The hat worn by Princess Beatrice to the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is to be auctioned off on eBay.

The piece of headwear, designed by Philip Treacy, turned heads last month and to an extent polarised opinion. While some onlookers enthused about the flamboyant creation, others compared it to a toilet seat.

The princess’ mother, Sarah Ferguson, revealed to US chat show host Oprah Winfrey yesterday that the hat will be auctioned off on eBay in order to raise money for charity.

She said: "Beatrice said to tell you that she's putting it on eBay to auction it for Unicef and for Children in Crisis."

Due to the size of the hat, it seems likely that the eventual buyer will have to fork out extra to get an international parcel firm to make a worldwide delivery.

Princess Beatrice’s hat isn’t the only piece of memorabilia to have found its way onto eBay following the royal wedding. Last week, William and Kate’s wedding cake sold for £500 on the site. The money will go to help homeless children’s charity Centrepoint. 

Written by Les Yates