The Reason Royal Ladies Will Wear Hats To Attend Prince Philip's Funeral

Apr 15, 2021

On Friday, April 9, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away at the age of 99 years old. Not long before his death, the Queen's beloved husband was discharged from the hospital after spending several days there due to complications with an infection. Prince Philip's infection was reportedly not due to coronavirus, as he and the Queen were vaccinated in January of this year, according to BBC. Philip's passing ends his reign as the longest-serving royal spouse, having served alongside Queen Elizabeth II for 65 years and having been married to the monarch for 73 years in total.

Now that Prince Philip has passed, the Royal Family will be arranging a funeral, and it is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 17. One could imagine that is normally a large event with many attendees, but coronavirus only complicates the funeral planning further and limits the number of guests able to attend. Prince Harry has already landed in the UK, without his wife Meghan Markle, because she did not receive medical clearance to fly due to her pregnancy. However, prominent royals such as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, will be attending, and we will likely see Middleton donning a hat along with Queen Elizabeth and the other royal ladies attending.

Despite the limited number of attendees, the protocol around royal fashion will not change. For the funeral, royal ladies will be wearing hats, but the reason exactly why they will be donning the famous fascinators is one that many do not know.

Read on to learn why royal ladies will be wearing hats to Prince Philip's funeral on Saturday. 

Prince Philip was born June 10, 1921, in Mon Repos, Corfu, Greece. In fact, Prince Philip was born as a royal, originally inheriting the title of the prince of Greece and Denmark. However, Biography.com reports that his family was exiled from Greece when he was only an infant, which led to a lot of turbulence in his early life. He was then reared mainly in Great Britain, being educated at Gordonstoun School in Scotland, which was followed by his attendance of the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England. He met his future wife, Elizabeth, for the first time in 1934, when both families attended the marriage of his cousin to Elizabeth's uncle and met once again when Elizabeth's father, George VI, was crowned.

Before Prince Philip got married to Queen Elizabeth, he was required to give up his titles and succession to the throne in Greece. He did so willingly and took on his mother's surname Mountbatten. The Duke of Edinburgh was an active and dedicated member of the Royal family ever since Queen Elizabeth's crowning.   

On Friday, April 9, 2021, Prince Philip passed away in Windsor Castle. The exact cause of death has not been released publically, but in an official statement, the palace said that he went peacefully. His death set off Operation Forth Bridge, which is the plan for publically announcing his death and the ensuing funeral arrangements. As Prince Philip was not a monarch, he won't be given a state funeral but a royal ceremonial funeral instead. Due to the current pandemic restrictions, the funeral will be very small — only 30 people will be allowed to attend. Taking place on Saturday, April 17 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, many royal family members will be a part of the funeral.

Perhaps one of the most prominent things about the royal family is their fashion — and Prince Philip's funeral will be no exception. Royal women are known for their fascinator fashion, in other words, their hats, and they will certainly still be donning them at the funeral on Saturday. According to Bustle, the idea of royal women wearing hats has very old traditions. Hats and fascinators today are a part of royal protocol that was "inspired by the traditional rules that governed propriety back during the mid-century." The rule dates all the way back to the 1950s, a time in which upper class and royal women showing their hair was deemed improper for public life and appearances. 

Diana Mather, a senior tutor for The English Manner etiquette consultancy, talked to the BBC back in 2017 to go into more detail about the history of the hats. She said:

"Up until the 1950s ladies were very seldom seen without a hat as it was not considered 'the thing' for ladies to show their hair in public, but all that has changed and hats are now reserved for more formal occasions." 

This old royal custom explains why royal women such as the Queen, Kate Middleton the Duchess of Cambridge, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie will not only be wearing hats on Prince Philip's funeral day, but also why hats and fascinators, in general, have always been key aspects of royal fashion for these women. Prince Philip's funeral is no exception for royal protocol, and we will see all of these ladies attend the close-knit ceremony at 2:45 p.m. British standard time on Saturday, April 17.

Our condolences go out to the Royal Family during this time of loss. What do you think about the royal tradition of ladies wearing hats? What kind of hat would you wear if you were a royal lady? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to pass this on to other people you know who are following the funeral proceedings, or just interested in royal traditions.