Monthly Archives: July 2013

Hat Cousins: Queen Elizabeth and the Boater Hats of Angela Kelly

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Last Thursday, Queen Elizabeth visited Royal Regiment of Scotland at Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh. She wore a new royal blue hat with a round, flat crown and a very flat brim.

Several readers commented and emailed that the very simple shape of this hat looked familiar. Take a look at this:

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Visiting Fortnum & Mason on Feb 29, 2012 and Australia on October 23, 2011

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At the Armed Forces Diamond Jubilee Parade and Muster, May 19, 2012 

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July 4, 2010 in Canada and October 9, 2009 attending a commemoration service 

UPDATE: Since this post was published, Queen Elizabeth has added these additional hats in this same shape:

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Maundy Thursday Service, April 17, 2014 and in Northern Ireland, June 25, 2014

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At Royal Ascot, June 21, 2014 and visiting Scotland, July 4, 2014

These hats, all confirmed to be designs of Angela Kelly, clearly used the same hat form for their construction.  I find the very flat lines of this hat form a little too harsh  the Queen, and think it needs much trim to soften it up. I do, however, find it rather fascinating to see how this group of hats, in exactly the same shape and all covered in fabric (except the last one in textured straw), can still develop individual character. It makes me wonder, dear readers, which one of these flat brimmed hats is your favourite?

Photos from Getty as indicated;  Associated Press 

Bearskin Hats

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  A number of readers have sent inquiries about the the bearskin hat Prince William (and Prince Charles and the Duke of Kent) wore during the recent Trooping the Colour. Are they really made of bearskin? How big are those things?! How do they stay on? Why do they wear them? Why do they have different coloured feathers in them?

Current and past members of the Grenadier and Coldstream Guards as well as contacts at royal warrant holder Patey (London) Ltd, who make ceremonial hats for the British Royal Family, report that bearskin hats are now made from synthetic skins.

In the past, however, they were made from real bear skins. These real bearskin hats continue to be in service, diligently maintained so they last for decades (some are reportedly more than 100 years old). The tall hats weigh approximately seven pounds and were made from pelts of Canadian female brown bears (brown bears have thicker fur than black bears so these pelts were simply dyed black).

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It all goes back to 1815 when the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards defeated Napoleon’s French Grenadier Guards at the Battle of Waterloo and celebrated their victory by stealing their imposing fur hats. When they returned to England, they were renamed the Grenadier Guards (the name they still have today) and their uniform was changed to include these tall fur hats as a permanent reminder of their victory. Today, there are 5 regiments and each one has a special coloured feather plume in their bearskin to distinguish their regiment. Prince William is part of the Irish regiment, whose bearskins have a blue plume (below, right). The Coldstream Guards have a red plume, the Grenadier Guards have a white plume (see the Duke of Edinburgh above), the Welsh Guards have a striped white-green-white plume (see the Prince of Wales, below right) and the Scottish Guards have no plume.

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There is excellent information about the Grenadier Guards and their Bearskins here and I also highly recommend the 4-part mini-series “Guarding the Queen” which is available on youtube (here is the first episode).
There is no doubt that the use of animal pelts for fashion is controversial. While this practice has been appropriately retired, it remains a fascinating part of royal and military history.
Photos from Getty as indicated

The Queen Celebrates the Thistle Foundation

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The Queen visited Wighton House in Edinburgh today to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Thistle Foundation, a Scottish charity which supports people living with long-term disabilities. For this visit, Queen Elizabeth repeated a jade green straw hat with side spray of flowers and feathers.

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While this is the first time this particular hat has appeared here on Royal Hats, The Queen has worn it several times before (see a history of previous wearings below). The crown on this hat is a tiny bit too boxy for my liking but I love the diagonal weave of the straw. What do you think of the shape and details on this hat?

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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: July 22, 2012; July 19, 2011; and May 17, 2011

Photos from Press Association via The British Monarchy and via The Daily Record

Queen Máxima Opens Utrecht Park

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Queen Máxima officially opened a park named in her honor in Utrecht this morning. For this occasion (during which she rode a bicycle through the park), she wore what I think is the most perplexing ensemble we’ve seen on her since she became Queen in April. To compliment her ill-tailored rainbow dress, Máxima chose a new natural straw beret trimmed with a sweeping side bow.

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I think a neutral coloured hat was the right choice for this dress but I’m not sure the bow works on this classic beret. Máxima has looked impeccable in recent months but I’m afraid this hat is a complete miss for me.

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Designer: Unknown 

What do you think of this hat

Photos from Getty as indicated

The Queen Visits the Royal Regiment of Scotland

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Queen Elizabeth visited Dreghorn Barracks in Edinburgh today to present a Pipe Banner to the Royal Regiment of Scotland. For this occasion, she unveiled a new hat and coat in the most royal shade of blue. The hat, which looks  to be the work of Angela Kelly, features a flat crown and a flat brim (the very same shape as this Angela Kelly hat) trimmed in decorative silver braid. While I appreciate Ms. Kelly showed a little restraint on this particular design, it feels rather flat and one dimensional to me. I just don’t think the shape of this hat is beautiful enough to sing on its own (unlike the hat worn by Queen Sonja I posted earlier today). I might, however, be developing unfair prejudice against Ms. Kelly’s hat designs so I turn to you, dear readers, and ask what you think of this hat?

Designer:  Angela Kelly 

Photos from Associated Press