The King’s charity has announced a millinery partnership with Royal Ascot to nurture the next generation of hat-makers.
Ahead of this month’s world-famous meet, known as much for its colourful and creative displays of headwear as the horseracing, Ascot has introduced a £10,000 annual bursary to support a King’s Foundation and Chanel graduating millinery student.
Daniel McAuliffe, education director at The King’s Foundation said: “The royal family are incredible ambassadors for the craft of millinery and as the King’s charity we are proud to be supporting the future of this skill at the most iconic hat-wearing event of the year.”
The Foundation’s students will also be showcasing their hats at this year’s Royal Ascot, which runs from June 17-21, with a special display for racegoers in the Queen Anne Enclosure on the Berkshire course.
The Chanel and The King’s Foundation Metiers d’Art Millinery Fellowship in Partnership with le19M, Chanel’s creative hub for artisans in Paris, was launched in 2024 with a cohort of six students.
The intensive programme aims to develop a network of young specialist milliners in the UK, with the support of Parisian hat-maker Maison Michel at le19M.
It forms part of The King’s Foundation’s wider work, inspired by Charles’s passion for protecting traditional heritage skills at risk of being lost.
Future students joining the millinery course will also be tasked with designing a Royal Ascot-inspired hat, with one selected to feature in the Royal Ascot Millinery Collective from 2026 onwards as its 11th design.
The collective, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, is an annual presentation of 10 bespoke designs created exclusively for Royal Ascot under the creative direction of British fashion designer Daniel Fletcher.
Mr McAuliffe added: “This is such a fantastic opportunity for our talented millinery students as they begin to build their businesses.
“We are delighted to be working with Ascot and our long-term partners Chanel and le19M to recognise the importance of the British tradition of millinery.”
Felicity Barnard, Ascot Racecourse’s chief executive, said: “Exquisite hats and millinery masterpieces are woven into the very fabric of Royal Ascot’s heritage and we are committed to preserving and celebrating this tradition for generations to come.”
