The Queen's Hat (The Queen Collection)

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The only thing our team at Royal Central is betting on? Amazing chapeaus! Here, a look at our favourite hats from Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Kristin Contino, Chief Reporter Make a list of the verbs used in the story. How does the author describe the movement of the hat as it flies away? But, as the Head of State, she recognised that she had to move to always wearing British (unlike Princess Margaret who often frequented the likes of Dior). Despite this, most of her hat makers were foreign, but moved to London for their careers. 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.

The Queen was notoriously uninterested in clothes, but recognised how much of an important propaganda tool they could be, so ensured that she took careful notice of what she wore. From small and simple to over-the-top, the right hat completes any royal outfit. This autumn, our team is taking a look at their favourite royal hats from over the years. 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.

More teaching resources that might come in handy when planning activities around ‘The Queen’s Hat’:

If you’re interested in making a classroom display based on what you’re class have learned alongside reading ‘The Queen’s Hat’ then be sure to have a look at our collection of London display resources for KS1 here. About Steve Antony, author of ‘The Queen’s Hat’ Design and make a new hat for a queen to wear on special occasions. Watch this video from British Pathé which shows hats that Queen Elizabeth II wore: It was taken 2 days before she died; her very last public photograph. They say a photo tells a thousand words. This photo tells a story of a woman who unreservedly dedicated herself to her country until the very end. She remained as committed to her sovereign duty at the age of 96 as she was at the age of 25 when she ascended to the throne. Queen Elizabeth II was an extraordinary woman, and whilst we feel deep sadness and loss, we take comfort that she leaves us with love and hope.

Philip Somerville – New Zealander – also worked with Ian Thomas and known for his underbrim styles. Royal Warrant Holder. Steve’s studied at Anglia Ruskin University after taking voluntary redundancy from a Swindon call centre. Steve was part-raised in New Mexico and now lives in Swindon UK with his husband and cat. Aage Thaarup – Danish - often worked with dressmaker Norman Hartnell. Made hats for the Queen from 1950s – 1970s (as well as for many films). Royal Warrant holder. These days, she’s more likely to wear a brightly coloured brimmed style by her longtime dresser, Angela Kelly, who admitted in her book “The Other Side of the Coin” that she sets out different hats to fool members of staff. It’s a popular pastime to bet on the colour of Her Majesty’s hat at Royal Ascot, and Kelly purposely displays various hats so they can’t get any insider tips to place bets.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.

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! Take children on a journey around London with this fabulous book. The pacey story features rhyming, speech rhythms, onomatopoeic words and fantastic visual storytelling. The Kate Greenaway Award-winning illustrations are filled with fun details for children to enjoy. There was a real sense of 'genealogy' of hat makers, with many of them training with similar people – often the German born, but London based, Otto Lucas.The very stylish Queen Alexandra (who died a year before the Queen was born so would have only been seen in photographs) Look at portraits of Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life. Could you look at a photo of her and create a portrait?

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. 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. 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? 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.

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And obviously I wasn’t going to let you miss out. So, thanks to the talk (and a few bits of additional knowledge!) I’ve put together a list of 26 facts you may not have known about the Queen’s hats: Her Royal Style Evolution Look at the illustrations. How many shapes can you find? Where can you see a rectangle or a circle? Can you find horizontal, vertical, perpendicular or parallel lines? Make a written, audio or video travel guide about London or one of the places mentioned in the story. Steve Antony’s charming book is perfect for teaching children about the capital city of England - developing their locational knowledge in line with the national geography curriculum requirements.