Uncategorized

What colour will the Queen wear to the Diamond Jubilee?

Our resident royal enthusiast is banking on yellow.

It may not be the most burning question in the world, but it’s one that just begs for an office pool. This isn’t as daft as it sounds. After all, hundreds of thousands of pounds are bet on the colour of the Queen’s hat at Ascot every year.

Nearly every shade of the colour wheel is on the table—well, except beige, which the Queen never wears, though she will accept ecru or oatmeal. As Anne Kingston’s article states, she picks “Easter-egg pastel and gem-bright outfits than can be readily spotted in a crowd.” Just look at the montage of pictures that accompany the piece!

Vogue studied all her outfits for a 12-month period and discovered that she wears shades of blue 29 per cent of the time, followed by floral (13 per cent), green (11 per cent), while pink and purple tied at 10 per cent.

We do know that she’s got to pick something that will stand out, will instantly scream “THE QUEEN” and yet not go a-flutter in the wind. (The same rules apply to her hat: it can’t be too big, will likely have a brim—she’s been wearing a lot of those lately—and will certainly be held firmly in place by the judicious use of hat pins.)

Since she wore pink at her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and blue for her Golden Jubilee in 2002, I’m wagering a small bet on yellow for her Diamond Jubilee service and parade on Tuesday. Why? Partly because it’s a sunny, happy shade and partly because she just loves the colour.

And FYI, here’s the penultimate “Build a Queen” that our office is constructing. It’s a moving tribute, but I’m not sure how the Queen would feel about seeing Herself minus a regal head. (Usually a bad thing for monarchs.)

 

 

Looking for more?

Get the Best of Maclean's sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for news, commentary and analysis.
  • By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.