The Queen was at HM Naval Base in Portsmouth today to bid farewell to aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of its maiden voyage. The ship, which carries eight RAF and 10 US F35B stealth fighter jets on board, is on a 28-week operational deployment to the Philippines for its first operation, accompanied by six Royal Navy ships, a submarine, 14 naval helicopters and a Royal Marine company.
For this sendoff, the Queen wore a new red cashmere coat with black velvet collar and buttons and matching hat.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
The hat’s indented crown gently slopes to just above average height, the scale balanced by its cartwheel brim and high-contrast layered black and red hatbands. The hat is trimmed with an open red silk rose, rosebuds and green velvet leaves.
It’s not the first hat we’ve seen with that punchy black hatband stripe which is good news, because it works so well. We’ve talked before about coat necklines and how they add (or detract from) a hat’s success and this sharp black velvet collar is a winner, giving a beautiful base for the hat.
Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan. Coat by Stewart Parvin.
Previously Worn: This hat is new
This new hat is a standout for me (it certainly stood out amidst today’s sea of navy uniforms!)- what do you think of it?
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
This is my new favorite hat of Her Majesty the Queen! I adore the color, shape and especially the rose by Rachel Trevor Morgan and the matching coat by Stewart Parvin is wonderful with the asymmetrical neckline yet symmetrical buttons! She looks radiant! My only quibble is the brooch, yet I completely understand it’s sentimental meaning and although I would have preferred the diamond Jardine Star, this one is fine and obviously meaningful to her given the navy connection with Prince Philip. Brava!
So delightful to see HM! I like the details on this hat. As to seasonality, I suspect the deck of a aircraft carrier could be rather chilly!
Some interesting, though not always well lit, video of HM while on the ship. Clear views of how the crown integrates, and the hat certainly appears to be impeccably constructed!
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/queen-visits-u-s-marines-aboard-new-british-aircraft-carrier-112872517950?cid=referral_taboolafeed
Seasonality aside, this is a wonderful ensemble for HM on every level. Let’s hope for a repeat one Christmas soon.
Another nice touch is the Grima brooch — while it tends to have both fans and detractors, it was a gift from the late Duke of Edinburgh, and is a lovely tribute to him and acknowledgment of his naval history.
It also may beg the question, at this event in particular, which decision came first — the brooch or the outfit?
I adore this brooch – probably in my top three of QEIIs brooches – it has my name on it! I don’t like yellow gold, but I make an exception for this brooch and anything else by Grima.
Such a surprise to see the photos of Her Majesty, and cheerfully carrying out what was to her, clearly an important event. The color was beautiful and clearly chosen to stand out amongst all the navy blue. I must admit that I have never been a fan of this hat shape, I find it a little too boxy.
But it’s trim today somewhat deemphasized the shape. All in all HM presented a picture of good spirits, and I suspect happy too be with the Navy (and other services, including some from the U.S.) Hats off to Her Majesty!!!!
A beautiful hat! Everything about it seems perfect, and the coat’s black collar sets it off wonderfully.
This new red ensemble is now my absolute favorite! Yes it’s wintry for late May, and very Christmasy, and I LOVE it all the more. I’ll be the devil’s advocate and suggest that this beautiful outfit was not planned for Christmas 2020, since HM wore a brand new bright red coat and hat for Christmas 2019, which was repeated very recently. She would have blended in beautifully in our church this morning, since almost everyone wore red for the feast of Pentecost. (tongues of flames)
HQ, you selected some magnificent photos here, and I too enjoyed seeing the massive ship in the harbor.
This one is still my all-time favorite of HM’s red hats because of the nifty double figure eight sequinned trim: Embed from Getty Images
But since it seems to be retired, the new hat is an excellent replacement! The color is great and the rose is spectacular. I agree that it’s a little wintry and hope it comes out again for Christmas.
That’s also a Rachel Trevor Morgan design! It was first worn March 20, 2008 and made more than 10 outings so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s been retired.
This is a fabulous outfit and the hat, whilst one we’ve seen before is fabulous.
My only quibble is that because our weather here is so cold right now (it’s May but freezing!) she’s in an unseasonal outfit. This red is a perfect Christmas outfit but feels a bit odd for almost summer!
This is an amazing outfit for HMTQ – the beautiful hat, trim, coat and brooch all contribute to the overall look!
I think she looks splendid. The colour looks wonderful on her and the black stripe on the hatband adds interest to the hat. It’s good to see her out and about, along with other members of the family.
I think Her Majesty is magnificently beautiful in red! And the final photo is indeed award-winning – the stealths framing Her Majesty is a sight to behold. I am proud to be an American standing in unity with Great Britain..we love Queen Elizabeth!
The photos from this event are spectacular, especially the ones you included of the ship sailing away at dusk. The final photo in the first slide should win an award. Those planes framing Her Majesty is really an incredible shot.
Her Majesty looks majestic in red. She chose the perfect color to stand out among Navy men. I love the hat as it frames her smile so nicely. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see the Royals getting back out to their engagements. I’ve missed this.
I was very surprised, but oh so delighted, to see this hat earlier today! This crimson/scarlet color is fantastic on HM, the details are exquisite, and while the coat does seem a bit baggy, I like the V-formation of the buttons. My only complaint is that this ensemble feels unseasonable to me, but that may be because it was 90F/32C where I am today and that clearly wasn’t the case in Portsmouth.
I too looked at the coat and thought “gee, it’s a bit big for her”. In Before Times HM’s ensembles were impeccably tailored, of late many of her ensembles have looked too big for her. Perhaps due to the HM living in the Windsor Bubble there is no longer the opportunity for tailoring?
However the colour is excellent, the hat is excellent, the brooch is excellent and a fabulous example of dressing for the event.
HM looks fabulous! The hat has great proportions and color and color contrast. The color scheme makes me wonder if this was meant for Christmas 2020. Whether is was or not it is great to see it today! It is wonderful to see HM’s beautiful smile and to see her out in person!
That’s exactly what I thought when I first saw the outfit: the missing Christmas 2020 outfit.