Elizabeth II's favourite accessory is a firm fashion crowd favourite — and it fits inside a pocket

When the funeral procession for Elizabeth II conveyed her coffin to Windsor Castle, it was watched from a distance by the Queen’s beloved black mare, Emma. Lying on the Fell pony’s saddle was a Hermès silk scarf: a familiar feature of the late Queen’s attire and, for the sake of her carefully coiffed hair, often worn in place of a riding hat.

At the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, I count at least 16 different silk scarves as I tour its latest exhibition ‘Queen Elizabeth – Her Life in Style’, a dazzling celebration of what would’ve been her 100th birthday, showcasing everything from the Coronation gown embroidered with Commonwealth emblems to the peach cocktail dress she wore for her James Bond cameo at the opening of the 2012 Olympic Games. It is the largest exhibition of her clothing ever staged, with more than half of the items exhibited for the first time. Burberry, a long-standing Royal Warrant holder, is marking the centenary celebrations with a new scarf depicting Balmoral Castle and inspired by the Old Stewart tartan worn by the Royal Family (below).

Writing in Queen Elizabeth II – A Lifetime Dressing for the World Stage (2022), Jane Eastoe describes the silk square, tied in a large bow, as ‘the perennial favourite’ of the monarch, who combined it with ‘all the finest aspects of country style’ such as ‘tailored tweeds’, ‘quilted jackets’ and ‘simple knitwear’. The headscarf was a ‘signature feature of her off-duty style’, agrees Caroline de Guitaut, surveyor of the King’s Works of Art and the curator of the new exhibition. ‘It enlivened whatever she was wearing because of the colours, the designs and the patterns,’ she tells me; and was a look ‘that the Queen absolutely owned’.

This ‘instantly recognisable’ style influenced contemporary designers, explains de Guitaut, who often ‘subverted it’ and ‘took it in a new direction’. Headscarves, chunky kilts and Union Jack sweaters stormed down the runway of Gucci’s Cruise 2017 show, for example. In 2018, Richard Quinn’s Balmoral Collection (which earned him the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design) included glossy scarves stitched and knotted together to create kaleidoscopic ensembles, one of which forms the exhibition’s final flourish.

That ‘new direction’, however, is constantly changing, with the pop world spawning surprising new poster girls for the silk scarf. Rihanna wore one tied around her head; Billie Eilish sported a geometric-print Chanel number for her 2025 British Vogue cover shoot.

Elizabeth II preferred Hermès, which began life as an equestrian brand in 1837. While she was seen in a multitude of different designs, I have just one Hermès carré and became its custodian quite by chance when I purloined an unwanted corporate gift that was languishing in my mother’s wardrobe. Today it’s covered in make-up smudges, testament to its many outings since I ‘liberated’ it several decades ago.

‘There is something wonderfully timeless about a headscarf,’ says Cate Allan, director of Richard Allan London, which has been making scarves since 1962. ‘A silk scarf has an extraordinary ability to transform an outfit with very little effort.’ Cate recommends styling it with other hardworking items in your wardrobe. ‘Even the simplest white shirt, tailored jacket or sweater feels considered once a silk scarf is introduced.’

With its circle of horse-drawn carriages, including the Gold State Coach, The Royal Mews scarf selected for the Queen’s funeral is typical of the equestrian designs she was drawn to, many of which appear at the exhibition. On a Jacqmar silk square, for example, polo players vie for the ball: ‘A nice reminder’, says Caroline, ‘of the way that the Queen would go to Smith’s Lawn and see Prince Philip’. Beside it, a jockey in striped silks gallops across a Margetson & Co. scarf which commemorates the Coronation Derby of 1953 and lists every Epsom Derby winner.

The headscarf — also a favourite with Princess Margaret and The Princess Royal — has an appropriately royal heritage. Silk production was once the preserve of the Chinese imperial court, while in Ancient Egypt, a fine linen scarf kept Queen Nefertiti’s towering blue wig and jewelled headpieces in place. A couple of millennia later, we find medieval trendsetter Eleanor of Aquitaine wearing a silk veil beneath her crown as a symbol of both wealth and piety, while the Renaissance fashion queen, Isabella of Portugal, reversed the look, draping a diaphanous rectangle of silk over her elaborately embroidered hennin headdresses.

In the mid-20th century, royal elegance met Hollywood glamour courtesy of Princess Grace of Monaco. She used a Hermès silk square embellished with Monaco’s coat of arms as a stylish sling when she hurt her arm in 1959.

‘When I wear a silk scarf, I never feel so definitely like a woman, a beautiful woman,’ declared Audrey Hepburn, who, like fellow style icon Jackie Kennedy Onassis, styled them with oversized sunglasses and white gloves. Such looks still resonate in the public subconscious. The headscarf ‘evokes travel, elegance and a certain cinematic confidence’, says Cate. ‘Yet it is also incredibly functional, tied under the chin — as favoured by Queen Elizabeth II — protecting the hair while framing the face perfectly.’

However, it wasn’t all glitz. The headscarf also possesses a pleasing wholesomeness about it. It was one of the first handprinted products sold by Laura Ashley in the 1950s, and Biba’s 1964 pink gingham version — which matched a shift dress in the same pattern — sold in their thousands. Though Elizabeth II was more interested in practical style than fleeting trends, she embraced the scarf’s versatility, reaching for one for formal occasions as well as for country pursuits. In 2016, she paired a pale blue skirt suit with a similarly-hued floral headscarf to meet Barack and Michelle Obama under a sodden sky at Windsor Castle (above).

I like to throw my scarf across my shoulders and knot it loosely enough that I can nudge it back up and over my head if rain starts to fall. My mother, a keen rider like Elizabeth II, sometimes wears a headscarf to the stables, but mucking out means you’ll never see her in silk one. I recently told her the probable value of the Hermès scarf she gave up. She was surprised, but fortunately made no move to reclaim it.

Since writers trade in words and ideas rather than lavish silk presents, I’m more commonly seen peering out from underneath a baseball cap. However, even this has been reappropriated, with fashionistas such as Hailey Bieber (above) and Gucci catwalk models wearing both. At the same time.

The headscarf’s reincarnations are seemingly endless. As L’Officiel recently noted: ‘It can be soft, playful, dramatic or minimalist, but above all, a headscarf brings flexibility, a "weapon" to elevate an outfit that fits neatly in the pocket’ — or a black Launer handbag if you’re Elizabeth II.

‘Queen Elizabeth – Her Life in Style’ is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until October 18, 2026.