SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Wacky wedding hat sells for $130,000

The flamboyant hat worn by Princess Beatrice at the British royal wedding was sold for the princely sum of £81,100 on internet auction site eBay.

beatrice_hat_B_110518_aap_1753592248

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP


Skip to article content

The flamboyant hat worn by Princess Beatrice at last month's British royal wedding was Sunday sold for the princely sum of £81,100 ($131,652, 93,171 euros) on internet auction site eBay.

Proceeds from the sale of the hat, designed by Irish milliner Philip Treacy, will be split between two charities: the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, and British charity Children in Crisis.

The princess, the oldest daughter of Prince Andrew and a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, provided one of the most memorable moments of a dramatic day when she stepped out in the eccentric headwear, likened to a giant pretzel.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Other royal-watchers compared the creation to a toilet seat and it has inspired its own Facebook page, "Princess Beatrice's ridiculous royal wedding hat", which has a following of more than 143,000 people.

"I've been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted," the princess said in a statement on the auction site.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic charities," she added.

Treacy, who is now based in London, designed many of the hats on show at the April 29 marriage between Prince William and Kate Middleton, which was watched by an estimated global audience of two billion.

The celebrated designer said he was "delighted, flattered and touched" by the 22-year old princess's decision to donate the hat to charity.

"I hope that people all over the world will be generous and that this hat will benefit many. A hat is a symbol of positivity," he added.

The piece is described on the site as "a unique sculptural celebratory headpiece" made of tea rose silk, adding: "This is a gravity defying hat!"

"I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have," the young royal said.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world