The Queen's Hat (The Queen Collection)

Product Information

Whilst uncommon for official occasions, the Queen often wears scarves wrapped around her head, especially when pursuing her hobbies as a photographer and horse rider.

Most consideration is given to the Queen’s hats when she is going abroad, with designers often adding emblems as a nod to the country she is visiting.Valerie Lee – English – an in-house milliner – little is known about her, but she worked with dress maker Ian Thomas in the 80s.

Her Majesty lived her life to its full every day, recognising and respecting the privilege, importance and influence of her position, wielding it in the most dignified way. And as a female monarch, she offered continuous inspiration and hope to women of all ages, bringing integrity, grace, intellect and immeasurable value to society - all whilst privately balancing being a mother, a grandmother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, and a friend - every day her life. Marie O’Reagan – of the London College of Fashion - replaced Valerie Lee to work with Ian Thomas. Made hats for the Queen until 1993.Another very famous look, though perhaps more divisive, is the hat that Her Majesty wore for the Investiture of the Prince of Wales at Caernarvon Castle in 1969. You don’t have to be a huge fan of this look to appreciate its place in history. It’s another Simone Mirman creation, made of primrose yellow silk, and it features a huge amount of embellishment which adds texture to the whole look. However, the most striking part of this design is the sides of the hat which almost completely enclose the head. It is said to have been partly inspired by Tudor times and there’s certainly an element of the hoods worn by royal women of the time. For others, it was a bit of a helmet hat. Either way, this one hat is hugely emblematic, another of the most famous looks in the long reign of Elizabeth II. The Queen and Princess Margaret initially dressed very much alike, mirroring their mother’s style. As they matured they began to wear berets on a jaunty angle, both for official occasions and when they became part of the Girls Guides of the Palace. Traditionally, all the hats worn by the Royal ladies must turn up and away from the brow, or at the very least reveal the face. More recently, Angela Kelly has made most of the Queen’s hats – and outfits. She began as the Queen’s dresser in 1993, became her personal assistant and senior dresser in 2002, and in 2007 became the “Personal assistant, Advisor and Curator to HM Queen for Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe”. Make a note of the places mentioned in the story and find them on a map. Could you plot the route that the Queen takes throughout the story? If you were to recreate the journey, how would you travel to each location? How long might each step take?

The very stylish Queen Alexandra (who died a year before the Queen was born so would have only been seen in photographs) This pink hat by Angela Kelly, as worn to Royal Ascot in 2016, is definitely my favourite of The Queen’s. One would typically think of berries as more of a Christmas-related trim, but the clusters of pale pink berry sprays across her hat ended up being perfect for a June event like Ascot. The curled white ribbon weaving through the berries adds additional interest to the piece and really ties in nicely with the trim on her coat here. It’s really just a stunning style, and I appreciate the berries as something different when you typically see flowers on a spring/summer hat.The Queen’s hat makers worked very closely with the dress makers, so much so that initially the dress maker would put his/her own label in the hat rather than the milliners! As babies, the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, often wore little caps with lace. The fashion at the time was to dress babies in wool, but the Queen’s Mother – the Duchess of York – reportedly preferred ‘frilly babies’ instead.

The Queen’s mother (who continued to dress in a feminine, soft way despite the trend for ‘mannish’ androgynous clothes in the 20s). Make a list of the verbs used in the story. How does the author describe the movement of the hat as it flies away? At George VI’s coronation in 1937, the Queen and Princess Margaret wore little ‘Coronettes’ made by Garrard & Co. Inside the rims, there were little ‘sausages’ made of silk and wadding to make them more comfortable for the little girls - but they still weren’t easy to wear for many hours! Can you find any examples of forces taking place in the illustrations? Create your own force diagrams using arrows. Since his 2014 debut, multi award-winning author-illustrator Steve Antony has so far written and illustrated 18 picture books and sold over one million copies worldwide, and 7 of his titles have been nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

When it comes to hats, Her Majesty certainly has a long reign of fabulous headgear to consider. From ladylike 1950s hats with netting to trendy turbans in the 1970s and even floral-covered shower cap-style hats, we’ve seen it all from The Queen. The Queen has often worn feathers, with hat maker Freddie Fox considered a ‘master’ of hat/feather creations. His top tip is to use heat to spruce up feathers – so if you have any that need livening up, gently use a hair dryer on them! Whether you’re a fan of it or not, there’s no denying Queen Elizabeth II’s style is iconic. Even bets are held on what colour she'll wear for her next public outing. At least there's one thing you can definitely put your money on: she’ll be wearing a hat.