If you loved Princess Beatrice’s hat from the royal wedding – don’t despair! It can still be yours. Designed by Philip Treacy and called, a “unique sculptural celebratory headpiece,” Princess Beatrice put the hat up for sale on eBay.
This hat, which has been likened to everything from a Twizzler to a toilet seat, has its very own Facebook page with over 5000 followers. The auction is now in full force, with all proceeds from the sale of the hat going to Unicef and Children in Crisis. The sale ends on May 22.
eBay Bidding Begins
So far, there have been 64 bids placed from 32 bidders. While the starting bid was £5,000 and came from entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne, the bidding is now up to £18,400. Even The Wiggles, the Australian TV performers, have put in a bid. They offered £17,500 for the hat, and joked that, “We wear some pretty crazy costumes on stage but this hat beats them all – it could bring about an Australian republic all by itself.” They went on to joke that, “We might give it to Michael Clarke to wear when he bats against the Poms next time – it would certainly distract the bowler.”
Princess Beatrice has defended her hat choice in a recent interview, saying that she thinks it’s “wonderful that it’s had such a reaction.” When announcing the auction on eBay, Princess Beatrice said, “I’ve been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted. It’s a wonderful opportunity to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic charities.”
Benefiting Charities
Certainly, both charity organizations are grateful to Princess Beatrice. The director of fundraising for Unicef UK, Julie Weston, said “We take our hat off to her for helping to change children’s lives.” The chief executive of Children in Crisis, Koy Thomson, said “Princess Beatrice is a tremendous ambassador for the charity and we are extremely grateful for her support with this great initiative.”
