to September 1998 and the opening of the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lampur when Queen Elizabeth wore one of the most oddly shaped hats (a folded pyramid atop a ruched turban trimmed with flowers and bows) I’ve ever seen. The shape and construction of this piece is so unique you’d think it would stick out in memory but I sincerely don’t think I’ve seen it before. Do any of you remember this peculiar piece?

UPDATE: Angela Kelly references this hat in her book, telling a fun story how it arrived from the milliner and, slightly perplexed by the design, the Queen decided it worked better worn backwards!

 to August 2, 1998 and a sunny yellow hat with wide silk hatband and back bow worn to church at Sandringham. The upswept brim (best visible in the bottom photo) is a precursor to many of the hats we see Queen Elizabeth wear today and doesn’t quite fit with the standard late 1990s millinery shapes that immediately come to mind when thinking of this era. Of all the hats we’ve seen during this series, I think this one is most wearable today.

 to July 26, 1989 and a periwinkle blue bumper hat with back bow worn to a Buckingham Palace garden party. This hat and accompanying frock don’t scream 1980s to me like many other hats worn during this period- do any of you remember seeing it before?

 to July 22, 1999 and a visit to Liverpool that saw the Queen in a pale, sage green straw hat with a wide, cartwheel brim and tall crown, wrapped in pleated an ruched straw. There’s also a pink and green cord of some sort dotted through that crown wrap, tying the hat Queen Elizabeth’s green printed dress. It’s an interesting piece I can’t recall seeing before.

 Continuing our second week of 30 new-to-me older hats worn by Queen Elizabeth over the past 40 years with a jump back in time to August 8, 1978 and a bumper hat with a tall raised polka dot brim and trailing bow at the back worn on a visit to Canada.