9 of the craziest hats at royal weddings

A royal wedding is a time when the world looks forward to much ado about marriage.

Wait, it's actually more about seeing the spectacular dress, the celeb and royal guest fashion, all the wonderful traditions that come with a massive church wedding and, of course, some really insane hats!

Remember Princess Beatrice's hat at Kate and Wills' wedding? Of course you do. We can't wait to see what her and her sister Eugenie come up with this time around.

But you’re probably wondering why exactly royals and British celebs tend to wear hats in the first place? What is the whole tradition around it?

READ MORE: 5 refreshing ways Meghan and Harry will be bucking tradition at their wedding

The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie on the balcony.

Here’s what we found out:

Hilary Alexander, fashion director at the Daily Telegraph, told ABC News back in 2011 before Will and Kate’s wedding, “there has to be a hat, it's part of the social fabric." For most people the hat is what completes the outfit and can save you from a bad hair day, but is it compulsory? 

READ MORE: Swim with Meghan and Harry - the 5 most bizarre royal wedding souvenirs

According to the BBC, royal protocol dictates that all women must wear hats to official occasions and it’s a tradition that comes from before the 1950s.

Diana Mather, a senior tutor for The English Manner etiquette consultancy says that up until then ladies were not often seen without a hat “as it was not considered 'the thing' for ladies to show their hair in public.” But now the rules are more relaxed and hats are only seen on formal occasions.

The Duchess of Cambridge and HRH Queen Elizabeth II have a laugh.

It’s a good thing it’s changed since then or we might never get a peek of Kate Middleton’s (freakishly perfectly styled) hair.

But the royal family often keeps with certain traditions, even if they’ve faded from popular use, to set themselves apart. I guess they are the royal family after all. 

READ MORE: What Meghan Markle’s life will be like after the royal wedding

We wonder what kind of crazy hats we’ll be seeing at Harry and Meghan’s wedding. Here’s to #hatwatch2018.

For now, a quick look at past hats that really stunned us. 

Princess Beatrice

Princess Beatrice arriving at Kate and William's wedding in 2011. Image: Getty

Princess Eugenie

The princess arrives at her cousin's wedding in 2011 Image: getty

Zara Phillips

Zara with her then-fiance now-husband, Mike Tindall. Image: Getty

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson

The socialite arrives at the wedding of Will and Kate.

Princess Anne

Princess Anne at her nephew's wedding in 2011. Image: Getty

Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones

The Countess of Wessex at William and Kate's wedding in 2011. Image: Getty

Princess Mathilde of Belgium

Princess Mathilde and Crown Prince Philippe of Belgium Image: Getty

Camilla Parker-Bowles

The Duchess of Cornwall at her wedding to Prince Charles in 2005. Image: Getty

Laura Parker-Bowles

Laura at her mother's wedding in 2005. Image: Getty

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