Royal Watch News

Philip Treacy pleased with Beatrice hat

Feb 13, 2012, 13:01 GMT

Beatrice and Eugenie at the royal wedding

Philip Treacy insists he was 'thrilled' with the hat Britain's Princess Beatrice wore to the royal wedding last year.

Beatrice - daughter of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson - was widely criticised for the bizarre piece of headwear she donned for the nuptials of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last April, which was created by Philip.

But instead of being embarrassed, Philip - who has also designed hats for the likes of Victoria Beckham and Sarah Jessica Parker - says he is proud of his work.

He said: 'My friend [the designer] Anthony Price says fashion is like hanging your washing out on the line and inviting all the world to look at it. I really didn't bargain for the extent of the judging. I was just doing what I thought was my job.'

'I didn't lose confidence. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It was one of the best, the most complex, the most technically challenging hats I have made. It wasn't about what I thought at that point, but I was thrilled with it - and so was Princess Beatrice. When the whole fuss erupted, I very sweetly got a text from her, saying: 'Isabella would have been thrilled...''

Philip was talking about his mentor Isabella Blow, the fashion editor who killed herself in 2007 and had a close relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie.

The milliner added: 'Isabella introduced me to the royal princesses when they were very young. She would have loved all the fuss. She loved a bit of shaking things up.'