Bidders for Beatrice’s bizarre hat top £55,000

There are 37 bidders competing on eBay to get hold of the headpiece.

The leading bid on the auction website – which ends tomorrow – stands at £55,300.

Royal wedding watchers compared the flamboyant Philip Treacy creation to a Turkey Twizzler, a toilet seat and a pretzel and Facebook pages appeared in its honour, attracting thousands of followers.

Undeterred, the 22-year-old princess decided to sell off the curious item for charity, with Unicef and Children in Crisis to benefit from the funds raised.

She commented on the auction page: “I’ve been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to raise as much money as possible for two fantastic charities.

“I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have.”

The description on the auction site calls the hat a “unique sculptural celebratory headpiece”.