Queen Elizabeth marked her official birthday on the quadrangle of Windsor Castle today with a ceremony that saw the Welsh Guards troop their colour.
For this event, the Queen repeated repeated her muted jade straw hat with straight-sided, domed top crown and short cartwheel brim, trimmed with a straw twist studded with silk flowers and leaves.
It’s a hat we’re all familiar with and can easily admire- the mixture of textures between the hat and silk cloque coat combine so well and the ensemble’s lovely colour stands out well amidst uniforms and castle stone. We last saw this hat seven months ago at the opening of Parliament and I can’t help wonder if Her Majesty’s choice to wear it again today was partly based in fostering a larger sense of continuity and calm during what has been a difficult time. Or maybe she just felt like wearing green today.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: Dec 19, 2019; June 3, 2019; May 22, 2019; May 15, 2018; June 23, 2017
It’s certainly wonderful to see the Queen again and I know you all join me in celebrating her 94th birthday. Enjoy the full ceremony.
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
No complaints from me about the repeat since it’s one of my favorites.
While I did not predict that HM would wear this exact ensemble today, I anticipated (correctly) that she would wear something in a calming and soothing color — just what the country (and the world) need at this time — as opposed to something bright and splashy. Though she has worn this numerous times, it was great to see it again, and particularly to enjoy so many photos close-up enough to show off the wonderful weave in the fabric. It’s a shame the usual spectacular ceremony could not be held, but this did very well considering the circumstances.
Queen Elizabeth’s outfit is lovely and calming, but her smiles steal the show! She looks so happy and pleased, and I am delighted by these images.
Nobody does pomp and ceremony like the British, and I’ve enjoyed that in years past. But, having it in the Windsor Castle Quadrangle was wonderful. It felt so intimate, and it seems like Her Majesty enjoyed it immensely. Happy Birthday Ma’am!
Yes, so happy to see Her Majesty out again. She has been missed on this Post. The hat and the outfit just right for the day. Am always amazed at the beauty of the fabrics used in her hats and coats.
Indeed- the incredible quality and beauty of fabric in her ensembles is not something we talk enough about!
Interesting side note….MrFitzroy is not a fan of the Daily Mail, and will only visit the site in specific instances (because they do tend to have very good Hi-res photos of royal events). Today, however, they got it totally wrong, stating firmly this was the third repeat for this ensemble, when it fact it is the fourth. This ensemble does have an interesting history. Initially introduced as a ‘workaday’ outfit and debuted at Sainsbury’s anniversary on May 22, it was very quickly repeated on June 3, for the american president’s visit — which some wags commented was barely time to have it cleaned, and perhaps it was one of those times when HM ‘makes no statement with her attire, except when she does’. This was followed by the appearance in Parliament on December 19, then again today.
A meandering way of saying MrFitzroy loves it when the Mail has egg on it’s face.
An interesting choice for today, when speculation was that there might be something new, or at least an ‘important’ (vs familiar) repeat….but this seems, perhaps, to be saying that through uncertainty, one just carries on in basic and familiar ways.
Or, as Dear HatQueen says, ‘Maybe she just felt like wearing green today’.
Either way, Best wishes to HM!
Actual (long winded) Mail Headline (their caps):
Is it blue or green? Her Majesty recycles coat for a THIRD time for socially-distanced and scaled down Trooping the Colour to mark her official birthday – despite it dividing opinion when she wore it for Queen’s speech last year
You’ll note that Daily Mail articles have long not been included in weekend “Extra” posts, due to chronic inaccuracy. I used to send corrections but after one editor told me that it wasn’t worth their time to make corrections after publication, it was easy for me to permanently decide they weren’t worth my time.
A sensible choice for so many reasons!
This muted jade ensemble is on my list of all-time top 10 favorites, but like the others, I was hoping for something different. There are so many outfits that we’ve seen only once which would have been fun to see, like some of the ones HM wore last year for Ascot, even though a couple of them were on the experimental side. As always, it’s wonderful seeing the Queen out and about, like 2 weeks ago when she was spotted horseback riding on the Windsor grounds. What would have been a bonus for us would have been seeing Philip poke his nose out a window.
Agee with JamesB and Jake about the sartorial choice for this occasion, but it so wonderful to see HRM after such a long absence!
I wasn’t certain what to expect with this altered ceremony, and with HM technically being at home, I wondered if she would show up in a hat. I am glad we got a hat for this, and a good one for sure, but I was hoping for something different (fine with a repeat, but this repeat?).
I was expecting a hat (it’s tradition!) and I hear what you’re saying… but I’m not surprised she went with something very familiar. Keep calm and carry on!
I knew she would wear this today. But lovely as it is, I wished she’d gone for something less well known. This outfit has had some major outings, state opening, American state visit and now this, and so something we’ve not seen so often would have been a bit of fun in this hat drought!