Royal Wedding hat selling on ebay for charity

The much-mocked hat worn by Princess Beatrice to Britain's royal wedding last month -- widely described as looking like a "toilet seat" -- is up for sale on eBay where bids have reached £18,400  ($30'000).

The 22-year-old took a risk donning headgear that many thought would be more appropriate for Lady Gaga. The risky hat choice quickly backfired for her on Facebook. Witness the emergence of "Princess Beatrice's ridiculous Royal Wedding hat," a group dedicated to her headgear that had received more than 18,000 "likes" just hours after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Has any topper since Aretha Franklin's unforgettable inauguration hat seen such biting abuse?

The fuss over the hat worn to the royal wedding of her cousin Prince William to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton seems to have taken Princess Beatrice -- who is the daughter of William's uncle Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson -- by surprise too. "I've been amazed by the amount of attention the hat has attracted," Beatrice said on the auction site. "I hope whoever wins the auction has as much fun with the hat as I have."

Money raised by the sale of the hat will be equally split between two charities: UNICEF and Children in Crisis. The hat, by milliner Philip Treacy, was given a starting price of £5,000 and 31 bidders have placed 60 bids in the last six days.

The eBay site has linked the auction to Facebook where members of the public have celebrated the hat design. Treacy said he was "delighted, flattered and touched by HRH Princess' Beatrice's decision to donate the hat to charity."

The auction continues until May 22. Shipping is Free!!!