It is hard to ignore a woman in a bright purple outfit topped with a scarlet hat – and that, frankly, is the point.
For nearly two decades, the Riviera Royals of Torquay have been doing precisely that; refusing to fade quietly into the background. As they approach their 19th anniversary next year, the local chapter of the international Red Hat movement continues to champion what its members call “joyful ageing” – a philosophy rooted in friendship, visibility and a healthy disregard for the expectation that women over 50 should somehow become less seen.
The story begins, as many Red Hat stories do, with a poem. Jenny Joseph’s much-loved “Warning” – with its famous opening line, “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple / With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me” – sparked a global movement celebrating the freedoms of later life.
In the United States, Sue Ellen Cooper turned the spirit of the poem into something tangible, gifting a friend a red fedora and a copy of the poem for her 55th birthday. What followed were tea parties, bright outfits and, eventually, a worldwide organisation dedicated to fun and camaraderie.
Torquay’s chapter was founded in February 2007 by Queen Butterfly Jean, after she read about the movement and decided the English Riviera needed its own splash of purple and red . Red Hatters, after all, are “all over the world,” as the group proudly notes. The Riviera Royals quickly established themselves as a distinctive presence along the seafront and in the Bay’s hotels and cafés.
At the heart of the group today is its current Queen – known simply as Queen P – who first became a Red Hatter in 1998 while living in the United States.
“I became a Red Hatter at the start of the Group in the USA in 1998, with the Nato and US Embassy ladies in Belgium,” she recalls.
When she later moved to Torquay with her husband, who had motor neurone disease, discovering a local chapter felt like fate. “So, I was very happy to find one existed when I moved here with my husband who had MND.”
Her first Red Hat experience remains vivid. “We went out to the Grand Place of Brussels, sat right in the middle of the square drinking tea. Tourists thought we were an organised attraction.”
There is something telling in that image: a group of older women sitting confidently at the centre of a public square, unselfconscious and entirely at ease being watched.
For Queen P, Joseph’s poem is not nostalgia – it is instruction.
“It reminds us to LIVE, not stagnate and get immobile, but to have fun (in the right way obviously),” she says . She believes many women, particularly as they age, begin to “disappear in dull boring clothes and stay unseen.”
The Riviera Royals reject that entirely. “We are bright and have a lot to say! We stay polite but laugh loudly.”
That balance – visible yet courteous, playful yet organised – defines the group’s approach. Getting older, Queen P points out, is non-negotiable.
“Well, getting old is one thing we cannot change,” she says plainly. “But laughing and being happy, whatever happens to us is important.”
In practice, “joyful ageing” is less about denial and more about emphasis. “We try not to focus on our aches and pains but see the bright side of life, the bright purple and red helps,” she explains. The colour scheme is not incidental. It is a statement.
The Riviera Royals call their activities “Hoots” – a word that captures both mischief and structure. Some are genteel: coffee mornings, birthday luncheons where the “birthday girls” wear red with a purple hat for the entire month.
Others lean towards the adventurous. This year’s plans include visiting a gin factory and a Beryl Cook exhibition, travelling by train as “a flock of 15 purple and red ladies.” One imagines heads turning on the platform.
Summer brings boat trips to Brixham and beyond, often combined with enthusiastic foraging in charity shops for the perfect hat or shade of violet . They take the land train and wave at passers-by.
On one occasion, “Princess Sunshine had us all blow bubbles, seeing thirsty ladies giggling and laughing amused passersby, and most men asked if they could join us.”
There are dinners, theatre outings and dancing – though Queen P acknowledges that some members no longer go out in the evenings. As the new Queen since February, she has begun inviting small groups to tea at her home to gather ideas and revive momentum.
The dress code remains central. “All of the above, bright purple with bright red hats defines us as vibrant ladies,” Queen P says when asked whether it is about fun, identity or confidence. For smaller gatherings, a fascinator will do. For important events, it must be a “Big Hat.”
Their name reflects both geography and pride. “We are very proud that we live in the English Riviera, with palm trees and famous of writers,” she explains.
Like other chapters – known as “Royals” – they have their own playful hierarchy: Lady Caithness, Princess Cruiser, Countess Bling, Princess Snowdrops of Shipey and more . Titles that might sound theatrical are worn lightly, a shared joke that binds the group.
Yet beneath the colour and humour lies something more serious. The Riviera Royals offer women over 50 “friendship and recognition that you exist and still are important”. There are few strict rules beyond the colours. A “Household”, led by the Queen and her co-Queen, organises future Hoots. On the first Friday of each month, members gather to sign up for upcoming events. “We take the time to exist,” Queen P says.
For her personally, that space proved invaluable. During her husband’s final illness, the group became a respite.
“When my husband was dying of MND, I could go to a Hoot for a few hours, laugh and remember what life was about. A moment of calms and peace before I went back home. This is where one can safely forget ‘real’ life for a moment.”
It is a reminder that what may look like simple sociability from the outside can, in reality, be quiet lifeline.
Queen P believes women in this stage of life are too often overlooked. “Ladies over 50 and sometimes younger are ignored and their advice not wanted,” she says. The Riviera Royals refuse that invisibility. “We don’t want to disappear in a sea of grey, we still have grey sells and knowledge and experience with life experience that cannot be found on internet.”
Is it rebellion? “Absolutely! We do want to be seen and heard!” she says.
As the group looks towards its 19th anniversary, plans are already underway for a celebratory dinner at one of Torquay’s hotels, where new Royals will be “Scarlet Sparkled by the Queen.” There is talk of something especially memorable for the 20th.
In the meantime, there is room for a few more members – women over 50 who are willing to swap invisibility for vibrancy. The promise is straightforward: friendship, laughter and the reassurance that age need not mean retreat.
Nearly 65 years ago, Jenny Joseph imagined a future self who would shock onlookers by suddenly starting to “wear purple.”
In Torquay, that future has already arrived – not as a solitary act of defiance, but as a collective declaration. The Riviera Royals are not waiting for permission to grow old in their own way. They are already doing it, brightly, together.
Contact paulinaemma@outlook.com to find out more.
