The Queen’s wardrobe is often interpreted as relaying coded messages from a monarch constitutionally bound to remain mute on political issues of the day.
So when she wore a bold blue hat with yellow flowers bearing an uncanny resemblance to the EU flag during the state opening of parliament in 2017, many thought it carried serious import. Could it be, Twitter asked that Her Majesty was a remainer?
The image even prompted Guy Verhofstadt , the European parliament lead negotiator on Brexit, to tweet: “Clearly the EU still inspires some in the UK”.
Alas, the truth, it would appear, is more mundane. Angela Kelly, the Queen’s dresser for a quarter of a century, has set the record straight in her book: The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe.
It was pure coincidence, Kelly states in her book, said to have been personally approved by the Queen, and serialised in Hello! magazine.
Of the hat, Kelly writes “it never occurred to her” or to milliner Stella McLaren that the hat would be compared to the EU flag, which consists of a circle of 12 yellow stars against a blue background.
The Queen had worn the hat after opting to wear day dress instead of the traditional robe and imperial state crown to the state opening in June 2017, which because of the snap general election was scaled down as it took place only four days after trooping the colour.
It also fell during Royal Ascot, a sacrosanct engagement in the royal diary, and so the outfit enabled the Queen to facilitate a quick wardrobe change before trotting off to the races.
Kelly said: “I had already had in stock some material suitable for Her Majesty’s outfit, so after I’d checked the background against which the Queen would be sitting – to be sure the colours wouldn’t clash – I made the design and passed it, with my instructions, to the in-house dressmaker.”
Kelly and the milliner then discussed how to top off the outfit, and decided on a Breton-brim block-style hat so that the Queen’s face could be clearly seen.
The eventual design featured five flowers made from feathers with tiny seed pearls painted in yellow.
“It never occurred to Stella and me that people might think we were copying the European Union flag,” insisted Kelly. “It was a coincidence but, boy, did it attract a lot of attention, and it certainly made us smile”.
It is not the only time the Queen’s outfit has been deemed to convey a subliminal message. During the 2018 visit of the US president, Donald Trump, great significance was placed on her choice of brooches: the first had been gifted by his predecessor, Barack Obama; the second by Canada, with whom Trump was not best pleased; and the third had previously been worn by her mother, Queen Elizabeth, at the funeral of her father, George VI. Just what was Her Majesty trying to say?
