Royal protocol says that women must wear hats to all official occasions.
That rule explains why Queen Elizabeth is rarely seen without one. And she's known for matching her headwear to her vibrant outfits.
We rounded up some of the queen's most iconic hats, dating all the way back to her teenage years.
The following 40 photos show that no matter how creative her headwear gets, Queen Elizabeth always keeps it classy.
The queen's hat-wearing days started all the way back when she was just a 12-year-old princess.
Princess Elizabeth standing to attention at the rehearsal of the Aldershot tattoo in Aldershot, Hampshire, England.
By the time she was 24, she had graduated to more flamboyant choices, like this velvet hat that boasted quite the feather.
Wearing a new velvet cloche type hat adorned with double plume, Princess Elizabeth smiles winsomely at Buckingham Palace in London.
Almost 70 years later, the queen wore a similar feathered hat.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visits the ZSL London Zoo and opens The Land Of The Lions.
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