Hats off to the artist!

What more glorious claim to fame could there be than ‘Milliner to the Queen’, a term once used in relation to Rose Bertin, Queen Marie-Antoinette’s ‘Minister of Fashion’? As a hat designer for queens, and a Warrant Holder of the Court of , Fabienne Delvigne is part of this glorious lineage. With her inimitable , which is a combination of beauty and style, elegance and refinement, she endows the queens and princesses who wear her creations with a feeling of self-confidence that enables them to assume their role to perfection. Today’s reality, it must be said, means that crowned heads only wear tiaras and diadems in rare and highly official circumstances. On the other hand, they invariably wear hats when carrying out the day-to-day activities of their royal mission. On those occasions, the hat is, more than a fashion accessory, an emblem of power, an attribute of function. Whether classic or original, with a dash of eccentricity or creativity, a queen’s hat must ensure that she embodies the tradition of European elegance, enabling her to be seen from afar, yet without concealing her gaze. The constraints reach far beyond the rules of style and elegance to obey those of royal magic. This book sheds light on the exceptional work carried out over the course of many years by Fabienne Delvigne, who has managed to both create and innovate while avoiding all the pitfalls, respecting the customs and conventions of European courts while skilfully embracing the personality of each queen or princess. We owe her the charmingly stylish hats of Queen Mathilde in Belgium and the generous wide-brimmed hats of Queen Maxima of the , but also many of the designs that crown the Grand Duchess of María Teresa, Queen Silvia of as well as her eldest daughter, Crown Princess Victoria. In these times when image and communication occupy an inordinate amount of our attention, Fabienne Delvigne’s creations offer the queens and princesses who wear them the assurance of representing their country with dignity in all circumstances and of travelling the world with elegance. I am delighted that the artist Fabienne Delvigne proudly flies the flag of Belgium, and it thrills me that this book pays tribute to her immense talent.

Stéphane Bern Journalist, author

9 Forewords