With May 6 boasting both King Charles III’s coronation and the Kentucky Derby, it was a big day for hats! While much of the conversation surrounding the United Kingdom’s once-in-a-generation event centered around Prince Harry’s absence on the balcony and quick departure following the ceremony, there was apparently quite a stir caused by some of the headpieces worn by attendees of the coronation. Princess Anne slayed in full uniform for her brother’s big day, but the reactions to her feathered cap were pure comedy gold, and Katy Perry elicited hilarious reactions from underneath her giant disc of a hat when she couldn’t find her seat.
King Charles III’s sister Anne is often called the hardest-working member of the Royal Family, and it’s no surprise that she played an important role in her brother’s crowning. Princess Anne served as Gold Stick-In-Waiting, dressed in the Uniform of the Blues and Royals as she acted as Charles’ personal protection officer. However, many thought she served an additional role — one more comical and the result of allegations Prince Harry made about his family in his memoir Spare — as she was seated directly in front of her nephew:
In that side view, Prince Harry can be seen in the third row, as his brother Prince William participates in the ceremony on stage. However, from the front, the viewing audience at home got quite a different view of the Duke of Sussex, and several Twitter users, including this one, were highly amused at what seemed like an intentional slight against Charles’ younger son:
God save the King! #feathergate #Coronation #DumbPrince pic.twitter.com/GCHZL5LeYSMay 6, 2023
The British are known for their biting humor, so if that was the Royal Family’s retribution following months of “never complain, never explain,” I’ve got to say, well played. It’s kind of hard to believe so-called Feathergate was an accident, especially coming less than a year after Candlegate, in which Meghan Markle’s face was obscured by a giant candle at Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral:
Take that.... 😂 Royal family do/say nothing but make a huge impact. #featherintheway #harryblockedbyfeather #candleintheway #candlegate #feathergate pic.twitter.com/b3sxw7VAT4May 7, 2023
But Princess Anne’s feather wasn’t the only headpiece making headlines at the coronation. Katy Perry arrived in London to perform at the Coronation Concert on May 7, and she attended the Saturday event wearing a lavender dress with matching short-sleeved jacket, opera gloves and a large round hat.
It certainly didn’t get by viewers when the American Idol judge was shown having trouble finding her seat, as she tried to peer underneath the brim of her large hat. One hilarious TikTok video went viral of Katy Perry’s struggle:
@news.com.au (opens in new tab) ♬ pierceluv made this sound stop asking - pierce (opens in new tab)
Several viewers hit up Twitter, as well, with salty comments about her hat being too large for the event. The expressed rage for those seated behind the singer, saying:
- bro is it just me or does katy perry hat look like a speeding fan wtf – karlasmannerss
- Maybe remove the hat – forgottenman222
- So tacky to wear such a huge hat in a seated congregation – mammyauts
- You'd not be happy if ya were behind her..bad hat choice 🙄 – FOG1O1
- So tell us, exactly how many planets were in orbit around that hat? I'm fairly certain it eclipsed the sun, if not at least the coronation, for every unfortunate soul behind you! Fire your stylist! Full stop! – Bethevil13
Katy Perry assured fans via Twitter that she did find her seat, and now I’m curious to know if Prince Harry will have a public reaction to his aunt’s feather taking center stage at the coronation. While we wait to find out, you can check out his docuseries with wife Meghan Markle, Harry & Meghan, which is available to stream with a Netflix subscription.
