Tag Archives: Queen Elizabeth

British Royals Enjoy Epsom Races

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Members of the British Royal Family were spotted enjoying  Derby Day during the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse today. Queen Elizabeth led the entourage in a hat which has not seen the light of day for nearly four years. With a sage green straw cloche base (the same base shape as other Kelly designs), this piece is distinctively enveloped in a wide band of yellow folded straw that extends down over the brim. Trimmed with green and bright pink feathers and a small yellow straw knot, the piece coordinates with the Queen’s printed dress. Coordination, however, is not always enough to make a succhessful ensemble and I am afraid that given the choice, I would put this bulbous hat and dowdy collarless coat into permanent retirement.

Designer: Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: July 12, 2011; May 18, 2011

Princess Alexandra cast an elegant figure in a turquoise tailored jacket and matching new hat. The straw hat featured a rounded crown (lower than the high crowns the Princess usually favours) and a gently upturned brim on one side. Trimmed with swirled feathers and a swath of net tulle, the hat is a beautiful proportion and colour on Alexandra. While this piece might look familiar, I believe it is new (although very similar to this hat in paler blue).

Designer: I believe it is Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Work: This hat is new

Princess Michael of Kent repeated her white picture hat trimmed with an oversize plume of frothy white ostrich feathers encircling the crown. I adore this hat- it makes such a luxurious and grand statement while remaining delicate, light and perfectly balanced. I suspect that only a master can make a hat look like it is floating on air.

Designer: John Boyd
Previously Worn: June 7, 2014
The British royals always look like they are having an immensely fun time at Epsom. What did you think of their hats today?
Photos from Getty as indicated

Queen Elizabeth Celebrates 100 Years of the Women’s Institute

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Queen Elizabeth, the Princess Royal and the Countess of Wessex attended the Centenary Annual Meeting of The National Federation Of Women’s Institute at Royal Albert Hall this morning in London. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of this British Institution, Queen Elizabeth repeated her pale blue straw hat with domed crown, asymmetrical upturned brim, and silk flower and ribbon trim.

Today’s photos award us the best views of this hat and coordinating coat that we have seen to date- views that show incredible detail and coordination between the pieces. The straw of the hat is a perfect match to the crepe of the Queen’s coat, and the same silk has been used for the coat’s buttons and bow trim as well as the bows on the hat and band around the crown. I love the mix of curves in this piece (the domed crown, curved brim) and the placement of silk flowers and silver velvet leaves is masterfully done. This piece is simply exquisite.
Queen Elizabeth, June 4, 2015 in Rachel Trevor Morgan | Royal Hats

Designer: Rachel Trevor Morgan
Previously Worn: June 17, 2014; April 20, 2014
 Photos from Getty as indicated and James Whatling via Corbis

Queen Elizabeth Visits Lancaster

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Queen Elizabeth travelled by train to Lancaster today where she visited Lancaster Castle, Lodge Livery Yard and caught a performance of Shakespeare’s Richard III. For this busy programme,  she wore a vivid turquoise straw hat with squared crown and upturned brim. The hat was trimmed with arrow trimmed white feathers, curled turquoise feather spines and the brim was bound in a wide strip of the same fabric as the Queen’s coat.  The colour is so handsome on Her Majesty and the shape of the crown (a slightly fluted square with a gently domed top) lends considerable style punch to a small-footprint piece. I would prefer the hat without the wide fabric binding on the brim but since it brings the hat and coat  together in a cohesive ensemble, I’ll give it a pass.

British Royals Enjoy Season’s Third Garden Party

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It has been a  busy season of Buckingham Palace garden parties as the Queen hosted the third in as many weeks yesterday afternoon. For this event, Queen Elizabeth repeated her peony pink straw hat with teardrop shaped crown, curved brim and feather trim. While the shape of this hat is not a favourite for me, the Queen wears this bright shade of pink so well and the whimsical feel of the hat feels fitting for a summer party.

Queen Elizabeth, May 28, 2015 in Angela Kelly| Royal Hats

Designer: Angela Kelly
Previously Worn: March 21, 2014; May 14, 2011; February 17, 2011; April 27, 2010; May 21, 2009

Princess Anne, who looked to be enjoying herself immensely, repeated the purple percher hat she wore for the royal wedding in 2011. it seems to me, however, on this outing she changed the angle of the hat’s placement which highlighted its tear drop shape. This change has warmed my reception for this hat and planted a spark of admiration at Anne’s willingness to try a millinery shape so different from what she usually wears.

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: June 21, 2012; April 29, 2011

Princess Beatrice wore a lovely new percher hat described by the designer as an “almond teardrop with silk roses and hand cut feather flowers”. The rosy-tan hue of this piece looks wonderful with Beatrice’s colouring and the lush trimming gives the small hat a substantial sense of occasion. I hope to see this hat again with a different outfit- while the elegant grey dress and white jacket look great on Beatrice, the cool grey hue does not relate in any way to the warm rosy brown hat. This is another case where the individual pieces of this ensemble are individually beautiful but don’t work together.

Designer: Juliette Botterill. It is the “Silk Feather Flower Teardrop” design
Previously Worn: This hat is new

Princess Michael of Kent, who is recovering from eye surgery, coordinated her eyepatch with a black and white ensemble. Her hat, with a squared black crown and oval shaped white brim, was simply trimmed with an oversize white feather. Hats with different coloured crowns and brims can be difficult to balance well (especially with an oval brim) but this one gets it just right.

Princess Michael, May 28, 2015 | Royal Hats

Designer: unknown
Previously Worn: June 8, 2002; June 27, 2000

Which one in this fun quartet of royal hats stood out to you?

Photos from Getty as indicated; Splash News and Splash News via Corbis

British Royals Attend State Opening Of Parliament

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Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal attended the State Opening of Parliament at the House of Westminster today. As she does each year, the Queen arrived wearing the incredible diamond and pearl George IV Diadem (read more about it over at The Order of Sartorial Splendor or The Court Jeweller and peruse great photos over at The Royal Collection). I adore the patriotic floral bouquets between the crosses (thistle for Scotland, rose for England and shamrock for Ireland) which add both feminine and nationalistic notes to this piece. With her lace gown, fur stole and jaw dropping diamond jewels, the Queen looked most regal.

For the ceremony, the Queen wore the greatest piece of royal headgear in existence today, the Imperial State Crown.

You can see more detailed photos of this famous piece here at the Royal Collection and I encourage you to watch the short documentary on it below, presented by the Queen herself.

The Duchess of Cornwall wore the Greville tiara (see an excellent history of this tiara here). The honeycomb design of this piece suits Camilla very well and its pairing with her magnificent white embroidered gown was absolutely stunning.

Princess Anne wore her uniform as Colonel of the Blues and Royals. While it sadly, was not a gown or tiara, it is a uniform that Anne wears so very well.

It was a rather glittering day in London for the British Royals today. Any day where royal tiaras see the light of day is a good day, don’t you agree?!

Photos from Getty as indicated