10 weird British royal wedding fascinators, from Princess Beatrice’s notorious ‘toilet seat’ hat to Oprah’s bold topper at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s ceremony

Oct 5 , 2021

Fascinators and extravagant hats are always seen at British royal gatherings, but did Princess Beatrice, Zara Tindall, Oprah Winfrey or Sarah Ferguson don the biggest and most extravagant ones of them all? Photos: AP, EPA, Reuters, AP

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s nuptials saw UK royals like Zara Tindall – Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter – don dramatic headpieces by designer Philip Treacy

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s daughter Laura Lopes wore a complex metallic fascinator at her mother’s wedding to Prince Charles in 2005

A royal wedding is a thing of beauty for sure – with the pageantry, the pomp and the ceremony, it’s often said that the British sure know how to throw lavish nuptial celebrations. There is also one aspect of royal weddings that gets tongues wagging every time: the tradition of wearing hats.

From the queen to commoners, ladies go out of their way to make an impression with unique creations on their heads. Here are a few that caught our eye – and not necessarily for the right reasons!

Princess Beatrice

Possibly the most famous fascinator in existence was the one donned by Princess Beatrice to the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. The choice of headdress, designed by royal favourite hat designer Philip Treacy, sparked fierce debate on social media almost immediately, but the general view was that her fascinator was in rather poor taste and it was quickly nicknamed the “toilet seat” hat.

Beatrice’s sister Eugenie actually said in an interview with Express that the backlash following the hat’s first outing brought Beatrice to tears. Some good came of the whole thing though when the hat was auctioned off for charity, raising over US$130,000.

Zara Tindall

Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne, also wowed with her choice of hat at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. The large disc-shaped creation designed by Philip Treacy certainly was a statement piece!