It's a Royal affair: from Kate & Pippa to Princess Beatrice, the hats of England [Pictures]

Since the Royal Wedding, the U.S. media (guilty as charged) has been fascinated with the British hat fashion. The British are known for donning elaborate hats to social events, and the closest the U.S. comes to such head extravagance is at the Kentucky Derby, where it's more of a costume-esque addition than a common accessory.

At the Royal Wedding, Princess Beatrice nearly overshadowed Kate and William with her outrageous Philip Treacy hat. Following in the princess's footsteps, Kate Middleton donned a more modest Treacy hat to a wedding over the weekend.

Treacy has also been known to create hats for Sex and The City star and fashion icon, Sarah Jessica Parker, and pop music's fashion icon, Lady Gaga.

At the Ascot Racetrack on Tuesday, the Queen and some others from the British Royal family attended, hat and all, to watch the races.

It's said that on opening day people wear their most daring hats to try and gain the Queen's attention.

The racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne. This year marks the 300th anniversary of the event, and top hats and tails are compulsory.