Queen Elizabeth was joined by the Duchess of Sussex today for a ‘day away’ in Cheshire with a program that included opening Mersey Gateway Bridge, a visit to Chester Town Hall and opening a combined theatre, cinema and library facility. For these events, the Queen repeated her lime straw hat with tall crown and short, sideswept brim trimmed with a lime crepe silk hatband in the same fabric as her coat and a handmade straw flower.
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For a small hat, this design has a lot going on- unique crown shape, sharply upswept brim, strong colour, oversize flower trim – but Rachel Trevor Morgan’s adept hand pulls the design into balance. Stewart Parvin’s design hand also helps here- the streamlined neckline on the coat gives a clean foundation to show the hat off to great effect and the coat’s open bottom allows the outfit’s patterned dress to peek through, linking with the red stamens on the flower. Yes, the ensemble is a lot of lime but not to the extent that it overpowers and, as these photos show, allows Her Majesty to be easily spotted in a crowd. It’s a lighthearted hat and outfit that fit well with the events of the day.
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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan. Coat by Stewart Parvin
Previously Worn: June 20, 2017; June 6, 2014
Royal Hats 
I like the straw flowers, but for some reason, they made the hat seem wintery to me, and I have finally figured out why. I think it’s because silk flowers do imitate real ones, which we mostly see in the spring and summer, whereas flowers that are clearly “imitation” flowers are something we would see in the winter. I do however like the idea of shaping the flower trim out of straw — it is a clever alternative.
This is a memorable hat because of the trim, I do like it because of that. It’s different from HM’s other hats and nice that she still wants to mix things up a bit and try new things. And I always think RTM and Stewart Parvin are a dream team together! I think Meghan looks great and while we’ll always wish for a hat, I can see why she didn’t wear one today as none of the other guests had them.
The Queen seems to have such a lovely way of using her outfits as tools of diplomacy. This hat was a very subtle but no doubt much appreciated tribute to the brave people of Grenfell.
This particular color that the Queen was wearing is not my favorite. If the entire ensemble was in a different color, I’d be cheering “bravo”! That being said, the adornment on the Queen’s hat is exquisite. It was wonderful to see the photos of the Queen and the Duchess of Sussex appearing to enjoy themselves on this one-day journey. Oh I could only imagine the anxiety the Duchess had to deal with in traveling with the Queen by herself. But, I’m more than sure that the Queen made the Duchess feel very comfortable.
Like JamesB, I’ve always been bothered by how unbalanced the brim is, but otherwise it’s a beautiful hat and color for HM. I thought I had read somewhere officially that this color was chosen because of the Grenfell anniversary, but I must just be remembering someone’s commentary/opinion of the outfit; I doubt it was unintentional though. I will also say that in many recent outings, HM has looked a bit gloomy (which is okay, as everyone is allowed to be sad/depressed and we shouldn’t vilify these feelings), but it’s great to see her smiling a lot again!
I love Meghan’s outfit, especially how the shoulders are designed; this outfit calls out for a simple structured beret, much like the one her mother wore to her wedding.
There aren’t many people who suit that sort of bright green, but HM carries it off with panache. It’s a busy design, but not unbalanced.
I still like the two-tone effect on the brim that showed up so well on last year’s Ascot outing, not to mention what milliner Katie Vale called the “Little Shop of Horrors” flower. Very fun and unusual.
Too bad about the new Duchess — this would have been wonderful opportunity for a picture hat.
I like this hat, and I like its color and its trim. I tend to prefer flowers that look sculptural rather than flower that look like they’re pretending to be real but that’s just a weird quirk.
It’s a lovely hat but the colour is especially significant ,I can’t believe it was accidentally that HM wore “green for Grenfell” today. Wish Meghan was more of a hat lover though !
To quote a comment Chicago Chuck made last year at the opening of parliament, “Her Majesty The Queen does not make political statements (unless she does!).” I can’t imagine the green is a coincidence.
We have no idea if Meghan is a hat lover or not- she’s worn pieces to all royal events where they’ve been required, which is in keeping with other younger members of the royal family. No one wears hats are frequently as the Queen does!
I do somewhat agree with JamesB that the brim seems a little unbalanced, but the color is great for an event where many people will be looking for the royal party from afar, and all the photos I’ve seen indicate that this was an enjoyable outing for both the Queen and the Duchess. So glad that they seem to enjoy each other’s company.
As our dear HatQueen says, this hat is easy to see Her Maj in a large crowd: I really like the special straw flower trim versus silk blooms but then again, we can always be grateful that there’s a mix up of Rachel Trevor Morgan and Angela Kelley hats. I, too wish that the Duchess of Sussex wore a hat, even a wee one would have been nice!
Great hat/coat combination. I like the straw flower trimming, it’s well balanced. How nice to see these two ladies of different ages and backgrounds get on so well together!
I love this bright refreshing hat and outfit for a warm summery day. She looks lovely as always. I didn’t really expect to see a hat on Meghan, but it would have been fun to see one.
Still like this and glad to see it getting some more wear. My only quibble is that I wish the brim that is flat was as wide as the upswept part, I always feel it’s a bit unbalanced.
What fun to see them together – they seem to have real chemistry which is lovely to see.
Lovely choice for a summer day’s visit.