What the Guests Wore...

A Day at the Races

Forget about the horses, it is the head wear on display at this year's Royal Ascot that is grabbing all the headlines. You could be forgiven for confusing the elite sporting event for a Mad Hatter's tea party. From the bizarre to the beautiful, quite literally anything is possible when it comes to choosing a hat for Ascot. Hats adorned with birds, giant insects, shoes, a replica of the Titanic and even an iPad are just a few of the crazier creations spotted. No one would have blinked an eyelid if Princess Beatrice had worn her infamous Philip Treacy fascinator here. Beatrice in fact sported one of my favourite looks on display - a retro wide-brimmed hat which screamed sophistication. Opera singer Katherine Jenkins also drew admiring glances in an oversized scarlet hat, which perfectly complimented her figure-hugging red dress.

Hats Off to Bea!

It has been the subject of ridicule for weeks, but Princess Beatrice has had the last laugh as her Philip Treacy hat has sold for a whopping £81,000! The 22-year-old princess enthused: 'I'm so excited. I couldn't believe it raised so much money.' With the proceeds of the eBay auction to be shared between Unicef and Children in Crisis the only thing left to say on the topic is 'well done Bea!' She has handled the whole 'hat controversy' (as it was dubbed by Oprah) with the good humour and grace befitting a princess.

Appearing at this week's Chelsea Flower Show, Beatrice attracted admiring glances thanks to her choice of figure-hugging fuscia dress by Roland Mouret.

Bid for Beatrice's Hat on eBay!

Love it or loathe it, we literally haven't been able to stop talking about the Philip Treacy headpiece worn by Princess Beatrice to the royal wedding. The sculptural bow design has become instantly recognisable, with interest fuelled by the jokes and unfavourable comparisons which are rife on the Internet. One of my friends very kindly sent me the link to a mock-up image of Prince Harry with only the offending item to protect his modesty. Needless to say the picture has attracted comments along the lines of 'Beatrice's hat has never looked so good'.

In response to the media furore surrounding the hat, renowned designer Treacy has been forced to publicly defend his creation inspired by beauty and elegance and has said Beatrice 'looked gorgeous'.

The 22-year-old princess has dealt with the attention admirably, telling Grazia: 'It's an incredible response to a hat, really. I'm glad it provoked so much conversation.' Yet the talk is only set to continue with the latest news...





















The Duchess of York has revealed that the now infamous hat is to be auctioned on eBay.

Speaking on US chat show Oprah about the 'hat controversy', Sarah Ferguson confirmed that all proceeds would be split between Unicef and Children in Crisis.

For better or worse, at least this little piece of fashion history will help a good cause.