I can't decide if this is the best hat or the worst hat Margrethe has ever worn, but I do know one thing -- it is officially the most ridiculous we've seen from her!  I mean, heck, it looks like the bird's got one wing stretched out, ready to fly right off her head!

Okay, I think I've got it figured out now: formal occasion hats = feather boas; everyday regular hats = baked goods.  Except ... this one sort of seems like one layer of a cake sprouting feathers from its sides?  Oh, Beatrix -- you are a hattery delight!

Another pale color/chocolate combo that I love -- I can't decide if this is ice blue or pale mint, but I like it a lot either way.  I'm glad that the hat Anne-Marie chose is monochrome rather than also having brown accents: I think that would be too much.  But as is, it's great -- the hat shape is nice, and it looks great on her!

Sonja looks like she's doing a Gloria-Swanson-in-Sunset Boulevard sort of laugh here, doesn't she?  "I am big -- it's the pictures that got small!!!"

Seriously, though, Kate Middleton should take note: this is how you wear a black hat with netting to a wedding and not look like you're going to a wake.  It's the contrast with the hot pink dress that's the key!

Oh, dear ... I'm afraid the lovely Märtha Louise is suffering from Margrethe syndrome: her hat is too big, and it makes her look bald.  Also not loving the color combo -- perhaps if there was some sort of lavender embellishment on the hat?

Crown Princess Masako's hat at Philippe and Mathilde's wedding was one of my favorites on the day; the saturated royal blue is elegant, regal, and yet fun at the same time.  In a day full of drab neutrals, she really stood out!

Sadly, this was one of the last major royal events that Masako attended.  Soon after, her daughter Aiko was born, and not long after that, she was diagnosed with a nervous disorder.  She has largely kept herself out of the public eye since, only attending a few events in Japan.  I'm always hoping that Masako will make a comeback -- we always need more excellent hattery moments like this one!

Here's a hatter we'll only have the chance to see in flashbacks: Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, daughter of King Leopold III of Belgium and Princess Astrid of Sweden, sister of King Baudouin and King Albert II of the Belgians, and wife of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg (the military man in the center of the photo).  She was a lady with some serious royal cred!  This wedding was one of the last major royal events she attended as Grand Duchess; her husband abdicated in 2000, making her son Henri the Grand Duke.  She died five years later, in 2005, of lung cancer.

I think Joséphine-Charlotte's hat is a great example of how to wear a dark-colored hat to a wedding; the chocolate brown is lovely and soft, and the champagne-colored ribbon keeps it from being too funereal.  Her entire outfit is regal and lovely -- very appropriate for her nephew's winter wedding!

We can't overlook J-C's sister-in-law in this photo, either: Queen Fabiola is on the right, underneath the feathery hat that seems to be trying to eat her alive.  Run, Fabiola!  Escape it while you can!  (Question: is this the most enormous hat we've ever seen on Mad Hattery?  It's got to be at least top three!  I mean, it's practically a parasol!)

When Maria Teresa attended Prince Philippe's wedding, she was still Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg; her father-in-law hadn't yet abdicated in favor of her husband, Henri.  But she's dressed like a grand duchess already here, isn't she?

I love the combo of the chocolate and the ballet pink -- and the combo of the hat shape and the fur wrap here are so retro and decadent.  Wonderful!

The Luxembourgers were out in force at their cousin Philippe's wedding -- here's Hereditary Grand Duke Henri (as he was in 1999), Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, Princess Margaretha of Liechtenstein (Henri's sister), and her twin brother, Prince Jean of Luxembourg.

Maria Teresa's got a ringer of a cap on, but let's save her for a bit and focus on her sister-in-law.  What in the world is Margaretha wearing here?  This looks like the formal version of Olivia Newton-John's sweatband from the "Physical" video!  Perhaps she can pull it down over her ears to ward off the December cold?

Queen Silvia could be edging on boring here with this basic, wide-brimmed ivory hat, but I think the feather explosion out of the back saves it.  I suppose she's going for light wintery colors here -- but she does stand out quite a bit against all of the dark shades chosen by her queenly cohorts!