Twenty years ago today, two European queens were on foreign tours. The hats they wore on March 27, 1995 give a window into royal millinery fashion two decades ago.
Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands greeting well wishers in Jerusalem during her tour of Israel. Her blue felt hat featured a much larger brim and substantially flatter crown than we are used to seeing her wear these days. This was likely the work of her longtime hat designer Harry Scheltens.
Queen Elizabeth in Prague, Czech Republic, in a royal blue hat with tall crown and upturned brim with stitching detail. Most of the hats we see the Queen wear have embellishment (feathers, flowers, bows, etc.) of some type and I adore the strong, clean lines of this unembellished piece. I suspect this was a Frederick Fox design.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
http://www.popsugar.com/love/photo-gallery/23369027/image/23369032/Queen-Elizabeth-II-her-mother-were-bright-pair-1991 Reminds me of this hat. What can you say about it?
It looks similar to several other Frederick Fox designs so my guess is that he designed it.
Would it be possible to have a feature on Frederick Fox designs sometime, there are so many different styles?
Already done! Take a look at this post.
Thank you, can you confirm if this is the same hat, Elizabeth II wore to Church, 25 December 1994?
While the shapes are similar, the materials are different. The hat she wore Christmas Day 1994 does not have the same stitching detail on the brim or around the crown – the crown is wrapped in silk, as you can see below. It also looks to be a different shade of purple.
Embed from Getty Images
Thanks for that insight, I am new to this. From the angle I saw, it reminded me of the Queen Mothers hats!
I love both these hats! They are different than what we see today, refreshingly so!
For QEII that’s a good hat from the 90s but most of them we’re pretty forgettable, and often downright dowdy. I know a lot of her AK hats are over trimmed these days, but by and large she looks better now than she’s done in years – and certainly she in afraid to experiment with colour and style, which you can’t say about many nearly 89 year olds!
I have to agree with Snug Harbor on Queen Beatrix’s hat. It looks much better than her preferred style today, and Queen Elizabeth’s hat is a winner. I like that much better than those stovepipe hats she likes now. It is fun to see these older pictures. Two grand Royal ladies, and two very nice hats.
Queen Elizabeth looks like a Queen…minus the fur would be kinder…the Queen could look like that again if she got new hat and clothes designers.
The two queens do look younger in these photographs from 20 years ago, of course, but I’m afraid that the hats look better than many of those they wear now too, especially Queen Elizabeth’s royal blue. That’s a beautiful hat! I don’t see why that couldn’t be worn now. I’m sure it’s sitting in its own cupboard somewhere.
Princess/then Queen Beatrix’s hat, while more dated looking now, is a refreshing change from all her current bumper-trimmed cake-like hats, with or without a central point.
I agree with everything you said Snug Harbor.
I also agree with everything you said. A good hat doesn’t need all those bells and whistles.
I’m also agreeing with Snug Harbor. I much prefer this undecorated hat Queen Elizabeth is wearing. I also enjoy Queen Beatrix’s hat after seeing her in the favored hat style she has worn for quite a while.
I agree with what Snug Harbor says: March 27, 2015 at 4:04 pm. These are 2 great hats.