Will someone explain what is with the British and wacky hats? It seems I’ve only noticed this recently, but is there a long tradition of bizarre hatwear in England?
Ahhh, now I can get out my dress, hat and make-up commentary, and maybe ask an off-the-wall question as well! Yeah! 
I actually loved the wedding dress; I thought it was simple but very elegant and yes, very much in the style of Grace Kelly. And that indeed is a compliment. William and Harry looked great in their uniforms–gosh, Harry is cute. They had to be thinking of their Mom Diana today though.
The Beatrice and Eugenie hats were both strange, I guess Beatrice wins for most odd looking hat (fascinator?! LOL). But their make-up! They looked like raccoons - and that is most definitely -not- a compliment! Okay, to me, the style of make-up made it look like they had two black eyes; I’m presuming that it’s some particular style of make-up, maybe it isn’t. Eugenie’s dress was strange too - the hemline was uneven and didn’t come off well, in my eyes.
My question regards the spelling of Kate’s name - is it Kate or Katherine with a K or Catherine with a C?! It doesn’t really mean all that much in the long run, but geeze louise, if you’ve spelled it one way all your life, why switch up the spelling now? It seems like the Royals want it to be spelled with a C. 
She wasn’t the only one, believe it or not. We have beige pile of poo, blue canoe/vagina, and, um, something from an emu’s behind?
This was not a good hat - Camilla looks like she slapped a bedpan on her head and called it good.
I really liked HRH Catherine’s dress; my only complaint with it is for all the knockoffs people will be sporting in weeks - those big pleats aren’t going to look good on anyone with an ounce of fat on them, but people are going to be wearing them anyway, because a lot of people have no taste.
Why don’t the Queens’ shoes match her outfit? Or aren’t they supposed to? They do seem to match her handbag.
And her whole outfit seems to be the same color as the Archbishop’s robes – is that just coincidence?
Dish?
No. She looked like she was either some obscure Sumarian god (maybe Zuuuuuuuuuuuuulllllllllll) or was the high preist in the human sacrfice scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
What the hell is it with all the funktastic shapes and sprouty feathery prongy crap on the freaking hats? it looks like something out of a set far in the future sf movie from the early 70s … or cheap chinese costume crap hats …
Blue Vagina would be a good band name.
I did laugh at that as they chatted when she entered the abbey, imagining her saying “well ONE of us is going to have to change!”
As for the British and the mad-hat thing, yes, I think it is a national characteristic - just check out the the headwear on Ladies Day at Ascot. The “Mad Hatter” concept originated here for a reason.
I came away thinking Kate’s sister has a really nice butt.
I think Beatrice’s hat was designed by the same guy who make UHF TV antennae to capture Fox TV stations.
I thought Camilla’s dress was quite unattractive, which is unfortunate as I really loved her wedding dress and think she’s a perfectly handsome older woman.
Anne was the standout for me - she’s undoubtedly the ugliest of the royals and it’s nice to see her really shine. And she was the only one who wore a print!
Just to show I am not a complete fashion Nazi, I liked aruqvan’s**** feathery and sprouty hats above. I even liked Camilla’s bedpan hat.
Hell, I love hats. When I married my late husband (who was British, but we married in the US) I asked my wedding guests to wear hats. It was lovely. And my hat the the only UK wedding I went to was spectacular.
Agreed, but only because Princess Margaret is dead. (I suspect think Queen Lizzy was the surrogate mother for Princess Anne. It was Margaret’s kid.
My mother was a huge fan of the Royal Family. But she was always critical of Margaret for never smiling.
I’m pretty sure most of the “ugly” hats are by Phillip Treacy- an Irish avant garde milliner beloved of the British aristocracy after being championed by the late Isabella Blow. She also discovered Alexander McQueen.
You may remember his work from Season 8 of Project Runway.
His couture hats cost approximately as much as a nice car.
tarragon918 AFAIK Kate was always just a nickname, and the name on her birth certificate is Catherine- just as Pippa Middleton is really Philippa.
The wedding dress itself wasn’t unexpected, but it was exquisite and just right for her. I’m sure that many elements- lace, sleeves, veils, tiaras and all-white weddings (flowers, attendants and bride)- will be much copied for years to come.
there was a thing going round that the queen would wear yellow if it was gloomy, light blue if it was sunny. she wore blue to chas and andy’s weddings.
i guess she wanted to be a “little ray of sunshine” for her grandson. it was amusing she matched the archbishop.
the second dress that kate had for the reception was very nice as well. glitters around the waist and furry shrug.
The Queen also gets a lot of criticism for never smiling at state occasions. But she looked overjoyed in some parts of the wedding, and in a clip they showed of William’s graduation.
Ann isn’t pretty (any more - she was as a very young woman) but she’s really hard-working and kinda cool in her own reserved way.
I’m with you on the hats, Brynda. I have quite the collection myself.
That’s entirely possible, looking at his website. He makes lots of perfectly gorgeous hats, too.
Sarah Ferguson is for all intends and purposes pretty much a persona non-grata at the moment. Given that Beatrice and Eugenie are 8th and 9th (or thereabouts) in line for the throne, they simply can’t send their regrets and not attend, no matter how much they love/support their mother.