We wrap up our look through all of Queen Elizabeth’s Epsom hats today with a look at those worn this millenium. It’s a colourful, brimmed bunch that contrasts against the hats we’ve seen so far in terms of shape and scale, showing an extension of the impressive arc of evolving millinery style we’ve seen during past decades. My immense thanks to Jimbo for researching photos for this entire series.

Here are the hats Queen Elizabeth wore to the Epsom races from 2000 until last year:

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2000; June 8 and 9, 2001

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2002 and 2003

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2005 and 2006

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2007 and 2008

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2009 and 2010 in Rachel Trevor Morgan

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Rachel Trevor Morgan designs in 2011 and 2012

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Angela Kelly designs (made by Stella McLaren) in 2013 and 2014

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Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) again for 2015 and 2016

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Rachel Trevor Morgan designs in 2017 and 2018

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Angela Kelly (made by Stella McLaren) in 2019

So…. what do you notice about the hats during these two decades?

I hope you have enjoyed this look at the Queen’s Epsom hats, a retrospective replacement for the hats we will not see at the races tomorrow. Here are links to the other three posts in this series:

After sweeping through Queen Elizabeth’s hats worn to the Epsom Races from the late 1940s until 19643 and from 1965 through the end of the 1970s, we turn our attention today to her colourful hats of the 1980s and 1990s. Again, my thanks to reader Jimbo for his assistance with photo research.

Here are the hats Queen Elizabeth wore to the Epsom races from 1965 to 1979:

 
1980, 1981 and 1982

 
1983, 1985 and 1986

 
1987; 1988 in Frederick Fox; 1989 in Philip Somerville

1990 in Philip Somerville; 1991 in Frederick Fox 

 
Frederick Fox designs in both 1992 and 1993

 
1994 and 1995

1996 and 1997

1998 and 1999

What do you notice about Her Majesty’s hats during these two decades?

Stay tuned tomorrow for the last post in this series featuring hats from the past 20 years.

Photos from Wesley/Keystone/Hulton Archive, PA Images, Bob Thomas/Popperfoto, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, David Levenson, Anwar Hussein, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, Martin Keene/PA Images, Tim Graham Photo Library, Tim Graham Photo Library, Bob Thomas Sports Photography, Tim Graham Photo Library, Adrian Dennis and John Stillwell/PA Images all via Getty

In ordinary circumstances, this weekend would see us admiring hats worn by members of the British royal family at Epsom races,  held the first weekend in June at the Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey since 1870. Queen Elizabeth has attended nearly every year of her adult life and this week, we’re going to look at all the hats she has worn to this event.  Immense thanks to Jimbo for his assistance researching these hats. 

Here are the hats Queen Elizabeth wore to the Epsom races from 1947 to 1965:

 
1947: June 3 and June 5, 1948 

1949 and 1950

May 30 and June 1, 1951

  
1953; June 2 and 4, 1954

 
1955 and 1956

June 5 and 7, 1957

June 4, 5 and 6, 1958 

June 3 and 5, 1959

June 1, 2 and 3, 1960  

May 31 and June 2, 1961

1962 and 1963

June 3 and 6, 1964

Retrospective give us a fascinating glimpse of evolving millinery style- I had forgotten reminded me how frothy and romantic Queen Elizabeth’s hats were in the late 1940s (not surprisingly, during her newlywed early 20s). It’s also interesting how the bonnet-shaped brims dominated in the early 1950s were replaced by calots, in various forms, for the rest of the decade. What do you notice about the Queen’s hats over this two decade span?

Stay tuned tomorrow for a look at hats through the rest of the 1960s and 1970s.

Photos from: Popperfoto, Fox Photos/Hulton Archive, Harry Shepherd/Stringer, Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho, Topical Press Agency, Paul Popper/Popperfoto, Paul Popper/Popperfoto, Paul Popper/Popperfoto, Paul Popper /Popperfoto, Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho, Hulton Archive, PA Images, Popperfoto, Popperfoto, Fox Photos/Hulton Archive, PA Images, Fox Photos/Hulton Archive, PA Images, PA Images, PA Images, Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix, Paul Popper/Popperfoto and Fox Photos/Hulton Archive, Ray Bellisario/Popperfoto, Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho, Fox Photos/Hulton Archive, Fox Photos/Hulton Archive, Stanley Sherman/Express, and PA Images,

to May 21, 1991 and proof that the Dutch and Belgian queens are not the first monarch to experiment with open-crowned hats.

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