Did the Romans have parade armour?

[Sean Manning]

The toupha did not have a nasal, cheekguards or neck protection.

So what? There are helmets ranging over the entire history of warfare that were worn in battle yet have none of those.

So what? Are less protective helmets than are generally available likely to be worn in conditions of danger (ie battle) by rulers? Seems unlikely to me. The toupha was worn in ceremonies when the face of the ruler was required to be visible, so conventional helmets with facial protection would be a very bad choice.

There is a famous kettle hat excavated on the grounds of the Louvre which almost certainly belonged to Charles VI and was for him to wear (it bears a gilt crown). Source. Many pieces of medieval art show kings wearing crowned helmets in battle. We know that a small amount of copper-alloy armour was used in battle in the 14th century. According to Thom Richardson's thesis, Edward III was issued a set of metal armour for his own use including three pallets ("caps") in 1374.

Cyrus the Younger rode into battle at Cunaxa with no helmet according to Persian custom. Many of the men about Alexander on the Alexander Mosaic wear Boeotian helmets even though they could afford any helmet they liked. Alexander wears an open-faced helmet decorated like a lionskin on the Alexander Sarcophagus. I think the evidence is pretty clear that ancient men of high birth often wore less armour than they could!