Princess Anne Brings Back 45-Year-Old Hat for Son's Wedding With a Heartfelt Message Many Missed
At Peter Phillips' wedding, Princess Anne revived a 45-year-old accessory that brought back memories of another royal milestone.
At her son's wedding over the weekend, Princess Anne proved she can master the "butter yellow" trend without even trying. However, it is not the color of her outfit that caught attention, but the hat she chose to wear. However, the real showstopper wasn't the color of her outfit—it was her hat. As it turns out, the accessory wasn't a new purchase but a cherished piece sitting in her wardrobe for 45 years.
The vintage piece quickly caught the eye of royal watchers, who noticed it looked extremely familiar. The yellow hat, complete with its distinctive tie detail, appeared to be the very same one Anne wore at Zara Tindall's christening back in 1981. More than four decades later, the accessory proved that some pieces never go out of style, looking just as elegant at Peter and Harriet Sperling’s wedding as they did all those years ago.
The hat's return also adds an unexpectedly sentimental touch to the occasion. After all, the last time Anne wore it, Peter and Zara were still children. And her parents and great-grandmother were still part of royal life. She wasn’t alone in honoring the past, either; the bride, Harriet Sperling, paid her own tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by weaving lily of the valley and myrtle into her bouquet—the very same blooms featured in the late monarch's 1947 wedding arrangement.
The hat is fairly simple by royal standards, but that is part of its charm. It features a soft, slightly floppy brim and a matching cord bow. Anne clearly knows what works. Just as she had done in 1981, she paired the hat with shades of yellow. When she first wore it for Tindall’s christening at Windsor Castle, she paired it with a yellow strawberry-print dress. While that outfit has remained in the archives, the hat made a surprise return for Peter's wedding.
This time around, the Princess Royal teamed the vintage accessory with an apricot jacket and a vibrant floral skirt, adding navy gloves, a handbag, and an umbrella as rain fell throughout the day. Anne may be best known as one of the hardest-working members of the Royal Family, but she has earned another reputation over the years. And it is never letting a perfectly good outfit go to waste. Rewearing clothes has long been part of her approach to royal dressing, whether she is attending a family celebration or a major state event.
In fact, the 45-year-old hat she wore to Peter's wedding is far from the oldest piece in her wardrobe. Earlier this year, she stepped out in a coat that dated back nearly six decades to a state banquet in honor of the Nigerian president. While a visit to Dubai in 2024 saw her revive a turquoise dress that was already 46 years old.
