The Chief Warder concludes the ceremony by raising his Tudor bonnet and proclaiming 'God preserve Queen Elizabeth', to which all present reply 'Amen'. The Chief Yeoman Warder and his escort are met by a ceremonial guard on the Broad Steps near the White Tower, which then presents arms.

Doctoral degrees: PhD, DDS, EdD, EngD, DEdPsy, DSocSci and MD have ascarlet gown with a dark violet facing, sleeves and hood lining. Please note that doctoral degrees have mortarboard style hats. A person who has obtained an honourary degree or a higher doctorate degree also wears this cap. Apart from that, higher authorities like University officers, University council members, the president (student's union), University Marshal, or Esquire Bedell can also wear this cap on some educational establishments. Additionally, women also used an apron over the skirt and a cloth bonnet on the heads. During the late Tudor period, hats also became an important ingredient of Tudor clothes for the poor.

On the Friday afternoon, I had a pleasure of being part of the procession as a Civic Marshal (I thoroughly enjoyed wearing my Doctoral robes again!) and whilst I was sat on the stage admiring everyone in their academic attire it dawned on me that although I was wearing the renowned floppy hat, I didn’t know anything about its origins…so, I did some investigating!

Makeup was a particularly important aspect of Tudor fashion and cultural trends. Most of the time, women would color their cheeks with a homemade rouge and, throughout Elizabeth I’s reign, the use of lead-based face cream was popularised to hide any blemishes or scarring. Another style is the Tudor bonnet graduation cap . A soft, round cap with a tassel attached to a cord surrounding the hat’s circumference. This style of cap was traditionally worn in Tudor times, hence the name, but now is worn by those graduating at a Doctorate level. Ours are made from the highest quality velvet and have a durable and comfortable design. As your PhD Doctoral Gown will be colourful to celebrate your accolade, our bonnets will match your gown colour with a range of coloured honour cords . How to Measure Your Head for a Graduation Cap The Canterbury cap differs from the present-day biretta, as a Canterbury cap has four ridges, compared to the biretta's three. In addition, the biretta is (sometimes) rigid, or rigid but folding, while the Canterbury cap is always soft and easily folds when not in use. [1] [ failed verification] In the Catholic Church, its use is identical to that of the modern biretta, into which, on the continent, the cap evolved into throughout the centuries. Today the cap is strongly associated with academic tradition. It is typically worn as part of academic dress by the holder of a research or professional doctoral degree or a full higher doctorate. It may also be worn by a person who has been awarded an honorary doctorate. At certain educational establishments the cap distinguishes university officers, such as the esquire bedell, university marshal, the president of the students' union, and members of the university council.

Portrait of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon during part of the Tudor dynasty. Painted in 1555. Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

One of their main ceremonial functions is the daily Ceremony of the Keys. In this ceremony the gates of the Tower of London are secured each night shortly before 10.00 pm by the Chief Yeoman Warder escorted by an armed guard of four men. The traditional Tudor bonnet is a round-brimmed cap which has a soft crown, with a cord encircling the hat with a hanging tassel. During the Tudor times the tudor bonnet was frequently worn in England. The mortarboard cap is arguably the most recognisable graduation day symbol. The square academic cap sits comfortably on your head, fitted to the wearer’s head circumference, and features a tassel that hangs from the top of the hat. Our two options for mortarboard caps are made of felt and polyester. If you are graduating with a BA, BSc or BEng degree you will have a hood in a colour called University red, in lighter and darker shades. If you are graduating with an LLB degree the hood will be in University red with a violet trim. The hood for MBChB, BDS and BVScdegrees is in University red with a whitetrim.Portray your academic or doctorate status with our range of Tudor Bonnets and American Tams made from only the highest quality velvet. The cap is worn as traditional clothing with gowns and represents suitable headgear especially for livery and burgess guild officers. Interestingly, in noble households children were usually dressed as adults straight away. In fact, until about 9 years of age, young boys were also dressed as girls too. When they were old enough, these young boys would be ‘breeched’ which means put into trousers and other garments. It is believed that the main reason behind dressing boys in dresses and gowns was due to toilet training and when they were able to be more independent they would be dressed in boys clothes. The Cap, or 'square cap,' may have had its origin in the almuce. For the almuce was originally used to cover the head, and when it ceased to fulfil that function the cap seems to have been introduced. It has gone through several modifications: once of the comely shape that we see in the portraits of Bishop Fox and others, it developed in the seventeenth century into the form sometimes called the Canterbury cap (of limp material, with a tuft on the top), and then into the still beautiful college-cap in England, and abroad into the positively ugly biretta. There is no conceivable reason for English churchmen to discard their own shape in favour of a foreign one, except that the biretta offends an immense number of excellent lay folk, and thus makes the recovery of the Church more difficult. [4]