Meghan Markle has worn a lot of hats in her day — both in character and out. (Never forget the FedEx cap she wore when playing a delivery person in Horrible Bosses or her love for beanies, which, same.) But hats have taken on a whole other meaning for the Duchess of Sussex since her engagement and marriage to Prince Harry, because British people do not mess around when it comes to headwear. In honor of that, here's a roundup of every single hat Meghan Markle has worn since she became a royal.
Well, technically, it's every single hat since she and Prince Harry announced their engagement on Nov. 27, because that's when she started attending official events and wearing fancy dress hats. See, in Britain, royal protocol insists that women have to wear hats for all formal, official occasions, according to Insider. The outlet reported that, according to BBC, this trend can be traced back to before the 1950s when it was unseemly for upper class women to have their hair showing while in public.
Of course, these days the hats and fascinators worn by Markle and her fellow female royals serve as more of a formal fashion statement than a practical way to cover one's hair. Before Markle came along, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton was also well known for her excellent hat game (and still is, of course), and Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice turned heads with their headgear at Middleton's wedding. It's long been tradition for the royals to sport beautiful, unique, structured, and sometimes downright ridiculous hats. Now that Markle has joined the family, here's what she's delivered over the past few months.
1. The Christmas Hat
Her very first hat since getting engaged at the end of November came during the Christmas church service. Unfortunately, many people felt that Markle struck out on this one — even comparing her hat to the poop emoji.
2. A Beret For Commonwealth Day
In March, Markle joined the Queen for Commonwealth Day, a holiday to "celebrate the links between Commonwealth communities across the world," according to the Royal Family website. The Commonwealth includes countries like Australia, Canada, Botswana, New Zealand and more. Markle went simple with this white beret that matched her white jacket, perhaps to avoid another poop emoji situation.
3. The Black Hat, Part One
Markle wore not one, but two hats for Anzac Day, which honors the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who have fought for their countries. This wide-brimmed black hat was very reminiscent of a similarly large black hat Middleton wore for Remembrance Day in 2016.
Clearly both women have great taste.
4. The Black Hat, Part Two
In the second part of this April event, Markle went smaller with a sleek black fascinator adorned with a jeweled dragonfly.
5. A Beanie For May
Markle was snapped by the paparazzi leaving Kensington Palace in a gray beanie for a more low key look. If it was meant to disguise her, it unfortunately didn't work. But the laid-back look is classic pre-engagement Markle at her finest. Who doesn't love a cozy beanie? Check out a photo of it here.
6. Her Wedding Tiara
This isn't technically a hat, but it is a headpiece and a damn spectacular one at that. Her wedding tiara was once Queen Mary's, because diamonds are forever.
7. The Millennial Pink Dream
In her first official event since her wedding, Markle wore this asymmetrical pink hat to the Queen's Garden Party. Oh how far she's come from the poop hat.
8. A Wedding Fascinator
On June 17, Prince Harry joined his wife to attend the wedding of Princess Diana's niece Celia McCorquodale. Markle adorned her floaty Oscar de La Renta dress with a whimsical white fascinator. She totally knocked the whole look out of the park. I know you're not supposed to upstage the bride, but Markle might have just by being her gorgeous self with her on-point fashion sense.
9. The Royal Ascot Adornment
In her most recent hat to date, Markle wore this on June 19 to the 2018 opening of the Royal Ascot racecourse. She nailed it, as per usual. This dreamy black and white number is very old Hollywood glam, and one of her most intricate pieces to date. She went fancy up top and simple below with a white shirtdress, allowing the hat to stand on its own.
It calls to mind the hat that Markle's friend Priyanka Chopra wore to her wedding. It's a similar shape and material and designed by the same person: Philip Treacy.
Perhaps she got some inspiration from her BFF for her latest royal outing?
That concludes Markle's hats thus far on her Royal Family journey, but she's only been married for a month and she's already worn three great hats and many before that as Harry's fiancée. With Prince Louis' christening coming up on July 9, and a royal tour to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand, expect a lot more great headwear to come from the Duchess of Sussex. And, don't worry, it seems she's definitely learned from the poop hat. So we'll just get elegant, fashionable fascinators from here on out.
