The King’s Gallery is to stage the largest exhibition of Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe ever assembled – and tickets go on sale today.
Queen Elizabeth II on Princess Margaret’s Wedding Day, Cecil Beaton, 1960 © Cecil Beaton / Victoria and Albert Museum
Bringing together around 200 garments, roughly half of which have never been publicly displayed, the show will trace the late Queen’s evolving style across all ten decades of her life. It sets out to demonstrate the remarkable scope of a wardrobe that has become one of the most significant British fashion collections of the 20th century.
Alongside couture evening gowns and tailored daywear, the display will feature behind-the-scenes design sketches, fabric swatches and notes – offering a rare insight into the craftsmanship and coordination required to dress one of the world’s most recognisable figures.
A number of standout pieces by the Queen’s long-serving designers will be shown, including a striking apple-green Hartnell gown worn at a 1957 state banquet for President Eisenhower in Washington, D.C. Also on display will be the crinoline-skirted blue dress and bolero jacket chosen for Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960 – the last time a royal wedding in England featured full-length dress.
The exhibition will reach beyond state occasions to showcase the Queen’s private wardrobe as well. Items range from a Harris tweed jacket and a Balmoral tartan skirt from the 1950s to a green Angela Kelly coat worn in official portraits taken during her final years.
Among the more unexpected highlights is a clear plastic raincoat designed by Hardy Amies in the 1960s. Both modern and practical, it prefigures the transparent, colour-trimmed umbrellas that later became a signature of the Queen’s public appearances — ensuring she remained visible to crowds, whatever the weather. Amies would go on to bring his futuristic vision to cinema, designing costumes for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Fashion drawings, some bearing handwritten annotations by designers, dressers and the Queen herself, will also illustrate her meticulous approach to re-wearing garments for different engagements.
The exhibition, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, will open at The King’s Gallery next to Buckingham Palace next April.
Tickets are on sale now from here.
Adult: £22
Young Person (18-24): £14
Child (5-17): £11
Disabled: £11
Under 5: Free
Universal credit: £1
Note: If you buy a ticket for the current exhibition, The Edwardians: Age of Elegance, and convert it into an annual pass, then you can visit the Queen Elizabeth II exhibition for free.
