Philip Somerville

Philip Douglas Frank Somerville (12 February 1930 – 14 September 2014) was an English milliner – partly trained in Auckland – who had a salon in London. He is widely known for hats worn by Queen Elizabeth II – from whom he held a royal warrant – and Diana, Princess of Wales. He also created headgear worn by two James Bond villainesses.

His obituary in The Sunday Times said of his influence on Diana's fashion sense: "he helped to mould her style – and with it the country's taste in hats".

Early life and career The son of a shoe repairer, Philip Somerville was born in the Hampshire city of Winchester and educated at St Thomas's School.

Own label Somerville began designing hats for the Otto Lucas brand and, after Lucas was killed in 1971 in a plane crash, set up in business for himself. He supplied London stores such as Harrods, as well as exclusive retailers in New York City, before opening his own store in Bond Street for bespoke and private clients in 1987. Later, his premises moved to Chiltern Street, Marylebone.

Other clients Other noted wearers of Somerville hats included Kiri te Kanawa, Joan Collins and Margaret Thatcher. sported by Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) during the skiing chase sequence in The World Is Not Enough. She has said it was her time working at his salon that taught her the value of "people relations". Somerville continued trading until 2008, when he retired and his Chiltern Street hat salon closed.