Queen says priority is to secure best possible Brexit in 2017
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On June 21, 2017, a few months following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, Queen Elizabeth II opened Parliament and laid out the Government’s intention to deliver the eight bills necessary for Brexit. For the occasion, she chose an outfit some royal watchers said had a hidden meaning – it happened to be in the colours of the European Union flag.
According to the Royal Family’s website, royals, and especially the monarch, “has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters”. But this rule seems to have been broken by some royals on certain occasions.
In June 2017, the Queen wore a blue and yellow hat that looked suspiciously like the European Union (EU) flag. It sparked discussions online that the late monarch was saying goodbye to the EU in her own way.
The hat was an extravagant blue, straw-like, wide-brimmed hat, featuring five blue flowers.
These seemed to symbolise the EU flag’s stars as their centres were bright yellow.
The Queen’s coat was also blue and her dress matched her hat – it was a yellow frock adorned with blue flowers.
The Telegraph has previously claimed that the Queen was pro-Brexit, based on a rumour that she said Britain should “just get on with” leaving the EU. But this is hearsay.
There is no way to know for sure if there was a hidden political message behind the Queen’s outfit on June 21, 2017, but many Britons took to social media at the time to share their suspicions.
One Twitter user wrote: “Is the Queen sending a message by wearing a ‘European’ hat? Blue with gold stars?”
Another Twitter user commented: “Is The Queen’s hat inspired by the European Union flag? I always thought she was a remainer.”
One user added: “Is it just me, or does the Queen look like she’s dressed in EU blue, with a ring of European stars on her hat?”
However, according to Angela Kelly, the late Queen’s personal dresser and friend, the blue and yellow outfit was only a coincidence.
She explained further in her book The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe.
Angela wrote: “We chose a Breton-brim block style, which would create an upturned brim, so Her Majesty’s face could be clearly seen, and The Queen could see everyone in the room.
“We chose a large square crown to balance the brim and five flowers, made from feathers with tiny seed pearls, painted yellow.
“It never occurred to Stella and me that people might think we were copying the European Union flag.
“The press and the rest of the media were quick to assume that was the case.”
Stella was the milliner who worked with Angela to create the Queen’s outfit.
Angela went on to joke that the media speculation surrounding the Queen’s hat “made us smile”.
The opening of Parliament ceremony in June 2017 was paired down compared to previous years because it took place just four days after the Trooping the Colour. It was deemed infeasible for the military to stage two major events in such a short period.
Since it was more understated than usual, the Queen wore a normal day outfit instead of ceremonial robes.
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