Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived in Rome this morning for a one-day visit. The royal couple attend a private lunch hosted by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano then attended a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
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For this important day, the Queen wore one of my favourite hats in lilac straw with an upturned brim and side spray of silk flowers.
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The photos today showed the delicate swirled shape of this crown’s hat, a subtle touch but one that softens the square lines so beautifully. The colour, shape and scale of this hat are perfection in my opinion but as always, I am curious to hear your thoughts on it.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: July 3, 2013; June 14, 2012
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Non-hat related comment, it looks like Queen Elizabeth has lost some weight maybe? and perhaps is a little stooped. That would affect the way her coats hang on her. I noticed it with yesterday’s post with the light colored outfit too. My mother is 91 today and she has lost much weight in the last few years.
The color is quite nice on her and the hat is pretty as ever, very springy!
I really like this hat, and the colour scheme is a favourite of mine. I must say, I don’t see mismatched colours at all, I see two colours in the same palette that complement each other, one a little darker than the other. So I would say that the coats and hats provide a versatile range of combinations!
I really love this hat, not fussed in the coat but the hat is lovely. I am still slightly disappointed that it wasn’t a formal audience with black veil etc etc but I’ll get over it!
I think purple is a appropriate color for both spring and Lent. Well play your Maj.
Snug Harbor is right about the colors and the different coats, I like today’s hat, it is very nice looking and yet the coat is to busy with those huge white buttons on it….they draw attention to the buttons not the entire outfit. I am very glad she didn’t wear black, and why is it that to see the pope it is recorded you must wear black>…………..the looks ready for spring and has a great smile and that’s all that matters. So love QEII.
Keep reading through the comments- MrFitzroyOBE gave an excellent explanation why the Queen did not wear black.
Thank you Hat Queen for the info, read the comment and now I understand. QE looked really nice, the color is so right for her, just didn’t like the big white buttons on the coat. Her smile is what shines for me………….
I noted the darker lilac of the hat with the lighter lilac coat and thought it worked brilliantly especially with the Kent amethyst brooch. The Queen looked like a breath of Spring. Such a beautiful shapely hat with that fine slightly glossy straw. This is how a queen should look when she goes to Rome and not a bird’s nest in sight!
Oops. I note that the brooch is really a sapphire. The Russian Sapphire Cluster brooch.
I believe that there are two hats, two coats. Today the Queen wore the wrong coat for the hat and dress. Today’s hat goes with the dress, but today’s coat has the bigger buttons and the pockets. It should be worn with this hat: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ii-inspects-troops-of-the-argyll-sutherland-news-photo/171744960
The coat that should have been worn today is this:
What I noticed this morning is that the color of the hat and coat are different; usually the hat matches the coat perfectly, but today the hat was darker than the coat. I would like to know whether this was a mix-up or whether someone decided to substitute a warmer coat perhaps. They knew this would be a much-photographed occasion. (I’m somewhat surprised she didn’t wear a new outfit. Surprised too, of course, that it wasn’t black for the Pope.)
Thank You Snug Harbor: your most certainly right, I thought perhaps I was seeing different colors in my mind………..I like the coat that should have been worn with this hat as it is not as busy as the coat worn. The two mismatched colors are okay not great.
Here’s the BBC link to a video of the Queen’s 1980 Visit with Pope John Paul II: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17586062
Thank you for the video link. That was delightful… talk about a jaunt back in time and to our youth. I love that they talked for 42 minutes. Her tiara was magnificent.
She looks like a breath of Spring here. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
MrFitzroy suspected (and it is confirmed here: http://www.catholicherald.com/stories/Pope-Francis-Queen-Elizabeth-have-informal-meeting-at-Vatican,25862 ) that Her Majesty didn’t wear full black regalia as this was considered an informal meeting, rather than a formal “Audience”. That is also why the location is an anteroom, rather than the library of the papal palace. There are some rather interesting details about the exchange of gifts and such in the URL.
This hat is wonderful on HM, and the slight mystery about it is quite delicious. MrFitzroy looks forward to that unraveling further. (the mystery…not the hat.) This hat is a perfect example that you can have HM in a significant hat, with interesting crown shape and imposing (but not overdone) decoration, and yet NOT have it look like an anvil, a craft project, or be overtly twee…..Thank you Ms. Trevor Morgan!
Unfortunately, the Hat was the best part of HM outfit today, as for some reason, her coat hung badly. Perhaps the lining was not pressed, or she redonned it in haste after luncheon…but it looks very unfortunate, lumpy, and “off kilter” in many of the photos with Pope Francis.
Thanks for answering the question as to why Her Majesty was in lovely lilac instead of the expected black lace!
I think this lovely hat epitomizes Spring which I, for one, need badly this year. I, too wondered if this lack of formality is just another indication of the casual manner of Pope Francis. Normally she would have worn black.
I don’t think it’s the same. NB: the 2010 hat has a slightly rounded tip, whereas this one has a little pleat in the tip.
in any case, I think this look is one of her best ever — love that brim!
Curses! Foiled by your superior knowledge. I bow.
They are shockingly similar though, obviously both by RTM, I can’t help wondering why she wanted two so similar. I guess she just liked the first one so much – and who can blame her.
I look forward to tomorrow then!
Love that she didn’t feel compelled to wear black to visit the Pope.
I was wondering if she would. The Telegraph has a wonderful photo history of her previous trips to the Vatican. This is the only visit she has not worn black.
Can someone help us answer the question why Queen Elizabeth did not wear black today? Has protocol at the Vatican changed? As Wendy noted, is this another indication of Pope Francis’ informality?
The visit to Rome in 1980 was actually considered a “State Visit” with Pope John Paul II, therefore, a very formal visit. Her Majesty wore the Vladimir tiara with pearls, full black dress and veil. There was considerable speculation as to what she’d wear during that visit, because the Queen does not normally wear black for any occasion but funerals. Rumors were rampant that she wouldn’t follow protocol, as it would show deference to the Catholic Church. Also, there was speculation as to how the actual meet would be: the head of the Roman Catholic Church meeting the head of the Church of England. His Holiness actually bowed slightly to her, as would a gentleman to a lady. I believe they liked each other very much, Queen Elizabeth and Pope John Paul II.
She looks great! I am curious why she does not need to wear the traditional black when having an audience with The Pope other than she doesn’t ‘ dress in back but a very rare time.
And I just looked, and previously this coat was worn with a thicker coat – this coat is the older Ascot one. I’ll stop now.
No- please don’t stop! Hat theories are THE BEST.
I hate to rain further on this one but she wore this hat June last year, in between times she wore the one we see today. There are definitely two different hats but both are by Rachel Trevor Morgan (that might account for the similar shape). You have, however, JamesB, given us material for one of the toughest “This or That” questions in the history of this blog. Stay tuned tomorrow for the face-off!
This is a stunning hat, and she looks amazing. No dissent there.
But I’ve got a theory kids – careful I’m going in!
This is the same coat she’s worn with a previous beautiful lilac hat.
http://petite.about.com/od/celebrityfashion/ss/queenelizabethwearshatsatroyalascot2010_3.htm
And then I looked closer. Is this the same hat redone? The shape of the crown is the same. The brim is turned up and flowers swapped. I think it’s a rework. Does anyone else agree…? Or do I just spend too much time on millinery conspiracy theories?! (Yes, obv…)
I think these two links clearly show that today’s hat was worn with the wrong (meaning not the original) coat: (1) there are no pockets in the coat that was made for this hat, and (2) there are no buttons on the cuffs/sleeves of the coat that was made for this hat.
The coat worn today has (1) pockets, (2) buttons on cuffs/sleeves and (3) bigger, whiter buttons down the front. Plus today’s coat is a little lighter in color than the coat made for this hat and dress.
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Queen+Elizabeth+II/Queen+Elizabeth+II+Visits+East+Midlands/ECR074mQVKL
http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Queen+Elizabeth+II/Queen+opens+up+16+4+million+Diamond+Jubilee/qvkEAR74J_c
I suspect you are right- there are two coats of different weights to give Queen Elizabeth options for warmer vs. cooler weather.