In the late 1960s, Queen Elizabeth wore a turquoise silk coat atop a yellow and turquoise floral dress with two very different millinery looks:
Look #1: In Malta in1967 with a yellow straw braid hat with upturned brim.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Look #2: At the Epsom races in June 1968 in a blue silk chevron turban.
Which look do you prefer?!
A
Thanks to longtime reader Jimbo for forwarding these photos and suggesting a comparison!
Images from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
The straw hat is lovely and provides contrast and ties well with the dress. The turban is just not massively attractive IMHO…
Honestly at first glance of the first photo I thought the straw hat was elongated with a brown top, then I realized it was just something in the background
Looking at the Ascot photo, HM could have borrowed the QM’s hat for a third look!
Type in Google: “Queen Elizabeth July 2, 1967” and the first photo shows HM wearing all white: gloves, shoes, and purse. It’s a Pinterest photo, so alas I can’t include it here.
I found an interesting b/w of this straw hat – it has ribbon streamers in the rear. Matthew, “youthful” indeed!
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ii-of-great-britain-visiting-malta-malta-news-photo/141556818
I also included a 1:47 video of HM at Epsom – you get a wonderful feel from all sides of the turban. I hope someone will enjoy this.
Jimbo, I did type in as suggested and found a photo with white accessories, as you say. Too funny. I think someone has taken it upon themselves to “improve” the fashion!
I agree that the white gloves and black handbag are a detriment to the ensemble as worn in Malta, but IMO that should not factor into our opinion of the hats. I do like the turban for matching the coat, and the yellow straw for matching the dress. (And I will say that it annoys me even to the most recent times when HM wears a dress covered by a coat and then wears a hat that only matches the dress which we cannot see, but in this case, due to the cut of the coat, we can always see the dress.) But what I notice from the side-by-side pair of photos is what a youthful look the straw hat is, and what a mature, almost “old lady” look I see in the turban, even though the two photos were taken only months apart. On that basis alone, I’m voting for the yellow straw!
I agree that the turban looked more matronly, but possibly because similar hats were so popular amongst ladies of a certain age in my childhood!
I also agree about hats that match an invisible dress.
I like the turban best with this coat.
The turban outfit just looks more cohesive with dark gloves/purse and turquoise coat/hat.
Nothing wrong with the straw – an attractive hat that works wonderfully well with the floral dress. But add in white gloves and dark purse and it just feels unfocused.
Pinterest has a photo dated July 2, 1967(?) with HM wearing white shoes and purse, instead of the black accessories in today’s post. Alas, I can’t include it here.
I found two close-up shots of both hats. The black/white photos sometimes bring out the pattern depth better. Notice the trailing ribbon on the yellow, while the turban has an almost metallic sheen to it. In person, it must have been awesome.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/queen-elizabeth-ii-of-great-britain-visiting-malta-malta-news-photo/141556818
https://www.alamy.com/a-close-up-of-the-queen-during-todays-visit-to-pembrokeshire-england-10-august-1968-image437722780.html
Finally, a brief 1:47 minute video of the 1968 Epsom Races. Enjoy.
The yellow hat definitely makes the dress(at least what can be seen). On the other hand, the turban makes the coat.
IMHO the yellow straw hat looks too casual for this silk coat and dress. I am not a fan of turbans, but this chevron design and matching color elevate this ensemble.