Philip Somerville

Philip Douglas Frank Somerville[3] (12 February 1930 – 14 September 2014) was an English milliner – partly trained in Auckland – who had a salon in London.

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

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

Somerville paid back the money to his employer and joined the milliner Otto Lucas as sales manager and assistant.

[6] Other noted wearers of Somerville hats included Kiri te Kanawa, Joan Collins and Margaret Thatcher.