The Queen once deliberately wore her hat backwards on a Royal tour, her dressmaker reveals
THE Queen once deliberately wore her hat backwards while on a Royal tour due to a last minute change of heart, her dressmaker has revealed.
The monarch is known for her colourful sense of style, with every outfit meticulously planned down to the accessories and material.
She rarely gets an outfit wrong, and that’s due to the help of Angela Kelly, her personal advisor and senior dresser.
Angela, who’s worked with the 93-year-old since 2002, revealed she got it wrong once, while the Queen was on a Royal tour in Malaysia.
Writing in her tell-all book The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe, Angela, 52, admitted she picked an unflattering hat for the monarch.
The Queen was visiting Kuala Lumpur in 1998, to close the Commonwealth Games.
Due to warm climate, it was decided the Queen would wear a dress and hat, but no coat or jacket.
Angela selected a coral dress for the Queen with a matching hat, with white shoes, gloves and handbag.
But as soon as Angela took the hat out of its box, she knew it was wrong.
She wrote: “As soon as I had it in my hands, I knew, deep down, that it was not going to suit the Queen.
“With a commanding shell-like brim and a very large flower on the reverse, it was certainly an interesting and beautifully made piece, but I had a gut feeling that it would not complement the outfit or enhance Her Majesty’s features.”
Rather than let the Queen wear something which wouldn’t suit her, Angela bit the bullet and shared her opinion with the monarch.
Angela said: “As the morning went on, I became increasingly worried, so I decided I had to raise my concern and face the consequences later.
“So, I waited for the Queen to come into the dressing room, took a deep breath, and said, ‘Your Majesty, I don’t think you should wear this hat. It is not the right design for you and it won’t suit you.’
“A long silence followed before she eventually looked up and said, ‘Well, it’s a bit late now. What else can I wear? I must wear it.’
“Although I admired her pragmatic approach, I was insistent.”
Angela came up with an unusual solution – to wear the hat backwards.
She continued: “I told her I had been examining the hat from all angles and that it would be better worn back to front.
“The Queen couldn’t believe that this would work. I told her that, if she did not believe me, she should consult the Duke of Edinburgh, as he always tells her the truth.”
Angela said the Queen did indeed ask Prince Philip, 98, his thoughts on the hat.
Angela added: “At this point, I left the room feeling somewhat terrified, as you can imagine. Before long, Her Majesty called me back.
“She had consulted His Royal Highness and, after an amusing conversation, in which I imagine The Duke didn’t hold back, the Queen had decided to wear the hat the wrong way around, as I had suggested.”
Snaps from the tour reveal the Queen’s vibrant outfit, with that hat now known to have been worn back-to-front.
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