Walking down the Mall recently, I came across  two bronze reliefs by Paul Day (the man responsible for the statue of two lovers at St Pancras Station).  They are part of the memorial to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Beneath the statues of her and her husband, King George VI, are these reliefs highlighting key aspects of her life.  The one on the left is set in wartime Britain, with the royal couple meeting people in a blitzed East End of London.  The hat she is wearing wouldn’t look amiss at a royal event this year.

The frieze to the right of the statue is of a slightly older Queen Mother enjoying life at Royal Ascot, an event that still requires (or at least encourages) the wearing of hats by the laides:

And of  course the men were wearing hats then too:

At the far right of the frieze we see her in her garden at the Castle of Mey in Caithness, with her beloved corgis.  Is she wearing the same hat as at Royal Ascot?

To see these for yourself, after taking a peek at Buckingham Palace, take a stroll up the Mall.  The statues and these friezes are about half way along on the left.

Posted as part of the Sue’s Word a Week Challenge at A Word in Your Ear.