Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion to go on show in Palace exhibition

The changing fashions of the late Queen Elizabeth are to go on show in a major exhibition next year at Buckingham Palace.

There will be about 200 items, including dresses and jewellery, hats and shoes, in what is claimed as the biggest ever display of the late Queen’s clothing.

The exhibition, featuring items from her childhood through to the decades of her long reign, will coincide with the centenary of her birth.

Among the items in Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style will be her wedding dress, made in 1947 by the designer Sir Norman Hartnell.

The exhibition opening at the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace next Spring will chronicle Queen Elizabeth’s life through the outfits she wore for public events and when off duty.

The “archive” of clothes owned by the late Queen, who died at the age of 96 in 2022, is now in the care of the Royal Collection Trust, which announced the exhibition.

One of the earliest surviving pieces from her wardrobe is a silver lamé and tulle bridesmaid dress, that she wore at the age of eight in 1934 at the wedding of her uncle the Duke of Kent.

Clothes could also serve as a diplomatic message, such as a green and white gown made for a state banquet in Pakistan in 1961, with the dress incorporating the country’s national colours.

More relaxed, printed dresses showing the fashion trends of the 1970s will be part of the display, along with design sketches and handwritten correspondence about clothing choices.

The late Queen’s more everyday clothes will also be on show, including riding jackets, tartan skirts and headscarves.

“In the year that she would have turned 100-years-old, this exhibition will be a celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s uniquely British style and her enduring fashion legacy,” said the exhibition’s curator, Caroline de Guitaut.

She said the display would use the fashions to “tell the story of a lifetime of thoughtful style choices – from her hands-on role and understanding of the soft power behind her clothing, to the exceptional craftsmanship behind each garment”.