Queen Elizabeth II is also the Queen of Hats

In an age when few people wear hats on a daily basis, consider this: Queen Elizabeth II, whose rule began on Feb. 6, 1952, has had 5,000 hats protecting her pate during her reign as England's monarch.

Considered substitutes for the royal crown, hats enable Queen Elizabeth to be easily identified in a crowd, shield her from the glare of the sun, add height to her diminutive stature, and supply a bit of flair for her rather lackluster color-coordinated wardrobe. Her Majesty's hats also act as cover-ups, eliminating the need for constant hair-tending for a woman whose existence is an endless round of appointments, appearances and activities.

For the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 2003, a retrospective of Her Majesty's fashion accessories, "Hats and Handbags: Accessories From the Royal Wardrobe," was exhibited at Kensington Palace. The items displayed were chosen by the queen and her senior couturiers, and provided a unique glimpse of the fashion trademarks of her long reign. Emphasizing the hat as a work of art, the exhibition showcased 100 examples of headwear including several pieces from the queen's childhood and days as a young princess -- pillboxes, feathered and flowered confections, turbans, sculpted straws, and a number of out of the ordinary choices.