Kate-mania has again rocked the world. Two fancy hats, rented and worn by Kate Middleton, before she became a member of the Royal family are to go under the hammer by their owners. The auction firm Kerry Taylor Auctions (the same firm that previously sold Kate’s famous see through dress that she wore during a fashion show at St Andrews University, which realised £78,000) will conduct the sale on 26 June.
The first is a black and white feathered straw Philip Somerville hat, which the Duchess of Cambridge, wore to watch Prince William be invested as Knight of the Garter in June 2008. Two years later she hired an elaborately large black Aurora straw hat specially for the wedding of her husband’s friend Harry Meade in October 2010.
Kate Middleton has fast become the most influential figures in the world of outlandish millinery (Hat Person of the Year, even). Despite this, Kate obviously hired many of her dresses and accessories, so she probably can never be caught wearing the same hat twice. Many were from ‘Get Ahead Hats’ a Reading shop, that charges around £100 a pop.
Miss Taylor, from the auction house in charge of the sale, said: “Before her fairy-tale wedding last year when she was created HRH the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, like any other ordinary girl, visited her local milliner if she needed a hat for a special occasion. With an eye for economy and practicality, as hats take up masses of storage space, she preferred to hire a hat for the day rather than purchase it outright.”
“She was sometimes accompanied by her mother Carole who helped her make the right selection. Given her recent transformation into a style icon we are confident there will be a great deal of interest in them, she added.
