Queen Elizabeth's Most Colorful Dress Collection With Matching Hats
Queen Elizabeth II, the beloved monarch, passed away on Sept. 8, 2022 at the age of 96. The messages of love and condolences for the royal family poured from across the world. Not only was Queen Elizabeth II the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she ruled for those 70 years with wisdom, grace, and serious style — including one of the best, most colorful hat collections we’ve ever seen.
She was known for her style, especially at events like the Trooping the Colour parade, where she showed off spectacular royal family fashions. Queen Elizabeth II (and her many hats) are known for dressing to stand out, and the royal was once quoted by biographer Robert Hardman as saying “I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am.”
Queen Elizabeth II didn’t just sport a hat in every color of the rainbow because she knew it looked fabulous — she wanted to make herself easily visible in a crowd and stand out for the people who were there to see her. And stand out she did, as anyone with an eye for the monarch’s fashion can attest. From neon green to sunshine yellow, the Queen wore a rainbow of festive shades. Any color you can think of the Queen had a hat for that.
To be clear: the Queen would be a legend no matter what she wore. But her playful, bright sense of fashion made us love her all the more.
Today, two years ago, Elizabeth passed away. To honor her colorful fashion sense, here are some of our favorite brightly-colored outfit toppers over the years, complete with matching overcoats.
A version of this article was originally published in April 2020.
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Mauve
Queen Elizabeth II visited the MI5 headquarters in a mauve hat.
Bright Purple
Queen Elizabeth II visited the Royal British Legion Industries Village in a bright purple hat.
Fuchsia
Queen Elizabeth II visited The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn in a fuchsia hat.
Stone Blue
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the Hull Railway Station in a stone blue hat.
Cornflower Blue
The Queen attended the 2019 Royal Ascot Day 1 in a cornflower blue hat.
Violet
The Queen attended QIPCO British Champions Day in a violet hat.
Pale Blue
Queen Elizabeth II arrived at Balmoral in a pale blue hat.
Sky Blue
Queen Elizabeth II attended the 2019 Royal Ascot Day 2 in a sky-blue hat.
Indigo
Queen Elizabeth II visited the Royal Philatelic Society in an indigo hat.
Bright Blue
Queen Elizabeth II opened the new Haig Housing Trust development in Morden in a bright blue hat.
Lapis Lazuli
Queen Elizabeth II attends the Centenary of Royal Army Chaplains’ Department’s ‘Royal’ Prefix in a lapis lazuli hat.
Forest Green
Queen Elizabeth II arrived at the Newbury race course in a forest green outfit.
Sapphire
Queen Elizabeth II opened the new Headquarters of Schroders in a sapphire hat.
Lime Green
Queen Elizabeth visited Manor Farm Stables in Somerset in a lime green hat.
Butter Yellow
Queen Elizabeth II attended the Royal Maundy Service in a butter yellow hat.
Pink & Cream
Queen Elizabeth II visited RAF Marham in a pink and cream hat.
Peach
Queen Elizabeth II attended St. Peter and St. Paul church in a peach hat.
Tiger Orange
Queen Elizabeth II visited the Science Museum in a tiger orange hat.
Lemonade Pink
Queen Elizabeth II attended the 2019 Royal Garden Party in a lemonade pink hat.
Bright Pink
Queen Elizabeth II visits the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in a bright pink hat.
Punch Pink
Queen Elizabeth attended the 2019 Royal Ascot Day 4 in a punch pink hat.
Bright Red
Queen Elizabeth II attended the 2019 Christmas Day church service at Sandringham in a bright red ensemble.
