Tag Archives: Queen Elizabeth

Hats From The Past

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Royal Hats Here are three royal hats worn on this day by three generations of the British royal family. While the timeline here covers sixty years, we still see iterations of these hat styles and shapes today.

Queen Mary, February 12, 1932

Queen Elizabeth in Kuwait, February 12, 1979

Princess Diana in India (wearing a Philip Somerville design), February 12, 1992

Photo from Getty as indicated

One Coat, Two Hats

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Royal HatsOn Sunday, Queen Elizabeth surprised us by wearing this new red hat to church:

Designer: I suspect Angela Kelly
This was unusual for a couple of reasons. The Queen does not usually use Sunday church as an occasion to début a new hat- she usually saves new pieces for big events such as Trooping the Colour, state visits and Ascot. The new hat was also paired with a red coat and printed black and red silk dress we’ve seen before, back in April 2012, on a Diamond Jubilee visit to Greenwich:

Designer: I suspect Angela Kelly
The original hat worn with this dress and coat was a rather stark design with tall, flat crown and flat brim. Now here is where things get interesting (thanks to additional sleuthing from readers Baxter and Snug Harbour)- this original hat also appears to have made its debut at Sunday church in Norfolk, back in 2010 (below).  If you look closely, you’ll see that the hat was paired with the same coat usually worn with a Rachel Trevor Morgan designed hat (below, bottom).
This begs some interesting questions- was the flat topped hat brought in to replace the beautiful flowered RTM design and didn’t cut the mustard? Was it lurking about in the Queen’s closet without an assigned coat to accompany until 2012? Is it more than coincidence that these two red coats are exactly the same shades? And is there a reason why the flat topped hat was worn just once with Sunday’s coat before being replaced (I assume) by the red and black hat?
All these questions and millinery mystery aside, I think this retirement was a good call. The flat-topped hat’s shape, reminiscent of a Pilgrim or Puritan hat, combined with its lack of embellishment makes for an extremely austere piece that I don’t think works with the floral print dress and Peter Pan collared coat nor is flattering on the Queen. I suppose that sometimes, designs on paper just don’t translate well in reality and when that happens, going back to the drawing board is the best option.
I much prefer the new hat but I do not expect you all to agree! So I’m curious- which hat do you prefer?
Photos from Getty and Rex Features as indicated

Queen On Post Church Walkabout

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After attending church yesterday at the Church of St Peter & St Paul in West Newton near their Sandingham Estate, Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh took part in a ‘walkabout’, meeting members of the public gathered to greet them. The Queen wore a repeated vibrant red coat, paired with a new hat. The modified cloche, covered in the same red wool crepe as Her Majesty’s coat, featured a tall, squared crown, and short, downward facing brim. Finished off with black and red bands around the base of the crown, black side bow loops and two curling red feathers, the high contrast hat coordinates well with the black and red print of the Queen’s dress. While my verdict is out on the shape, the trim is tightly executed (no feather explosions here) and the hat is all the better for it.

Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images

Designer: I suspect Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: This hat is new
Later this week, I’ll contrast this hat with the design previously worn with this coat. In the meantime, what do you think of the Queen’s new hat?
Photos from Getty as indicated

This Week’s Extras

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Royal Hats

Queen Máxima wore a new pillbox covered in brown feathers last weekend to a meeting in Delft about sustainable energy (Royal House of the Netherlands). I missed this in our January new hat finals so if you like this piece, leave a comment and I’ll include it in our February poll.

Queen Elizabeth wore a hat to church last Sunday that has not been seen out since 2007 (see its last outing here). Princess Anne joined her parents for Sunday service in a floppy velvet and tweed hat we’ve seen before as well. (Daily Mail)

One of milliner Stephen Jones’ sketches has been turned into a lovely limited-edition brooch for Brain Tumour Research and Wear A Hat Day (Stephen Jones)

Holyrood House is set to open a landmark exhibition this spring of more than 150 of Queen Elizabeth’s gowns, dresses, coats and hats (Daily Mail). I dearly hope that one of our Edingburgh readers will visit and share their experience with us!

Royal Hats

Happy news from Bhutan’s King and Queen who welcomed a prince yesterday (King Jigme’s Facebook)

Interesting Danish documentary on Queen Margrethe’s art and design (DR.dk)

Interview with Princess Marie on the occasion of her 40th birthday (Crown Chronicles)

The Imeperial couple looking even more adorable than usual on vacation (Imperial Family of Japan blog)

Queen Visits Norfolk Hospice

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Queen Elizabeth visited The Norfolk Hospice at Hillington near her Sandringham estate this morning to meet with patients, trustees, volunteers and medical professionals of the hospice which which has been serving its local community for over 30 years. For this event, she repeated her vibrant blue hat with upturned straw brim, silk crepe covered crown and velvet flower trim. The photos today show the how closely the the velvet flowers on the hat relate to the print of her silk dress, a connection lost to me until now. It’s this kind of design detail that pulls an ensemble harmoniously together and while I’m still not sure of the chevron button closure on her coat, the hat remains a real winner for me.

Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images

Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: October 15, 2015; October 30, 2014;  November 8, 2013; December 25, 2012
Photos from Getty as indicated