexander McQueen gown worn to the BAFTA awards in 2017, that according to Harper’s Bazaar cost $US10,605 ($14,740), and bargains from ASOS and Zara.
Cutting through the pomp of her recent parade of designer pieces, the duchess has shared photos of herself in a pink gingham Brora blouse and high-waisted Other Stories jeans to social media. The jeans were first worn by Kate when she received her COVID-19 vaccine in May 2021. You, too, could look like a princess, with the blouse costing £129 ($224) but you will need to join a waiting list. The new rules are catching on.
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