I’m pleased to welcome reader Eliza to Royal Hats for a guest post today. Eliza grew up in the UK but now lives in the eastern USA where she is a teacher, wife and mother of 2 young daughters. She started reading Royal Hats in its early days while on bed rest during her first pregnancy and now reads the blog with her daughters over breakfast each morning (how sweet!), reporting that the best Mondays in her household are ones when a royal wedding took place over the weekend! She laments that her busy life prevents her from commenting as much as she used to but is excited to contribute to this series during her summer vacation. Welcome, Eliza!
When it comes to hats, I always love wide brims. I can’t help it! Maybe I’m a romantic at heart but I just love the way a wide brim sets off a hat. The brims on Queen Elizabeth’s hats are usually short so that people can see her face. This makes sense but there are some wide brim hats that I think look amazing on her and I’d really like to see her wear them more often.
I. The Grey- Blue Straw Hat I don’t think this hat is very well known but I love the wide brim and how the stacks of blue work so nicely with the straw and with her suit. Lots of Queen Elizabeth’s hats are a bit frilly and I like how this one isn’t. Hat designer unknown.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
III. The Black and Cream Vine Hat This hat doesn’t have as large a brim as the others but I love how the cheeky vine is climbing the hat! The coat and hat look so beautiful together. Hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
IV. The Pink Swirl Hat I think we all know this hat! I don’t need to say much about it except how pretty it is! Hat by Philip Somerville.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
V. The Lattice And Blue Lace Hat This hat was worn at least twice but I don’t think much more than that. The lattice straw makes this brim so light and airy and I just love how the lace on the hat peeks through the bottom. Hat by Philip Somerville.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
VI. The Yellow Garden Hat I think this hat was also worn a few times but I still had to include it because I want to see it again! I love how the yellow has a bit of green in it (it’s not a standard canary yellow hat) and how the straw has that faint pattern in it. Most of all, I love the flowers. This hat wouldn’t be the same without them. Hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
I would also really like to see the Queen wear these larger brimmed hats again (I know the first one was worn a few times but it’s such a beautiful hat, I think it should be worn much more):
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Royal Hats 
Thanks very much, Eliza. You have made great selections, including some of my all time favorites. I love the wider brims and wish they would return.
Well done, Eliza. I don’t remember a lot of the hats. (Perhaps that’s why we need a repeat outing!) I particularly like #1 and the blue one towards the end. Was that at Prince Andrew’s wedding?
Good job Eliza! I loved your retrospective very much and hadn’t seen many of these hats. While the hats are the subject of this blog, I couldn’t help noticing that we get a very good view of the BACK of Her Majesty’s 3-strand pearl necklace on the “Lattice and Blue Lace Hat” picture. I’ve never seen it that I can remember and I checked the other blog (From Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault). It looks like three rows of diamonds on the clasp. Heaven!
Glad to see I’m not the only one who likes wider brims. Thanks for reminding me of some old favorites and introducing me to some I have never seen.
This is a fabulous collection of hats, Eliza, thanks so much for putting them together! I particularly like #II, the Pale Blue and Peach Hat — she looks so businesslike in those photos, I think maybe because she is not wearing the customary pearls, and it’s fun the way the flowers she’s holding in the first photo match the flowers on the hat, though I’m sure it must just be a bouquet that she was coincidentally handed. This group of hats does make me realize again the degree to which a color does or does not look good on HM since her hair has gone grey — for example, I like the yellow hat in itself, as a hat, but I don’t think she looks particularly good in that shade of yellow anymore.
Thanks Eliza! every one of these hats has some unusual or outstanding feature – it’s fascinating to see your selection. My fave – the black and cream vine leaves.
What a great post, Eliza! Some of these hats are new to me. I’m not as fond as the pink swirl as many of you, but I love the vines, the white lattice with blue lace, and the yellow garden hat. While we appreciate HM’s habit of wearing shorter brims so people could see her, I agree with you that she wears wide brims very well.
I am swimming against the tide just like you Mitten Mary- never been a fan of the pink sherbet swirl. My fave, and here I am in agreeance with many–number 2. Love the lightness of the brim and the flower trim and the coat is very smart. Yes please for this one Your Majesty. Fun post Eliza.
I love these hats, Eliza! I’m very partial to the pink swirl Sommerville and the brown and white, which is not a color we see HM in! The pink swirl looks like soft sherbet on top of HM’s hat…soft and lovely!
I think HM looks just as cool in peach as she does in strawberry!
October 17, 1995
Gosh, thanks everybody! Writing a post here was daunting but you’re all so kind. I’m relieved I’m not the only one who likes big brims!
I too adore the Yellow Garden Hat – RTM at her best – wonderful flowers. Also the pink swirl is gorgeous. I think there was a similar one in white with a black bow which the Queen wore when going to France some years ago.
What a great look at these hats! I, too, miss some of these wider brims. I had completely forgotten about the mint blue and peach hat; such a good color combo (reflects one of my favorite color combos of blue and orange), and the collar is an elegant departure from what she normally wears. I’m also glad to know I’m not the only one who like the violet lattice hat.
Eliza, thanks so much for your wonderful selections – I love them all, except for the penultimate hat. To me, the course straw is a detraction, and I can’t help feeling that the Minnie Pearl price tag is missing! Of the lot, my favorites are the pale blue/peach, and BOTH the blue lattice hats! I totally agree with you and your admiration for the larger brims!
Such lovely choices, Eliza. My favorite of these is the pale blue and peach. Like you, I don’t normally like peach on the Queen, but it is so light and airy, but it doesn’t hide her face. Thank you, Eliza, for the enjoyable look back.
wonderful Eliza good choices
Yes, a return of larger-brimmed hats would be welcome. The yellow garden hat has long been a favorite; some lovely photos of the queen in that hat and coat (which I believe had one of its outings on a trip to the US). And the lattice and blue lace hat–such a lovely hat and so flattering to the queen. Thank you for these very pleasant reminiscences, Eliza!
What a great post! Several of these hats I don’t remember having seen before and many are lovely!! Particular standouts to me are the peach and mint Near the top, the chartreuse with the flowers, and the striking coral with flowers and lime trim. However my very favorite, largely because it feels like such a departure for the Queen yet she look so good in it is the cream and brown with the large upswept brim. The crown on this hat is very much The Queen but in all other respects it feels like a hat we’d see on queen Maxima or CP Mary. So very lovely. Thanks again for the thoughtful post!!!
Nice post, Eliza. Thank you. And some very pretty hats. I especially like the pink swirl, the green hat with large flowers, and the cream with brown ribbon. I had never seen the first hat before. I see what you mean about it; sometimes if the shape of a hat is pleasing, simple decoration can work well.
Thank you Eliza! That yellow garden hat is truly glorious!
Fantastic post Eliza and well done! Some of my absolute faves here.
I think the pale blue and peach and the pink flowered hats are amongst my all time favourites. She went through such a style renaissance around the millennium, with broader brims and sharper lines. She has settled into a bit more of a groove since then and it’s not quite so fabulous, but still she looks spectacular for 91.
Thank you, Eliza! A wonderful collection of some of HM’s best hats (especially the pink swirly one – I just love it!). Some of them I had forgotten about. You write very well, too!