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Left: Bridesmaid’s Dress, Edward Molyneux, 1934. Photographer: Jon Stokes. Right: Queen Elizabeth II when Princess Elizabeth of York, Elliott & Fry, 1934. Images © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
Centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth to be celebrated with landmark exhibition
By Tiffany West
Briefly …
From couture eveningwear to impeccably tailored off-duty clothing, the ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ exhibition will showcase one of the largest and most important British fashion collections of the 20th century.
In 2026, to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace will play host to the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted. Through approximately 200 items, around half on display for the first time, ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ will chart the remarkable story of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch through clothing worn in all ten decades of her life: from birth to adulthood, from princess to queen, and from off-duty style to diplomatic dressing for the global stage.
The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London
10 April–18 October 2026
“Over the course of Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkably long reign,” Exhibition Curator, Caroline de Guitaut, tells us, “her distinctive style became instantly recognisable around the world, bolstering the British fashion industry and influencing generations of designers and couturiers. Only now, as the late Queen's fashion archive comes under the care of Royal Collection Trust, can we 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. 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.”
“Only now … can we 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.”
From birth, Princess Elizabeth’s clothing was a topic of national fascination. On show for the first time will be one of the earliest surviving pieces of couture from her childhood wardrobe: the silver lamé and tulle bridesmaid dress, designed by Edward Molyneux, that she wore aged eight for the 1934 wedding of her uncle, the Duke of Kent, to Princess Marina of Greece.
As British couture rose to prominence in the 1940s, Princess Elizabeth began working with Norman Hartnell, who became her most influential designer over the next three decades. His position as Britain’s leading couturier was cemented when he was chosen to design her wedding dress in 1947 and her Coronation dress in 1953, both of which will be on display.
Left: Princess Elizabeth’s Wedding Dress, Norman Hartnell, 1947. Right: The Queen’s Coronation Dress, Norman Hartnell, 1953. Images © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
Left: Queen Elizabeth II on Princess Margaret’s Wedding Day, Cecil Beaton, 1960. Image © Cecil Beaton/Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Top right: Hat worn for the wedding of Princess Margaret, Claude St Cyr, 1960. Image © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Paul Bulley. Bottom right: Ensemble worn for the wedding of Princess Margaret, Norman Hartnell, 1960. Image © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
Eveningwear was a vital component of the Queen’s wardrobe, and visitors will see stunning examples that reflect the evolution of fashion trends throughout her long reign – from the crinoline-skirted gowns of the 1950s by Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies to fluid, vibrantly printed dresses by Ian Thomas that capture the relaxed glamour of the 1970s, on show for the first time.
The exhibition will explore the Queen’s use of diplomatically significant emblems and colours in her wardrobe for overseas tours, as shown in an ingenious white gown designed by Norman Hartnell for a 1961 State Banquet in Karachi, which incorporates Pakistan’s national colours through a dramatic emerald-green pleat cascading down the back.
Left: Evening gown, Norman Hartnell, 1957. Worn for a state banquet given for President Eisenhower at the British Embassy in Washington, DC. Image © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Right: The evening gown displayed in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle. Image © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Paul Bulley.
Left: Evening Gown, Norman Hartnell, 1956. Right: Queen Elizabeth II wearing the gown in a portrait by photographer Baron, 1956. Images © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
Left: The Evening Gown designed by Norman Hartnell for a 1961 State Banquet in Karachi. Right: Evening Gowns, Ian Thomas, c.1970s. Photographer: Jon Stokes. Images © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
Behind-the-scenes fashion illustrations, some with handwritten annotations by designers, the Queen’s dresser or even the late Queen herself, will give visitors a glimpse into the thoughtful decision making and craftsmanship behind each outfit, and shedding new light on the late Queen’s close involvement in the creation of her wardrobe. A never-before-displayed sketch by Norman Hartnell shows the design and proposed fabric of a silver lamé dress designed for a State Visit to France in 1972. The Queen would annotate sketches to record which ensemble had been worn where and for what occasion, and a note on the sketch in Her late Majesty’s handwriting reads ‘opening parliament Canberra’, indicating that the dress was worn again for a subsequent tour, in keeping with her repeated re-wearing of clothing.
Left: Illustration for a silver lamé beaded shift dress worn during a State Visit to France in 1972, Norman Hartnell. The note on the sketch in Her late Majesty’s handwriting that reads ‘Opening parliament Canberra’, can be seen in the top left corner of the image. Right: The silver lamé beaded shift dress, Norman Hartnell, 1972. Images © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust.
In her later years, Queen Elizabeth became as recognisable for her off-duty style and classic British tailoring as she was for her couture gowns. From impeccably cut riding jackets to tartan skirts and silk headscarves, visitors will see never-before-displayed examples of her practical everyday style, which continues to inspire contemporary designers to this day. Highlights will range from a Harris tweed jacket and Balmoral Tartan skirt, designed by Norman Hartnell and worn in the 1950s, to the green coat made by Angela Kelly and worn by the Queen for official photographs in the last years of her life.
Coat, Angela Kelly, 2010s. Image © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Jon Stokes.
A more surprising item of weatherproof clothing is a clear plastic raincoat made by the couturier Hardy Amies in the 1960s. Strikingly modern for the era and a forerunner to the famous colour-tipped, clear umbrellas that the Queen would later use on official engagements, it allowed her and her brightly coloured daywear to be visible to crowds of onlookers no matter what the weather. Amies would go on to create clothes in a futuristic style for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Left: The clear plastic rain coat, Hardy Amies, 1960s, worn over a patterned silk day dress and coat, Hardy Amies, 1970s. Right: Harris Tweed jacket and Balmoral tartan kilt, Norman Hartnell, 1950s. Images © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Jon Stokes.
An official publication to mark the centenary, Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, will accompany the exhibition. Written by the exhibition curator Caroline de Guitaut and featuring contributions by fashion experts and designers, the book will explore the late Queen’s fashion archive and her lifelong championing of the British fashion industry in unprecedented detail.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London, from 10 April to 18 October 2026. Tickets are on sale here.
Tiffany West is The Solo Traveller’s Editorial and Pictorial Assistant Lead. This feature includes information provided by international news agencies and public relations representatives, published here with editorial oversight. You can read The Solo Traveller’s editorial policy regarding external sources here.