Fashion at the palace! Queen Elizabeth II's enduring style legacy is celebrated in a new couture spectacular at the King's Gallery

The then Princess Elizabeth's wedding dress created by Hartnell is on display along side a number of her most famous ensembles

From a young princess in fairy wings, coronets, and puff-shouldered bridesmaid dresses, right up to experimenting with vivid, neon-hued twin sets well into her nineties, Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion collaborators read as a rolodex of the greatest British heritage houses, craftspeople and artisans from over almost a century. Hartnell, Amies, Molyneux; the grand masters of mid-century British couture are names that are, of course, synonymous with the most well-known moments of Queen Elizabeth II’s royal wardrobe. Those nipped-waist, puffball skirts with bodices encased in cascades of jewels and gems are a testament to the fine art of creating an image of poise, polish and grandeur during that era. But as the decades went on, her style choices, naturally, evolved.

Read More

The Princess of Wales was spotted sharing a touching moment with James, the 18-year-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, on Easter Sunday

The exhibition begins with a piece from one of Her Majesty’s longest-serving dressmakers, Norman Hartnell. A one-shouldered, crinoline-skirted gown befit with layers of lamé, silk tulle and floral lace signifies the resplendent power of her style choices. First worn in 1953 when the queen was 27 years old, and two years into her reign, it marks an era filled with glitz and glamour and excitement for her new rule, but as the aptly titled Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life In Style promises, this new exhibition showcases just that - a timeline of a style metamorphosis from birth to newly-crowned to greatly admired for 70 years of service - peppered with floral-topped millinery, Launer handbags and white silk gloves.