Beatrice at Royal Ascot, her Pretzel hat, and other looks of the Princess of Style over the years

On the final day of Royal Ascot 2022, the Queen was nowhere to be seen, but there was one female royal who caught the eye of many in a fun polka dot dress by Saloni Lodha, embellished with detailed silver bows. Princess Beatrice. Despite it being the same dress as that which Sky Sports presenter Anna Woolhouse wore, no one really noticed, and Beatrice's look was definitely a favorite from the event.

A few days earlier, Beatrice had arrived by carriage with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a fresh white dress with a pleated skirt. She finished the look off with a navy-colored boater. Normally, many would say the boater is a strange choice, but not for Beatrice. The young mother has managed to get away with many a fashion statement in the past; and we take a look at the good, the bad, and the questionable outfits the Princess of York has donned over the years.

On May 25th, Princess Beatrice of York stepped out, speaking happily to guests at a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. She looked elegant in a £320 Self Portrait dress that she picked out for the occasion - standing in for the Queen along with other royals to host the event.

Princess Beatrice stepped out in December 2021 with her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi as they attended the 'Together at Christmas' community carol service at Westminster Abbey. The Princess, after the birth of her daughter, looked radiant. She wore a caramel-colored coat and a knot-tied headband, which is becoming a new signature look for the princess. The color coordination between her headband and her handbag was on point, but Beatrice has always managed colors well.

The princess was married in July 2020 to property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, after delaying the event a few months due to the pandemic. As she was expecting her daughter, she went to Wimbledon with her husband in this delightful polka-dot maternity dress by Self-Portrait.

The first child of the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson stepped out at a women's empowerment event hosted by LaPorsche Thomas. She attended in her role of Vice President of Partnerships & Strategy at Afiniti. Beatrice isn't a working royal but a patron of a number of organizations and charities.

The dress she wore to the event went viral. It was a classic spotted dress, created by one of her favorite brands, Maje, and the people loved it. "HRH looks lovely as ever," someone commented. "The Princess and her bump are the best pics I could wish to see this weekend, thanks for sharing!"
Needless to say, the dress has now sold out.
It was the same brand she wore when the princess revealed she was pregnant - on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's anniversary. A slight dig at the Sussex's who announced their pregnancy three years before, at Eugenie's wedding. The cardigan, of course, sold out.

It's not just the brand Maje that has enchanted the princess. Beatrice is a big fan of high heels and she has often been seen in her trustiest pair, a gold, point-toe court by Valentino. She even wore these masterpieces at her own wedding.

On 17 July 2020, Princess Beatrice finally got married to her fiancée, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in Windsor. She looked stunning in this vintage Norman Hartnell dress that belonged to her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In April of 2021, the Queen's husband, Prince Phillip, died just short of his 100th Birthday. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Princess Beatrice were among the handful of guests who attended his funeral at Windsor Castle. The princess emanated elegance in a long collared jacket, believed to be a custom Claire Mischevani number.

On September 26, 2019, Princess Beatrice announced she was engaged. She wore a green, floral printed Zimmerman dress and a Cartier Juste un Clou bracelet as well as showing off her new engagement ring.

Photo: Princess Beatrice, Instagram

A few months before she announced her engagement, Princess Beatrice attended the British Summer Time music festival, Hyde Park. She elegantly dressed down a bird patterned dress with some white Veja sneakers, and it seems to work pretty well.

June 18, 2019: Princess Beatrice arrived on the first day of Royal Ascot. She picked the same color as her grandmother and fellow royal, Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. It was a beautiful Maje guipure lace wrap dress which she accessorized with a flat-brim hat and some pumps.

One of Beatrice's many fashion statements has been this Gucci Gown which she wore for the Global Gift Gala in London, in November 2018. It's different - and in a good way.

Prince Eugenie, Beatrice's younger sister, married Mr. Jack Brooksbank on October 12, 2018. Princess Beatrice, Eugenie's Maid of Honour, looked stunning in a blue dress and matching headpiece. Here she stands next to her mother, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.

This outfit is on the edge of being wrong, but Beatrice rocks the look and gets a big thumbs up; mixing a peacock patterned dress with a biker leather jacket and mini briefcase-style handbag. She looked fashionable and fresh at the Serpentine Summer Party in June 2018.

On 19 May 2018, Prince Harry married Meghan Markle. Beatrice wore a dress by Roksanda Ilincic for the wedding of her cousin and many admired the bold color and the detail of the dress. She is pictured here with her sister and father as they arrive for Harry and Meghan's big day in Windsor.

When Beatrice attended the 2017 V&A Summer Party, she must have known that there was a very strong possibility this outfit would go horrendously wrong. Beatrice showed the cameras a little more than what the princess wished, but her sister quickly noticed the malfunction and the rest of the evening passed without any more to reveal.

The princess rectified herself a day later at Ascot when she turned up looking incredibly stylish in a pale blue and navy Amanda Wakeley dress. The fishbone plait and bow worked to finish the look.

At Ascot again in 2016, the Princess of York wore a striped skirt, a navy blue blazer, and a feathered fascinator. Beatrice has always been a fan of hats and fascinators, never shying away from trying something different.

Although sometimes her headwear fashion choices haven't paid off. Two days after she sported the beautiful feathered fascinator, she turned up at Ascot again in this purple and orange boater. Despite being the emblematic hat of Gabrielle Chanel, Princess Beatrice doesn't pull it off and the color combination, set against her auburn hair, was all off on this one.

On 10 June 2016 at the National Service of Thanksgiving, which was part of the Queen's 90th birthday celebrations, Beatrice was easy to spot in the crowd. The busy Burberry coat drew (unwanted?) attention to the princess who matched the clothing with a black and white hat. A complete contrast to the bold red her sister chose for the event.

'Not so a-peel-ing' was the title given to this outfit by Vogue. At the 2016 Trooping the color ceremony, the princess wore a navy blue dress with an orange hat that resembled an orange peel stuck to an orange platform. In most photos, the garment looks so out of place that it could appear to be photoshopped onto Beatrice's head.

Back at Ascot again, in June 2015, Princess Beatrice wore a bright, color-blocked hat with a simple white dress. The color combination was fresh and bold as it contrasted against the plain white the princess wore. She looked every inch royal and elegant.

In March 2015 Princess Beatrice of York attended a private viewing of the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" exhibition at Victoria & Albert Museum. She wore an elegant chic tuxedo-inspired dress paired with a bold red lip and side-swept curls. The dress had a slit up the leg, showing some decent flesh for a royal.

One of Princess Beatrice's best outfits by far. Many have commented on how gorgeous she looked wearing a Nicholas Oakwell couture dress in 2014 for the Serpentine Gallery Summer Party. Tie that with the lime green clutch and give the floating dress some pockets, you have a winner.

A derby day to... forget. Beatrice wore this interesting outfit to the 2013 Epsom Derby and she certainly didn't disappear into the background. The pattern; the cut; the belt; the hat; the clutch: it's a solid no.

In January 2013, the Princess of York looked stunning in a figure-hugging Jonathan Saunders dress on a visit to a school in Berlin.

Beatrice attended the Britain Creates 2012 event in London, 2012, and stunned the crowds with the neutral pink Roksanda Ilincic shift dress that was adorned with bright blue bell sleeves. It worked. She paired the dress with some blue heels and looked stunning.

Beatrice wore this bright blue dress adorned with flowers and crystals to Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips' wedding in 2011. The main talking point was the hat, which, aside from resembling a satellite, actually looked rather stylish.

Everyone remembers this iconic Princess Beatrice hat moment in 2011 when she attended the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. She did well with the dress - a taupe Valentino Haute Couture number - but failed big time with the hat. It was nicknamed 'Pretzel-Hat Gate'.

The sisters were watched by the world as they dinned their ridiculous hats. But it wasn't all bad news. In fact, using the press she received from the Philip Treacy hat (which resembled a large pretzel), she auctioned off the creation and raised £81,100 for Unicef and Children in Crisis. More like that, please, Beatrice!

Beatrice knows how to get people talking and interested in her fashion choices. Perhaps the most astounding of all of her headpieces is this one that she wore to Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly’s 2008 wedding. Praise must be made for the detail here, as the net of butterflies is incredibly intricate, but pair it with the dress and the whole thing is just... off.

Although the princess has more often than not sported a side hat or fascinator, she does occasionally opt for a full hat. This hasn't done so well with fashion critics, specifically this purple hat she donned for Christmas Day in 2005.

Continuing with the best and worst hats of the Princess of York, this number cannot be left out. Again, it is so bright and bold that it looks as if someone has photoshopped the garment onto Beatrice's head.

We couldn't leave this celebration of Princess Beatrice's fashion without mentioning the matching outfits her mother, Sarah Duchess of York, put her and her sister in when they were young princesses.

Unfortunately, Beatrice and Eugenie wore some other 90s matching outfits when they attended a screening of the animated movie ‘Anastasia’ back in 1998. They sported a mix of metallic green and dark velvet, which was possibly fashionable at the time, but the sweet sisters were drowned by the ensemble.

From a young age, Princess Beatrice has learned the ins and outs of fashion. She will undoubtedly continue to surprise and charm us with her future looks.