So far in our look back at Maundy Thursday services from years past, we’ve seen the hats Queen Elizabeth wore in the 1950s and 1960s; the 1970s and early 1980s; and the later 1980s and 1990s. Today we wrap up this series with a look at the designs the Queen has worn to this Easter weekend service so far this millennium:
2000, 2001 and 2002
Marie O’Reagan in 2003; 2004 and 2005
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Pale yellow and cream in 2006 and pale dusty pink by Rachel Trevor Morgan in 2007
Rachel Trevor Morgan in 2008 and 2009; Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) in 2010
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Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) in 2011; Rachel Trevor Morgan in 2012; Kelly/McLaren in 2013
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Trio of designs by Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) 2014, 2015 and 2016
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Dark turquoise felt with velvet leaves in 2017 and Royal blue silk cloque with brown faux fur in 2019, both by Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren)
UPDATE– since this post was published, the Queen has worn the following hats for Maundy Thursday:
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Yellow straw with bows and multicoloured feathers by Rachel Trevor Morgan in 2019
While the shapes here are familiar, what greatly surprises me is with the exception of the magenta boater in 2014, every hat worn to this event in the past decade has been some shade of blue. No question, there are some lovely blue hats here but this streak of one colour at the same event is rather curious. An interesting side note- in preparing this post, I learned that the Queen has visited every single cathedral in the UK for Maundy Thursday (the last to be checked off her list was in 2017 at Leicester Cathedral). Back to the hats- what do you think of this group and what colour do you think we’ll see the Queen wear for this year’s Maundy Thursday service, later today?
With a weather forecast tomorrow calling for a sunny 22 degrees and my great wish for an end to this decade-long blue streak, I’d love to see Her Majesty in one of the vibrant yellow hats she debuted last summer (this one or this one).
Photos from Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Tim Graham, Alex Livesey , AFP/Getty, Anwar Hussein Collection, via Getty; Peter Muhly/Stringer and Chris Radburn/PA Images via Getty; Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
So interesting, subtle changes for Her Majesty through the years. One observation: the Queen’s hats were made in coordination with her outfits , in later years that done by Angela Kelly. I think that is not happening with the younger Royals.
The hat decision is made the day of, from the closet and is not necessarily a hat made to coordinate specially with an outfit. I do wonder how many hats HM wore through her lifetime, and what happened to all of them.
Congratulations, Hat Queen! Both on an excellent retrospective and in predicting the colour of today’s hat – yellow it was! Looks like she stuffed a sprig from her bouquet into the trim. Very Springlike though. And Eugenie in her bandeau again.
HatQueen, thank you so much for such an extremely complete Retrospective! Isn’t it amazing to think that Queen Elizabeth, faithful servant that she STILL is, has attended and taken part in today’s festivities a whopping 65 documented times? (This number includes the “lost” 1977 outing.) She was unavailable only 4 times, and those were all for legit reasons! No one could hold that record, to be sure.
Today is called “Holy Thursday” to us Catholics, but “Maundy Thursday” is so much more beautiful. It is based on the Latin word “mandatum.” Every year HM carries out the wonderful tradition of distributing alms as “mandated” by the Lord at the Last Supper, the commandment to love one another. (John 13:34) For 5 years now, I have felt love and friendship at Royal Hats, and I feel very blessed!
When you do the Christmas Retrospective, do you think it will be a bit smaller, due to the more private, family nature of the holiday? I can hardly wait. Happy Easter, everyone! Mrs. Jimbo will be wearing the hat she bought for Easter last year, but the weather didn’t cooperate, so she wore a light colored wool hat as I recall. What will all of you wear?
Jimbo- thanks for your help tracking down photos! Some of them were surprisingly hard to find.
Thanks from me, too, HatQueen! I just revisited your glorious 90th birthday “hatrospective,” so beautifully arranged by color. (Credit is due to JamesB, who coined that perfect term.) I never thought you’d top that one, but I think you have done it. I love the chronology because we can watch the style evolution.
Jimbo, we are always glad for your contribution in photo tracking. I have always wondered about Holy vs. Maundy, and I appreciate your explanation.
In general, I like this group more than the earlier hats. Since blue is my favorite color, there is no such thing as too much of it! The 2003 and 2004 purples both have a sleek, well-proportioned look. Love the lightness of the 2007 pale pink and the topstitched velvet leaves of the turquoise 2017. But the 2009 turquoise is my favorite for the dimension of the layered bands, the crisp black trim, and the fun black poof.
I love the 2004 hat. It has a little bit of the upturn of some of Max’s hats but not quite so big. I wish we’d see that shape more often. I also really like the 2011 hat. The small brim and tall crown make for a really interesting set of proportions without looking unbalanced.
Looks like you got your wish on the yellow – this number https://royalhats.net/2017/06/21/royal-ascot-2017-day-2-queen-elizabeth/ from 2018 has had a retrim for Spring. I like the idea of it, and it does link it in better to the dress, but they are a bit stuffed in those feathers – I think a fuller retrim would have been better.
Onto this load of hats – it really does jumpo out how much more refined and flattering HM’s wardrobe has become doesn;t it. I know Ms Kelly gets some flak in these parts, but I think she has to take credit for this change, and for bringing in couturiers like Stewart Parvin and Rachel Trevor Morgan. I particularly love the aubergine outfit from 2004 (such a stunning shade and the coat trim is so refined) and the much loved turquoise from 2009, which HM loves too, as it’s still in rotation.
Look at how fetching that hat from 2000 is. And it’s not blue!