From 2008 until 2018, Queen Elizabeth wore this red felt hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan with silk roses and a beaded, double figure eight bow on at least twelve occasions. Don’t you love when a royal hat is so beloved by its wearer?!
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Image from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
HQ, you noted at least twelve wearings of this beloved hat. That red is what I would call the perfect red!
It makes me ponder how HM decides which hat or outfit for which events. Sometimes there is a consideration of protocol or diplomacy, or smart colour contrast – for example, a strong contrasting colour when sitting for regimental photos. But then I wonder when the magic moment comes just because HM likes something. It has been noted that she often picks brooches for their associations, so I suspect equal thought goes to which hat/outfit.
And does she sometimes possibly wish she could wear something on more occasions than she does? Even favourites seem to be retired. Some due to changing fashions, or probably the need to be seen to not be wearing the same thing worn for another crowd. And possible bets at Ascot! Some wearings may even be to support various designers who count on your business.
So, a well-loved hat. A happy hat.
Such a fabulous color and hat! Love it! She looks smashing in it.
great craftsmanship
The hat is great – color, shape, design, all of it, but one positive and one negative take-away from Hat #13:
Positive: The 2nd photo of Group #1 of HM and Philip sharing the blanky at the Braemar Games always tickled me.
Negative: The inner lining of the coat is consistently visible in many of the photos, such as the same photo mentioned in the positive.
You know, I was noticing that also, Jimbo (the coat lining), but I can’t decide if it’s a flaw or stylistic. We would need more full-length shots of HM facing to the left to decide for sure. If you look at the first photo in group 3, you can see that there is a rather long swath of red both in front and in back of the pink, which for store-bought mass-produced clothing, I would have said the seam has opened. But the pink inside is not a raw edge, as it might have been for lining fabric on a seam, and HM’s clothing is custom made and generally so perfectly tailored that it’s hard to believe that this would have occurred unnoticed. We’ll probably never know, but it’s interesting to wonder.
It’s a style feature. It only goes down to the end of the panel where the concealed buttons are. It’s a really difficult thing to do well. It’s nothing to do with the lining of the coat which is red as you can see that in full length photos. It’s a silk button holder. There are two photos where it can all be seen clearly but I can’t post them. 92486624 and 92490271 are the numbers on each photo where it can be seen clearly.
Thanks, Lesley! I learned two things from your post — first, about the silk button holder, which I had never heard of before, and second, that you could search for Getty images just by number, which I previously didn’t know. I couldn’t find any full-length photos that definitively showed the coat lining as red, but here is one where you can really see the pink insert quite clearly all the way down.
Embed from Getty Images
Matthew, you’re welcome! It’s only by fluke that I found the numbers as I was looking at full length pictures.
I’ve loved this series so much – I’m a huge fan of good tailoring and seeing the Queen’s hats and outfits on here each day has highlighted just how super her clothing has been through the years. I might not like a hat or outfit, but I can appreciate the workmanship. I didn’t like the aqua and peach hat and outfit of a few days ago. I never feel that peach is a colour that works well on QEII and the neckline looked all wrong.
Thank you Lesley! That’s so interesting. I think I’ve seen similar in very old garments before fastenings became more sophisticated.
Beautiful red hat, gorgeous splash of color. The red coat is divine, showcasing her fabulous brooches.
One of my all-time favorites! Gorgeous color and the beaded figure eight bow sets off the roses beautifully!
Lovely. A simply elegant hat and look for Queen Elizabeth with a beautiful selection of brooches.
I love this hat and her ensemble! Definitely one to wear over and over!
One of the more memorable hats she wore in 2008 was this braided straw design with floral trim, also by Rachel Trevor Morgan. Unfortunately, I think this was just worn once.
Embed from Getty Images
I don’t remember seeing this one before. Very unusual but very pretty .