With the upcoming royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle nearing, we can only imagine how busy British hatmakers must be. But why exactly are the Brits wearing such outlandish headwear?
The short answer is because it's fun! Although it isn't a requirement to wear a hat to a royal wedding, it has become a tradition, and as an unspoken rule there seems to be a bit of competition amongst the upper class to see who can out do the others and walk away with the public perception that they wore it best. Considering anyone attending a royal wedding will probably be heavily photographed, can you blame them?
Also history has shown that the higher up the royal ladder one sits, the more flamboyant the hats become. In the past it was a sign of wealth and stature. One insider to royal weddings is FabSugar UK editor, Laura Street. Here's what she has to say on the subject:
You definitely don't have to wear one. I have been to many weddings and not worn one, although I imagine in a church sense it is out of respect. Every kind of class does it, although it is considered to be an upper-class thing. It's quite unusual for young women to wear hats to a wedding. It is very common for older women to wear hats to weddings (although is not exclusive), especially the mother of the bride.
Just make sure you don't upstage the bride. That is considered a big no-no. Another faux pas? Wearing a hat so large that you block the view for people behind you.
People are gearing up for Harry and Meghan's wedding. Even if they haven't been invited.
London is making preparations for the big day and the people are excited.
Let the parade of hats begin!