Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy is nothing short of extraordinary. Reigning from 1952 to 2022, when she died at her beloved Balmoral in Scotland at the age of 96, her record-breaking life saw her become the longest, oldest and most travelled reigning monarch the world has ever seen. She held the spotlight spectacularly – and, especially in her early years, was praised for the grace and elegance with which she took on a role that was never meant to be hers. When the right to the throne suddenly fell upon her father, and in turn herself, when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in 1936, the young heiress had to quickly learn not only the intricacies of the global stage, but also how to dress for it. 

A highly self-aware monarch who reportedly once said, “I have to be seen to be believed”, a new exhibition at the King’s Gallery, named Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, makes clear that this adage underpinned her fashion choices. Charting the evolution of her wardrobe from the christening robe and bonnets she and her sister Princess Margaret wore during childhood, to the designs that became synonymous with some of the biggest, most-pictured moments of her life, such as her iconic coronation and wedding dresses, the retrospective represents the largest-ever exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion. 

“Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion archive, drawing together clothing, millinery and accessories, combined with fashion sketches, correspondence and dresser’s records, reveals […] a clear fashion trajectory mirroring the pervading trends of the 20^th century,” says exhibition curator Caroline de Guitaut. “From the 1940’s ‘New Look’, Fifties glamour, Sixties’ rising hem lines, Seventies’ acid colours and prints to the Eighties power dressing and beyond, she even experimented with neon colour at the age of 90. 

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on their wedding day in 1947.

Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell. Image: Royal Collection Trust

“Establishing that style was also a way of distinguishing herself from her mother, Queen Elizabeth, and her grandmother, Queen Mary; wearing stronger, darker colours, a different silhouette and putting her stamp on the way she wished to dress. 

“The Queen found her own style, creating a look that became instantly recognisable to a global audience and which, in its elegance and idiosyncrasies, would inspire a generation of future fashion designers.”

As depicted in the exhibition, Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion evolution unfolded alongside seismic changes in the British fashion landscape. De Guitaut explains: “The earliest decade of her life saw the demise of the British court dressmaker – the sole source of design-led fashion made in Britain in the early 20^th century, which nonetheless mainly copied Parisian models. By the time of her coming of age in the 1940s, British couture was firmly established and rivalled that of Paris, in spite of the impending hardships of the Second World War.” 

It was during these formative years, which preluded her coronation in 1952, that she formed trusted relationships with a select few British couturiers that would last a lifetime. Norman Hartnell, Edward Molyneux, and Hardy Amies (the first two of whom she had known since they created bridesmaid dresses for her at the age of nine) were her go-to dressers, demonstrating her support for the fledgling London fashion scene. 

De Guitaut says: “No fewer than four of her designers were founding members of IncSoc (the Incorporated Society of London Fashion Designers) and she attended their salon shows, as well as exhibitions of millinery, lending her vital support to the establishment of London couture. Wearing their designs on the global stage, lent a large impetus to the success of the British fashion industry and its associated textile manufacturing at a critical time. 

“Sixty years later, an award was created in her name – the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design – recognising both artistic and entrepreneurial talent, with the Queen herself making the inaugural presentation to the designer Richard Quinn after watching his AW18 catwalk show during London Fashion Week.” 

Erdem SS18

Evening gown designed by Norman Hartnell for a meeting with then US President Eisenhower in 1957. Image: Royal Collection Trust

A highlight of the exhibition is an array of modern designs that nod to the Queen’s influential style. A loan from the Christopher Kane SS11 collection was partly inspired by a visit to Buckingham Palace, which resulted in him subverting prim and proper dresses in his signature acid neons and dropped waists – and whether it was coincidence or a purposeful nod to the designer, the Queen sported a similar acid green look for her 90^th birthday, sparking the hashtag #neonat90. Elsewhere, Erdem’s SS18 collection was inspired by a meeting with the monarch, featuring puffed sleeves, delicate overlays and embroidery referencing the Welsh leek embroidery on the Queen’s coronation dress.

“The Queen’s style has influenced subsequent designers, from Alessandro Michele at Gucci [to] Miuccia Prada, and other international figures, who have reinterpreted everything from her form of tailoring to her off-duty style,” says de Guitaut. “That’s why I felt it was important to work with contemporary British designers, such as Erdem, Christopher Kane and Richard Quinn, who have all in some way engaged with her style and representation of elegance. The aim here is to also encourage the future fashion designers of this country to use this remarkable archive in all its richness to inspire their creations.”

Images: Royal Collection Trust

What the exhibition demonstrates most, however, is the Queen’s understanding of dress as a tool for diplomatic success. De Guitaut explains: “Her clothes were always minutely considered. None more so than when undertaking official overseas tours and, on these occasions, from the very beginning of her reign, the Queen had an innate understanding of how fashion could lend itself to diplomacy. A trait, [whose] origins certainly lie in earlier reigns, the Queen developed into nothing short of an art form. 

“Colour and embellishment communicated messages of respect to her host nation before she even uttered a word of her speeches. Clothes acknowledged religious, cultural and social convention no matter which country or culture was visited. A masterclass in diplomatic dressing that spoke volumes about her wish to connect with people and audiences wherever she went.”

The 'Cherry Blossom' dress designed by Norman Hartnell for a state visit to Japan in 1975. Images: Royal Collection Trust

Evening gown designed by Norman Hartnell for a state banquet in Pakistan in 1961.

Case in point are evening gowns designed by Hartnell incorporating Pakistan’s national colour, worn for a state banquet in Karachi in 1961, and the ‘Cherry Blossom’ dress worn during a state visit to Japan in 1975, referencing the nation’s celebration of sakura. The ‘Pink Peonies’ evening dress – designed by Ian Thomas and worn for a state banquet in China in 1986, featuring sprays of Chinese tree peony – is displayed alongside a pristine custom white silk crepe gown, designed by Liverpool-born designer Angela Kelly for a state dinner at Dublin Castle in 2011. Adorned in 2,091 hand-sewn shamrocks and paired with a harp (cláirseach) brooch, the outfit was one of many carefully curated looks chosen for the trip to send messages of reconciliation and friendship.

This sense of respect was a cornerstone of the Queen’s wardrobe. “This [...] began at the very start of her reign in the production of her coronation dress, considered to be one of the great pieces of 20^th-century design. She had insisted that Hartnell should include the emblems of the dominions of which she was then Queen and that they should be embroidered in colours – something which brings great freshness to this piece and also feels completely timeless, as well as a departure from the traditional gold and white of previous coronation dresses. This, again, can be considered as a masterstroke in diplomacy.

Illustration by Norman Hartnell for a gown for a state visit to France in 1972.

Images: Royal Collection Trust

“For the first time in this exhibition, fashion sketches, fabric swatches and embroidery samples submitted to the Queen for approval – and firmly marked ‘yes’ or ‘no’, or with extra notes about sleeve lengths, silhouettes and hemlines – are revealed. Ultimately, many of her choices were governed by practicality and the demands of her role.”

Queen Elizabeth II's longest overseas tour was a post-coronation Commonwealth visit that spanned 168 days, from November 1953 to May 1954. Travelling 40,000 miles and visiting 13 countries across the Caribbean, Australasia, Africa, and Asia, she learnt at an early stage how to curate a wardrobe that would last, both practically and fashionably. “It’s unsurprising the Queen had an expert understanding of the way different fabrics would work in varying climatic conditions, and that she could judge the effectiveness or degree of comfort provided by embellishment, usually in the form of embroidery,” explains de Guitaut. 

But, as de Guitaut says, this story is not all about couture or constant new pieces. “Queen Elizabeth II [grew] up in the Second World War, and with clothes rationing still in force when her marriage to Prince Philip took place in 1947, understood a necessity for make do and mend. This transformed into a lifelong desire that her clothing, if properly made, should stand the test of time and she frequently re-wore clothing up to 30 times and over multiple decades, subscribing to the concept of sustainability in clothing and British manufacture wherever possible.”

Royal dress still adheres to many traditional rules, such as hats worn on formal occasions – the Queen once wrote in a 1958 letter to milliner Kate Day, “It does make all the difference if one can feel confident about one’s hat” – and skirts hemmed at knee-length, but that didn’t mean the Queen resisted re-wearing her wardrobe. 

Queen Elizabeth's Angela Kelly coat. Image: Royal Collection Trust

Queen Elizabeth and then Prince Charles at Windsor Castle in March 2021. Image: Clarence House/Chris Jackson/Getty

The exhibition showcases some of her favourite ready-to-wear styles too, such as the forest green, London-made Angela Kelly coat most notably captured in her 2021 Easter portrait. Rotating and repurposing outfits is a trait also adopted by her great-granddaughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, which, in part, earned her the nickname ‘Thrifty Kate’ among the UK media. 

While she remained a figure who unwaveringly respected the style ordinance of the monarchy, this exhibition demonstrates how Queen Elizabeth put her own stamp on her fashion. “The Queen made her own decisions about her clothing and, most importantly, which designers, couturières, and suppliers she chose to work with, building in some cases lifelong, devoted relationships with such towering pioneers of the fledgling British couture industry. 

“[It] tells the somewhat forgotten and unrecognised relationship between Queen Elizabeth and British fashion, and realises and recognises the craftsmanship, skills and creativity of an industry that embraced so many unsung heroes and figures that are fading into the background, such as sketch artists, embroiderers, pattern cutters, tailors, seamstresses and textile manufacturers from around this country.”

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is on at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until 18 October 2026. Visit rct.uk

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