Official celebrations for the Queen’s 90th birthday continued today with Trooping the Colour which was attended by most of the British royal family. Buckle up, dearest readers- we’re in for another spectacular day of royal hats! No one, however, stood out as much as the birthday girl who looked radiant in a new hat and coat.
The hat is covered in the same vibrant harlequin green as Her Majesty’s silk wool coat with a short, upswept brim on one side and gently raised and shaped crown. The bright colour is contrasted with bright pink silk hydrangeas placed over the lower brim, studded with arrow trimmed green feathers.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
There’s no two ways about this- it is a BRIGHT hat. There is, however, a great sea of red uniforms at this event and this shade of green made the Queen pop out in the crowd, something not easy to do. Colour aside, I think the proportion and shape of this design are perfect for Her Majesty and the trim is simply exquisite. It’s a bright but very balanced hat that doesn’t overwhelm the petite monarch and I think it’s fantastic on her.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: This hat is new
The Duchess of Cornwall repeated her pale grey straw hat with upswept brim on one side. The hat is lavishly trimmed with ostrich feathers which wrap around the crown and cover the upper side of the brim. It’s a great hat to wear for a carriage ride (imagine those feathers happily swaying in the breeze!) and while the colour is not exciting, it’s a good choice to wear for someone else’s big day. We have seen this hat a lot and I was slightly disappointed not to see a new design today- I’ll have to keep my fingers crossed that Camilla has a new design waiting to show us at Ascot.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Philip Treacy
Previously Worn: June 19, 2015; June 28, 2012; September 10, 2011; July 28, 2009; July 16, 2009; May 12, 2009; July 7, 2006; July 1, 2006; June 19, 2006
One of the big millinery surprises today was the hat worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate moved out of her cocktail hat comfort zone and wore a large saucer design with high, slice brim. In blush pink straw, the dramatic shape of this piece is emphasized with its trimming, a pair or large silk roses placed under the raised brim.
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
It’s wonderful to see Kate try out a new millinery shape, especially one she wears so well. The scale of this piece is just right- large enough to make a statement but not too large to send it over the top (or draw too much attention away from the Queen). With her impeccable white coat dress (some of you will recognize it from Princess Charlotte’s christening last year) and side chignon, I think this hat makes for one of the best ensembles we have seen on Kate to date. Outstanding.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Princess Charlotte made her debut appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony in a wee pink hair bow. Adorable!
Designer: Amaia. It is the small hairbow in dusky pink
What do you think of these three pale hued hats at the service of thanksgiving today? We have lots of hats to cover today but I think these three get us off to a roaring start. I think the two new designs worn here by the Queen and by the Duchess of Cambridge are knock outs- what do you think?
Royal Hats 
The Queen’s hat is perfect in shape, size and decoration, in spite of the garish color.
Kate’s hat is lovely. Her whole outfit was obviously meant to point to little Charlotte. It was ruined for me though, by those clunky, old lady earrings.
Late comment. In many US papers today there was a black and white photo similar to the Queen’s third-from-the-last photo above. To my surprise, the coat and hat appeared a very washed-out shade of light gray. I would have thought in black and white that it would have appeared darker. More startlingly, the fact that the coat’s collar is either not perfectly formed or not perfectly pressed made the coat appear like an ill-fitting house coat. Without the bright color, the coat and hat were total washouts.
WOW! The Duchess of Cambridge looks fantastic–simple and elegant.
My first reaction was WHOA! but the more I have looked at the pictures, the more I appreciate the green. It is a standout amongst all the red uniforms and also on the balcony where I imagine in this year especially there are more crowds than usual. RTM has done a stellar job as usual on the hat. The pink hydrangea stands out – wish we could see the dress underneath which I’m sure brings the pink in. Stuart Parvin’s tailoring is always spot on.
Kate looks lovely. I do love Treacy’s big roses and these classic designs much more than his edgy ones. Camilla looks lovely also. This isn’t one of my favorites in her hat collection, but waving feathers are always a good choice for a carriage ride!
I know I am the only one , but I don’t like the hat off D off Cambridge ; I think it is out off balance !!??
looooooooooooove the courage off the Queen!!!
My 15 yr old daughter, my 12 yr old son and myself are all in agreeance!! Her Majesty looks wonderful! We all LOVE the green. The hat is beautifully proportioned too.
Now the Duchess of Cambridge….almost the best look ever- timeless, chic, elegant, regal…..all those things. Interesting that she has turned to Philip Treacy after 6 years in the spotlight and what a lovely lovely choice, I just want to dive into those blooms, they look so beautiful.
Great coverage HQ, many thanks.
My household is also all fans of the green! I’m surprised at the lack of love for this hat.
I wondered at first if the green was too bright for HM, and I just haven’t found myself saying yes haha. I absolutely adore this on HM! The hat shape and size are perfect for her, and the trim is balanced just right. RTM did a fantastic job!
Still a bit disappointed Camilla keeps repeating, but this is a good one, and a hat we haven’t seen for practically a year. I just really want her in more color!
Kate is probably the biggest surprise of the day; not only did she wow in a new style of hat, she went with Philip Treacy, whom she has not worn in years. She looked simply stunning.
As thrilled as I was to see a new Rachel Trevor Morgan/Stewart Parvin combo today, I find the color to be visually offensive and I really dislike the way it clashes with all the scarlet tunics. I would’ve much rather seen the milder shade of green worn to the D-Day 70th Anniversary.
LOVE the Queen’s green – and have so astonished myself by saying that, that I put it in caps! The hat is gorgeous – nice shape, good proportion and beautiful trim, such a pleasure to see. I find it amazing that a 90-year-old is so willing to try in terms of colour … and that there are so many colours she wears well. Good health, ma’am.
Kate is the other with the brilliant outfit. The hat is pure genius and yay for the hairdo. (Not sure what colour the hat is though – ivory, cream, white, pink? Showing as all sorts in the pix.)
Camilla looks nice, if predictable. The hat a good choice for an open carriage. Anyone know who the young chap is in the sailor suit? A Gloucester grandson, perhaps? Charlotte and George look happy, love George’s salute, so sweet.
Apparently he’s a Kent – Albert Windsor, Lord Nicholas Windsor’s son.
Sandra- you can see here at Philip Treacy’s website that the hat is pale pink. I think changing lighting in London (sun, cloud and everything in between) played havoc with the photography.
The hat looks to be the same shade as Princess Charlotte’s dress (likely not a coincidence!).
When I first saw the pictures, I thought, OMG – what has Angela Kelly done to The Queen?? BUT, the more I see it, the more I like it and there are many photos taken in a bad light, which doesn’t help! I wonder how much The Queen had to be convinced to wear the green – it certainly clashes with all the red but does stand out. I LOVE the purple hydrangea and the hat shape is just perfect! Thanks, HatQueen for your fabulous comments and descriptions!
I admit- I’m often critical of Angela Kelly’s designs. This hat, however, is Rachel Trevor Morgan and the coat is Stewart Parvin.
I love the Duchess of Cambridge’s hat – but that’s hardly surprising as it’s very close to what I consider her best hat ever – the one she wore to the wedding of Zara Phillps and Mike Tindall in July 2011. Another wide brimmed model with silk roses blooming beneath the brim by Gina Foster. Today’s model may claim top spot from now on.
I think the Queen looks lovely, as ever. Am I a fan of this super-bright green? Not really, but if Her Majesty wants to stand out in a crowd, she surely does that! Her hat is a beautiful shape and I love the trimmings.
The Duchess of Cornwall looks like her true self. She seems to love these large statement hats and they certainly look good on her. I think this one is a trifle too high in the crown, but that’s just a quibble.
The Duchess of Cambridge is knocking it out of the park with this hat. It’s my favorite of this grouping! It is bold and elegant but at the same time, subdued. She does not seek to upstage anyone, and this hat hits all the right notes. Well done, young royal!
The wee Princess Charlotte wears a bow quite well. Just like the Swedish royal daughters!
Trooping the Colour is the only certain balcony appearance each year, and hence the only time that the Queen will be seen from a considerable distance by a crowd of more than a hundred thousand people . In that context, I think the green colour here was very well planned. Everyone who was there will have been able to pick out the little green dot that was the Queen, and even if they were unaware of what the Queen was wearing, they’d have been able to guess! And it will also make the 90th birthday parade memorable looking back, among so many other similar parades! And actually I don’t think it’s too bad a colour anyway! I love the hat and its flourish.
Camilla and Kate were beautifully dressed, and I think Kate probably realises now that bigger brimmed hats are a good idea for balcony appearances. This one is a beauty. I just wish she wore them more for other occasions.
I seem to be in the minority, but I love the neon green — and the hat, of course, which has a fantastic brim, and the pink hydrangea stands out beautifully. I imagine the dress has pink hydrangeas in it somehow, although I haven’t caught sight of it yet. It looked to be a darker day in London, and I see the Queen had a matching umbrella. This superbright neon, therefore, stood out in a crowd. I wonder whether a different outfit was standing in the wings in case it was a bright, sunny day. The superbright neon might look less exciting in bright sunshine, but against a darker background, I think it’s fantastic.
I think that the Duchess of Cambridge too looked fantastic today, one of her best appearances. The asymmetrical hat coupled with an asymmetrical hairstyle and those big earrings makes a noteworthy impression.
The Duchess of Cornwall completed the perfect trio, even though it does rather look like a coconut cream cake on her head.
(Just as yesterday’s new yellow outfit for the Queen probably knocked the German yellow-gray hat off of the running for Royal Ascot, today’s neon green probably knocks the chartreuse D-day hat out too.)
Thank goodness the Queen chose a RTM hat for today – so much better than the Angela Kelly designs – colour is a little too bright Though! So delighted to see D of Cambridge in a ‘proper’ hat – I wish she would wear them more often.
Of all the bright colors we’ve seen,
From yellow to pink, and now green,
I sadly must say, At the end of the day,
This hat is too loud for a Queen!
Kate looks lovely, now don’t you agree?
Her pink hat suits her to a tee!
At next week’s horse races, As they take their places,
How great will the spectacle be!
I actually don’t mind the Queen’s green coat and hat. I think she looks cheerful and happy, and the hat style is perfection on her.
I think the Duchess of Cambridge knocked it out of the ballpark today with her hat. It is gorgeous, especially with her updo. She looked amazing.
When I was reading newspaper headlines with “The Queen Goes Neon”, I was thinking about Times Square and wondering where she’d gone. Now I know! The green is awfully bright and she certainly stands out, but not my favourite colour for her. The Duchess of Cornwall looks great. Of the three ladies today, the best hat without question is the Duchess of Cambridge’s, her look made better by her chignon. And that little one, Charlotte, is a cutie.
I wish I liked that green! (The photo of Her Majesty in the carriage from a distance proved HatQueen’s point about being visible against a sea of bright red!). If it makes sense to say other than the color, it is a delightful hat, I will say that. The Duchess of Cornwall always seems to project a late 19th or early 20th century aura in her big feathered hat and multistrand pearl choker. She looked very well, and appropriately restrained. I think the Duchess of Cambridge looked as lovely as I have ever seen her–and she should definitely wear hats like that more often! Best of all, looked relaxed and happy. The little princess is quite adorable with her little pink ribbon.
Aw that was not fair to dress the Queen in that green frog colour. Somebody is not helping her at all. We have seen that in her hat designs for the last 5-7 years. She needs new designers. I hope they are reading this.
Princess Charlotte was the winner of course…wink. So sweet. I would like to see Prince George in a little light colored suit. He is too old now for rompers.
Who is the little boy in front row?
Also the Queen’s broach…are there historical significances there?
Her broaches seem important.
The Queen and the Duke are doing so well. God Bless them.
You can read about the Queen’s brooches and other jewellery over at From Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault
It’s opinion I guess. Unfortunately her skin looks dry and I do think it is the eye makeup that does it. She is still young.
Enough, Jane. If you have something to say about the hats, please do! Complaints about makeup can happen somewhere else.
I don’t even like lime green, but this is a great hat for the birthday girl for all the reasons HatQueen has stated. I’m trying to think of how it could be repeated without the all-green ensemble — perhaps with a navy coat?
GREAT look for the Duchess of Cambridge, one her best hats ever. She looks young and sophisticated at once. I don’t like that I can see the hat base against her dark hair, but that is a very small quibble indeed. Love the rose and the asymmetrical brim.
I think the pale hats are fabulous!!
Blimey – that highlighter pen green certainly stood out. I don’t know, it’s just a lot of neon. Perhaps a shade below and I’d have been on board. Better still – a repeat of the D-Day green would have had me very happy. She’s got that coat in three colours now (lemon, pink and highlighter pen), I approve of that.
I love Camilla’s pompadour hats, and I love that she is so thrifty with her millinery. She mixes and matches each time, and that’s good for me.
Also mixing and matching; Kate. Now the hat is amazing, and so good to see her in bigger hats. And I love the coat. BUT. They’re a colour mismatch – they’re so close that it looks like she thought they matched, the colours needed to be more different for me to get on board…
Think I need to proofread before posting. Sorry, Hat Queen.
Not a fan of the queen’s color choice in her hat and coat. That said, I liked the hat shape and the trim. Just wish she had chosen a different color. I thought it was appropriate for Camilla and Kate to wear the muted tones they chose to put the emphasis on Her Majesty. Loved, loved Kate’s hat. So nice to see her in something other than the per hers she usually wears. Camilla’s hat is the same as she usually wears which, I suppose, is chosen because she wears that style ver well. Loved seeing the two title ones on the balcony.
I guess HM wanted to really stand out in the crowd! What a color – very surprised to see her in this shade. It was too far gone for me to like but I do like the hat shape and decoration on her. Kate’s hate was stunning – so glad she didn’t go for yet another little piddly thing! Cams always looks good in their big hats – she’s got the hair to compliment them.
Looking back at Kates trooping hats there is actually only one year she has worn a small percher hat (the teardrop shaped one). The other ones have actually been surprisingly shapely.
The Queen’s outfit for me today was too bright. I was in the crowds and although it did highlight her out it didn’t look very nice or tasteful. Kate however looked absolutely stunning. I loved every bit of her outfit!
Sadly I was not taken with the Queen’s outfit, beautifully made as it was I was a bit overwhelmed by the all over Kermit-green. I think the shape of the hat is lovely and the trim stunning. However looking at the photos and the television coverage she certainly stands out amongst a sea of red and neutrals.
The DoCornwall looked lovely and appropriate. The DoCambridge – her best ever. The lower neckline (she wears so many things that button up to the neck) allows her beautiful updo and earrings to provide a fitting stage for the stunning hat. Gold Stars to both ladies
I think they all looked lovely. That green would have been at home in the 70’s! While I found it too bright, HM wears it very well. I don’t think there is a color she can’t wear. She always looks so beautiful and serene, and she wears clothes that she likes, and that are comfortable. I do understand that she wears bright colors so people can see her, which is great. Kate looked spectacular, and very nicely put together, as did little Charlotte. Camilla looked lovely as well. She wears things that look good and that don’t upstage anyone else, and still manages a degree of visibility that she is comfortable with. A home run for three of my favorite royals.
The Queen’s hat is nice but too bright. Wrong green. Camilla’s hat YAWN. So boring.
But Kate WOWZA that is a super cute hat. LOVE LOVE LOVE. One of her best ever.
Did anyone else see that George was wearing the same outfit that Wills wore to Harry’s christening? SUPER cute.
http://fashion.hellomagazine.com/fashion-news/201606115075/prince-george-trooping-the-colour-outfit/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=internaltwitter
It seems that the British royals might rival the Swedish royals in adorable (and historical!) children’s wear recycling. Whoever is behind this idea deserves congratulations because it is such a charming thing to do.
I’m afraid I have to say the the Queen’s outfit is my least favorite of all time. The color was not flattering. I realize she need to stand out in the crowd, but this was not the way to go. A big thumb’s down.