Queen Elizabeth kicked off her annual week in Scotland today with visits to AG Barr’s factory in Cumbernauld and the Ceremony of the Keys at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Accompanied by her grandson the Earl of Strathearn (as is William’s title in Scotland), she debuted a lovely, new, blue hat.
The design features a slightly sloped, stepped crown covered in the same cornflower blue fabric as Her Majesty’s coat. That same fabric is used on a wide, folded hatband, side bows and binding on the hat’s upturned kettle brim and the piece is finished with blue and white silk fuchsia blooms on the right side.
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The colour and scale are lovely, the stepped crown, hatband and brim binding creating a series of horizontal stripes that break up the monochrome design. A peek at the ensemble’s blue and white patterned silk dress links with the unique floral trim (how many other royal hats can you think of that are trimmed with fuchsia flowers?!) and the upturned brim gives the hat a lightness and lift that balances well with the collarless coat.
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Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan. Stewart Parvin coat and dress.
Previously Worn: this hat is new
I’m clearly a fan of this new hat- what do you think of it?
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
Lovely hat, lovely coat, another winning combination from RTM & SP! Her smile says it all, as does William’s when he looks at her. I hope the family will be able to enjoy their time in Scotland and really spend time together.
I’m going to chime in with everyone else to say I love this outfit! The colour is so flattering and the tailoring of the coat is deceptively simple but impeccable. As to the hat, the proportions and shape of the asymmetrical brim work so very well with the stepped crown. It is great to see Queen Elizabeth in a somewhat larger brim than usual and because it is upturned, it frames her face beautifully and doesn’t “dwarf” her. An absolutely fab RTM hat/SP coat & dress combination!
Stuart Parvin’s tailoring is impeccable (look at the buttonholes!). Yes, this blog is not about clothing but hats don’t exist on their own- we see, time and time again, how a hat’s success is directly linked to the clothing it is paired with!
I’m incapable of looking at a hat on it’s own, it’s always part of an outfit.
The only time I’ve been able to look at hats as standalone objects was visiting Windsor when there was a large exhibition of QEIIs clothes and outfits and in another room a vast exhibit of her hats.
lesleyc19, were you able to sneak some photos of this exhibition? That must have been a great experience for you!
I wish I had but they were watching like a hawk. The one thing that struck me was QEIIs tiny waist when looking at her evening gowns and the quality of the tailoring of all her day outfits. Prince Philip was shorter and slighter than I’d thought – one of his evening suits (the Windsor version) was on display and I’d always thought he was a strapping man.
The hats were all on display in a giant glass case and looked like a rainbow of every colour imaginable.
Just in case anyone ever visits Windsor or any of the other Palaces – have your ticket stamped on leaving you’re then able to have free admission for another visit during the following year. I visited Kate’s wedding exhibition twice in a fortnight because of the free option. Having seen Beatrice’s wedding dress last year I’m planning to see the Prince Philip exhibit.
Yes, the essence of bespoke millinery is to adapt a design to the wearer’s face, stature and personality as well as to their clothing.
It made me wonder about the fabric:
For Queen Elizabeth, hat and coat are frequently made out of the same fabric. That can be a problem either for the milliner or the tailor. If the fabric were too thick, it would be too heavy to cover a straw base with, but it has to be thick enough to make a coat with. The wool silk cloth must be doubled in some way to make it fall smoothly. Yet no folds or puckers are visible: the sign of superior tailoring!
This is absolutely true, as evidenced by the wide range of opinions we have here on the blog whenever we consider one hat worn with multiple outfits, or one outfit worn with different hats!
A good hat in a lovely colour. I just baulk a bit at the blue fuchsias – I know some have been bred in a bluer colour, but it isn’t the natural colour, so I’m not sure why you wouldn’t choose a flower that is more associated with the colour – there are plenty of them! Perhaps I’m being too literal…
This is so lovely. I like the burst of flowers and the color is fantastic on Her Majesty. I love that the Earl of Strathearn is accompanying her. On a side note, the Earl and Countess of Forfar are also in Scotland. I wonder if they’ll do a joint engagement with The Queen?
I love this new hat — this shade of blue is one of my favorites on HM, it suits her so well. And the profusion of embellishment flowers is so cheerful without being overdone!
Does anyone know why she changed her brooch in the middle of her outing?
Wearing a regimental brooch to a soft drinks factory would not have been appropriate but, courteous as ever, the Queen wore her regimental brooch while visiting and inspecting soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland in the afternoon.
I am no expert on HM’s jewelry, but I’m guessing that the round one with pearls has a more general significance (probably related to Scotland) while the large “X” brooch appears to have a more military look, probably related to the unit that she was reviewing at the Ceremony of the Keys.
I have a new favourite blue hat! I just love this interesting – but non-gimmicky – crown. The blue is like a glorious summer sky, and the trim is really attractive.
The brooch worn in the afternoon is the regimental badge of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and was the gift of the regiment to HM the Queen on the formation of the regiment in 2006.
Thank you, Hazell! For some reason despite the time span, your reply to Jake didn’t show up on my computer until after I had posed the same question.
It’s interesting how the new hats are being premiered on smaller outings like this, while she’s been repeating for the big events (Parliament, Trooping, Ascot, etc.). Overall this is a fantastic hat and this particular shade of blue is very flattering for HM; the brooch from the AG Barr factory visit also suits this ensemble very well IMO (the other one I don’t recall ever seeing, but then again, I’m always focused on the hats haha). My only minor concern is the brim feels a bit awkward when viewed at certain angles, but again a tiny complaint. Brava!
It is a lovely hat – the brim turned up all the way round frames her face so well, and the colour is so lovely and cheery with the white flowers breaking it up.
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I did wonder at first if it was this hat reshaped a bit, but the brim is wider I think, plus the other one has a grey lining and the blue is different.. It’s a direct sibling though, but on reflection I prefer this newer one.
I suspect we’ll see this hat a fair bit, it’s probably replacing the blue one from George’s christening that was such a well worn favourite.
The two crowns certainly come off the same hat block! The one you posted is felt, while today’s hat is straw with fabric covering the crown.
Oh I see – I’d thought it was felt (it’s chilly again here) but I get it now!
Are you sure that today’s hat is straw? No matter how much I blow up the photos, it still looks like felt on the brim.
There is no felt on this hat at all. The crown and underside of the brim are covered in the same fabric as the Queen’s coat (a wool-silk crepe by the looks of it) – and fabric covered hats in summer have a straw base. If you look at this photo, you’ll see the top side of the brim is clearly straw.
Love the hat, just ideal for her. The entire outfit is one of her best. Look at the tailoring detail on the coat. What an amazing lady.
And nice to see William supporting her.