The Royal Connection: How a Designer’s Hats Captured the Heart of Queen Mary
For any designer, having a royal wear their creation is often considered the pinnacle of success. However, with strict protocols and an ever-changing landscape of fashion choices, royals are notoriously selective about what they wear. This makes it extremely difficult for designers to break into the royal circle unless they already have a strong connection or a unique offering that stands out.
One such designer who has managed to capture the attention of Denmark’s Queen Mary is Deborah Hutton. Known for her Australian-made hats under the brand Canopy Bay, Hutton has become a favorite of the queen, who has worn four of her designs since 2022.
Hutton admits she took a “sneaky route” to get her work noticed by the queen. A Danish business associate of hers was visiting family in Copenhagen and dropped off a package at the Australian embassy containing several Canopy Bay hats and a handwritten note from Hutton. At the time, Mary was still Crown Princess, and the gesture paid off when the queen was spotted wearing one of the hats.
“You have no idea whether [the parcel] is going to be accepted and all of a sudden there’s a photograph in the media and she’s wearing the hat and you go, ‘Okay, clearly she got it and she loved it,’” Hutton recalls.
Since then, the relationship has grown into an unofficial working partnership. Hutton doesn’t remember exactly what the note said, but her designs resonated with the queen, who has continued to wear her creations on various occasions.
The first design, the ‘Peta’ hat, was worn during Queen Mary’s visit to Bangladesh, where the focus was on climate change and sustainability—issues close to the queen’s heart. Another design, the Malibu, was seen when the queen and King Frederik moved into Graasten Palace shortly after the proclamation. Last year, the queen wore two more designs—the Barrington and Windsor—during a summer cruise through Denmark.
“I’m completely chuffed and I love that she’s embraced them,” Hutton says. “It’s one of the things that I’m just so grateful for but I love that she’s done it with such authenticity.”
Beyond aesthetics, Hutton shares a deeper connection with the queen. Both are advocates for skin cancer prevention. Queen Mary’s experiences with the Australian sun led her to become a long-time patron of the Danish Cancer Society’s Sunsmart campaign. During a visit to Australia in 2011, she attended an event in support of the Victorian Cancer Council and spoke about the importance of sun protection.
Like many Australians, Hutton has a deep respect for the queen. She has closely followed Mary’s journey from commoner to queen and admires her grace and elegance.
“She’s just got that essence where she knows what works for her—everything always looks so elegant without being overdone,” Hutton says. “The life that she’s taken on, that she’s chosen to take, has been done with such grace. It’s lovely to be a part of that in a very small way.”
Despite her admiration, Hutton does have one minor complaint about Queen Mary’s wardrobe choices during her historic state visit to Australia.
“Disappointingly, she wasn’t wearing one of mine in Uluru,” Hutton laughs. Instead, Mary chose an Akubra for her first official engagement as queen.
Hutton is now hoping that another high-profile royal might take an interest in her designs. The Princess of Wales, who is rumoured to be visiting Australia soon, has previously worn hats that sparked some controversy.
In 2022, the princess wore a large wide-brimmed LK Bennett hat at Wimbledon, which went against the tournament’s etiquette rules. The hat was criticized for obstructing the view of spectators behind her. In 2025, she wore a similar style again during the men’s final, this time using a fan to combat the heatwave in London.
Nicole Kidman was photographed nearby wearing a Brunello Cucinelli straw fedora, which offered better sun protection than the princess’s choice.
“You could see all the sun coming through the hat,” Hutton says. “It was doing nothing for sun protection.”
Catherine’s hat, which cost $150, quickly sold out multiple times, but the brand has since collapsed despite its royal client.
Hutton is hoping the Princess of Wales might choose one of her hats when she and Prince William eventually make the long journey to Australia.
“We need to send her a Canopy Bay hat,” Hutton laughs.
