Queen Elizabeth II, An Extraordinary Life in Style

27 April 2026, by Jane Francis

In this week's blog, member Jane Francis reviews Buckingham Palace's current exhibition of Queen Elizabeth II's clothing. Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is on view until 18th October 2026.

“I have to be seen to be believed.” — Queen Elizabeth II

Marking the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, The King’s Gallery presents the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the late Queen’s wardrobe ever mounted: Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style.

Acutely aware of the power, and coded language of dress, throughout her life the late Queen used fashion privately and as a form of public performance. Arranged thematically across 300 objects, around half on display for the first time, the exhibition charts her story through ten decades of surviving garments: from childhood to monarchy, from off-duty practicality to the highly calibrated theatre of diplomatic dressing. 

Surveyor of the King’s Works of Art, Caroline de Guitaut, curates what feels like a deeply personal yet rigorously archival celebration. As she notes, “The Queen found her own style, creating a look that became instantly recognisable to a global audience… [which] would inspire a generation of future fashion designers.”

The breadth of the archive reflects not only the Queen’s life but also the evolution of British fashion across the twentieth and into the twenty-first century. The exhibition never feels anachronistic; instead, it draws a clear line between monarchy, tradition, and the shifting identity of British material culture. Alongside garments, jewellery, hats, shoes, and accessories, visitors encounter previously unseen design sketches, fabric samples, and handwritten correspondence, offering rare insight into the processes behind dressing one of the most famous and photographed women in modern times. She was history, and made history.

Regeneration

What emerges is not just a wardrobe, but a story about what “British” style was, is, and might yet become - set against the quiet disappearance of a couture industry that once sustained it.

The Queen’s commitment to British textiles and craftsmanship was unwavering. She wore British almost exclusively: from Liberty prints and Scottish Harris Tweed and bespoke Kinloch Anderson tartan, to Aquascutum, Burberry, Barbour, Bernard Weatherill, Daks Simpson, Dents gloves, Launer handbags, Rayne footwear, Frederick Fox for millinery and Horrockses day dresses. This wasn’t nostalgia—it was strategy, diplomacy, and belief in a national creative economy.

Her long collaboration with couturier Norman Hartnell designer of her wedding dress 1947 and Coronation gown of 1953. produced some of the most symbolically loaded garments of the twentieth century. His understanding of spectacle—rooted in theatre—translated into dresses that didn’t just exist, they performed.

Later, Hardy Amies refined that language. His approach was evolutionary, not revolutionary—a slow, deliberate shaping of an instantly recognisable silhouette. The now-iconic use of bold colour wasn’t decorative, it was functional. “If I wore beige, nobody would know who I am.” It’s a line that lands somewhere between practicality and quiet wit. She favored eye catching graphic and highly saturated colour blocking, with matching hats and accessories. This vivid architectural style almost becoming daily armour -elegant, sartorial and always refined.

Having lived through the Second World War, the Queen maintained a lifelong commitment to the principles of “make do and mend.” Her mantra was reuse, repair and recycle.  Sustainability was not a trend but a practice: garments were reworked, altered, and worn repeatedly—sometimes up to thirty times—demonstrating a pragmatic and disciplined approach to dress.

Heritage

The Queen’s influence on British fashion extends far beyond her own wardrobe. Designers such as Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood engaged critically with the visual language of monarchy—its codes, symbolism, and authority. Westwood’s 1987 Harris Tweed collection, subverted traditional hierarchies through anarchic reinterpretations of royal dress: Crowns, Regalia and Princess Coats. 

Contemporary designers including Erdem Moralioglu, Richard Quinn, and Christopher Kane are also represented in the exhibition. Quinn, recipient of the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, reflects: “There is no doubt that Queen Elizabeth II’s style and promotion of British couture over the 90 years had a huge impact on British fashion.”

Moralioglu describes her wardrobe as “a snapshot of a very long life… a time capsule,” while Kane notes that it offers “a masterclass in silhouette, construction, repetition, symbolism and, perhaps most importantly, restraint.”

Her Life in Style is precisely that: a carefully considered exhibition revealing the extraordinary degree of thought and craftsmanship behind the wardrobe of a monarch for whom clothing was inseparable from diplomacy, duty, and identity. Every well-considered garment undertaken by an expert team of designers and milliners also had to be mindful of Her Majesty’s petite 5ft 3 inches, role and context.

Visitors will recognise the peach dress worn by the Queen alongside Daniel Craig in 2012 London Olympic Games opening ceremony—a moment of unexpected wit and cultural relevance. Designed by her long-time dresser Angela Kelly, it remains one of her most memorable public appearances.

The Reveal

The exhibition’s staging is theatrical, notably in the dramatic unveiling of Hartnell’s wedding gown—its post-war symbolism inspired by Botticelli’s Primavera. The coronation dress, heavily embroidered, appears almost self-supporting in its structure. The relative absence of glass cases allows for an unusually direct, almost visceral engagement with the garments. This is a blockbuster exhibition in every sense, with strong global appeal. It offers visitors a rare glimpse behind the gates of Buckingham Palace, into a world defined by material culture, symbolism, and continuity.

It is the quieter moments that resonate most: A small anteroom devoted to off-duty dressing reveals something far more intimate: worn tweeds, practical outerwear, a 1966 Burberry invoice for cleaning and reproofing a coat and hat. Expertly crafted, riding clothes, protective outerwear, trousers and distinctive headscarves, became instantly recognizable symbols around the world. These are not ceremonial objects, but working garments—lived-in, maintained, relied upon. 

A butterscotch suede Daks jacket, fraying at the cuffs, says as much about longevity and discipline as any coronation gown. There’s something unexpectedly moving in that. A clear plastic raincoat by Hardy Amies from the 1960s stands out as unexpectedly modern, anticipating the Queen’s later use of transparent umbrellas. It reflects a pragmatic approach to visibility—ensuring she could always be seen, whatever the weather. Interestingly Amies would go on to create futuristic costume for Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 cult film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The exhibition concludes with a striking 360-degree presentation of evening gowns worn on royal tours and state occasions, spanning her entire reign. There is a dreamlike fantasy and undeniable sense of spectacle throughout the exhibition: dazzling gowns, sumptuous colour palettes, rich embroidery, sparkling jewels and extraordinary craftsmanship. The accompanying audio guide is detailed and immersive, though at times it creates a slightly ‘plugged-in’ disconnected atmosphere within the galleries. A more integrated use of sound and moving image might have enhanced the experience further.

For members interested in a deeper dive: accompanying the exhibition is an extensively illustrated and visually rich publication including over 400 images.  Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, authored by Caroline de Guitaut foreword by Dame Anna Wintour CH, DBE and published by Royal Collection Trust, the edition takes readers behind the scenes revealing the extraordinary craft, collaboration and diplomacy behind the late Queen’s wardrobe. Drawing on extensive new research the publication includes and an essay by Amy de la Haye, Professor of Dress History and Curatorship at London College of Fashion, previously unseen sketches, fabric swatches, historic photographs and other archival material.

The exhibition is on at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, until the 18th October 2026.

Additionally, throughout the exhibition The Royal Collection Trust are offering an extensive series of related Online and In Person workshops and lectures for all age groups.