Princess Beatrice's wedding hat to be auctioned

[May 12, 2011]  LONDON (AP) -- The eye-popping hat worn by Princess Beatrice at the royal wedding is to be auctioned to raise money for charity, Buckingham Palace said Thursday.

The famous creation -- some said it looked like antlers on the princess's head -- will be sold on eBay with the proceeds to go to the charities UNICEF and Children in Crisis.

The hat was the handiwork of Britain's leading milliner, Philip Treacy, who designed many of the ladies' hats worn at the April 29 nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The unusual design of the beige hat has sparked a Facebook fan page called "Princess Beatrice's ridiculous Royal Wedding hat," and one computer-altered picture showed President Barack Obama and his national security team all wearing the hat as they watched the commando raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

The sale was announced by Beatrice's mother, Sarah Ferguson, on the Oprah Winfrey show. A palace spokesman confirmed the sale while speaking on condition of anonymity in line with their policies.

Many have said the hat looked outlandish, but Treacy has defended it in comments to the British press, saying Beatrice looked "gorgeous" at the wedding.

Despite critics, Beatrice, 22, also defended it in a recent interview with Grazia magazine. She said it was "wonderful that it's had such a reaction."

She added: "It's an incredible response to a hat, really. I'm glad it provoked so much conversation."

UNICEF and Children in Crisis said in a statement on their website that they are looking forward to working with Beatrice to raise as much money as possible for children around the world.

The hat isn't on eBay yet, but a "Princess Beatrice Style Royal Wedding Paper Costume Hat" is currently listed at $9.99.

[Associated Press; By CAROLINE MORROW]

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