Silvia's donning the same hat Victoria wore to last year's opening of parliament.  It's oddly large, isn't it?  Scale it down a bit, and it would be classic and lovely.  This is a little too exaggerated for me.

Also -- wow, this speech must be boring, huh?  Either that, or poor Sil's trying to remember whether or not she turned off her curling iron...

PHOTO CREDITS: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images

Aw, Vic looks so happy, doesn't she?  The color of this is actually washing her out a bit, but not much to be done -- the Swedes traditionally wear dark colors, usually black, to the opening of parliament.  At least, though, she and her mother took my advice and switched their hat strategies for this year's big day!

The little ribbon fascinator here is typical of what she's been wearing recently -- and it fits a woman in her early thirties, without looking too young and frivilous.  Well done, Vic!  (And welcome to your first opening of parliament, Dan!)

PHOTO CREDITS: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images, SvD/Scanpix

Oh, my -- hatters, if you're scrolling down, I beg you, take a minute to have a seat and collect yourself before continuing...

LOL!  LOL!  Ben, are you punking us with this?!?  The hot-pink exaggerated pillbox wasn't enough -- you needed the equivalent of feather hat fireworks coming out the back???

I am just ... I don't even, you guys.  Holy moly!

PHOTO CREDITS: MSN Starlounge

Noooooooo!  Not another red baldy!  Sigh.  These bold colors -- as much as I'm sure she loves them -- just don't do so much for Daisy sometimes.  Maybe something softer, color-wise, would be kinder to her?

PHOTO CREDITS: MSN Starlounge

I have to say, I'm really sort of over this tall-crown silhouette on Mary -- it's tough to see in this picture, but the top-hat nature of this repeater is clearer here:

So, Danish milliners, can we call a moratorium on the stove pipe/chopsticks hat shape for a while?  You've got some terribly pretty princesses to outfit in your country -- do them a favor and get them something more flattering!

PHOTO CREDITS: MSN Starlounge

Oh, how far we've come in a year!

So chic!  So adorable!  So much better than last year's costume-y business!  Marie's jumped on the structured beret bandwagon already endorsed by Mary and Benedikte, and she looks gorgeous.  It suits her perfectly -- and I don't even mind the little embellishment on the side:

It's whimsical, but it's not so large as to be overwhelming or ridiculous.  Excellent!  Bravo, Miss Marie!

PHOTO CREDITS: MSN Starlounge

Do you think Sonja knows that something is orbiting her fez?

PHOTO CREDITS: Wireimage/Getty Images

Clearly -- clearly -- this is some sort of spawn of an unholy union forged between a wayward, roguish cake hat and a coquettish fascinator.  Where are the royal hat closet security guards these days????

PHOTO CREDITS: REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

How fab does Miss Margriet look here?  I love love love this chocolatey bronze color -- it coordinates with her hair without also looking like some unfortunate outcropping.  It's a little frivilous, but it works.  Bravo!

PHOTO CREDITS: PPE

Basically, this year, nothing was going to be able to top the Warrior Princess headband that Laurentien donned last year for the state opening of parliament.  But I'm so underwhelmed by this.  There are feathers.  There are flowers.  There's an ill-fitting jacket.  There's an unfortunate ketchup-and-mustard, Ronald McDonald vibe happening with the outfit and sash.  Eh.

PHOTO CREDITS: PPE