The hat in question belongs to the returning officer in Blyth; it’s a grand purple wide-brimmed item decorated with beautiful ostrich feathers.
The High Sheriff of Northumberland, Lucia Bridgeman, made an appearance on screen to announce the outcomes of four counts across the county.
However, the hat was the star of the show; spectators dubbed it “a serve” and hailed her as “an icon”.
One user on X joked, “When you’re presiding over a Salem witch trial at midnight and a returning officer in Blyth at 11.”
It is meant to look like a uniform, not to be ostentatious, this is what the high sheriff wears,” the woman said.
The hat was given by a former high sheriff in a different county, and she said it would be passed on once more in the future.
