Bethan Holt
For most mothers of the groom, a son’s wedding would be the perfect excuse for a new outfit. But not for Princess Anne, who is famous for her love of fashion recycling.
She stayed true to form for eldest child Peter Phillips’ marriage to Harriet Sperling on Saturday, pulling the hat she wore to her daughter Zara’s christening out of storage. Forty-five years on, it looked as elegant yet eye-catching as the first time she wore it.
The hat is simple by royal standards but charming nevertheless with a slim but floppy brim with matching cord bow detail. Back in 1981, for the ceremony held at Windsor Castle, the Princess Royal, now 75, matched her yellow hat with a sweet strawberry printed dress.
Sadly, that hasn’t been brought out of the archives. For Saturday’s wedding she paired her vintage headwear with an apricot-coloured jacket and cerise floral skirt.
She also carried a practical navy leather handbag. The Princess Royal is renowned, after all, for blending practicality and thrift with her traditional approach to style, in contrast to younger members of the family who wear fashionable designers and regularly add a rotation of new items to their wardrobes.
Indeed, the Princess of Wales led the best-dressed guests in a brand new £750 ($1419) tweed dress by Roland Mouret – both women are royal style leaders in their contrasting ways.
The Princess Royal’s love of rewearing chimes with her parents’ and elder brother’s famously thrifty approach to style. The family’s philosophy was always to buy well-made items and wear them for years, often decades.
The late Queen Elizabeth would always re-use fabrics, while Prince Philip wore his wedding shoes for 70 years. King Charles also owns coats and suits which are many years old.
By wearing the hat for Saturday’s ceremony, the Princess brings an emotional slant to the event, creating a visual reminder of when her children were very young but also when her parents and grandmother were still alive.
Just as Harriet Sperling paid tribute to the late Queen by including lily-of-the-valley and myrtle in her bouquet (both flowers which Elizabeth II loved and had in her own wedding bouquet) so Princess Anne’s hat brings nods to members of the family who have now passed away.
Of course, the Princess is by now well-versed in the art of rewearing – you’re more likely to see her in a preloved look than something new, no matter how high profile the event.
Saturday’s 45-year-old hat looks practically brand new compared to the 57-year-old coat she donned for the state banquet in honour of the Nigerian president back in March. In 2024, she wore a 46-year-old turquoise dress in Dubai.
The Princess Royal, forever the Queen of regal recycling.
The Telegraph, London
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