Princess Charlotte Wears Her First Hat at the Queen’s Funeral

On the occasion of her great-grandmother’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday, Princess Charlotte upheld her family tradition of fine millinery for the first time ever in a flat-brimmed bowler with a bow that matched her A-line coat, tights, and Mary Janes. It made for the seven-year-old’s most grown-up look yet; in fact, she bore a striking resemblance to her mom, newly appointed Princess of Wales Kate Middleton. What’s more, the headpiece may signal that Charlotte is now considered old enough to be required to follow the royal protocol of women in the monarchy wearing hats to all formal royal occasions.

Charlotte also joined her elders in using jewelry to pay tribute to the late monarch, wearing a small silver brooch in the shape of a horseshoe as a nod to the Queen’s lifelong passion for horses. (Her mother, who could reliably be found in her great-grandmother-in-law’s jewels all throughout last week, chose her Bahrain pearl drop earrings and a four-strand pearl choker.)

While the royals are wont to wear flashy fascinators, the hats they wore this time around were more subdued. And they were hardly the only ones to incorporate headpieces that were on the simpler side into their black ensembles. “We changed our shop over to only black hats in anticipation of the needs of our customers,” the noted milliner Stephen Jones told the Business of Fashion. “Many of our simple black hats were re-trimmed with short veils.”

Hopefully they won’t again be on the occasion of a funeral, but if she takes after her mother, keep an eye out for Charlotte’s hats to come.