Queen Elizabeth's 'Enduring Fashion Legacy' to Be Celebrated with Largest-Ever Exhibition of Her Outfits
- - - Queen Elizabeth's 'Enduring Fashion Legacy' to Be Celebrated with Largest-Ever Exhibition of Her Outfits
Simon PerryJuly 21, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Queen Elizabeth and an evening gown, by Norman Hartnell, from 1956
The largest-ever collection of the late Queen Elizabeth's iconic outfits is going on show
Around 200 dresses and accessories will be exhibited from spring 2026 as part of the celebration of what would have been the late monarch's 100th birthday
The show, at the King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, will include her wedding and coronation gowns
Queen Elizabeth's fashion choices and iconic royal outfits are set to be celebrated.
The largest-ever collection of her outfits, including her iconic wedding and coronation dresses, are set to be put on show in 2026.
Charting the late queen's life through fashion, the exhibition will feature around 200 outfits (about half of which have never been on show), including dresses from her childhood and those by royal couturier Norman Hartnell, who was so closely associated with her in the first decades of her record-breaking 70-year reign.
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Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip on their wedding day, November 1947
Elizabeth, who died at age 96 in September 2022, accumulated an unrivaled archive of outfits from formal wear to casual clothes, handbags, and accessories. They are seen as the most important surviving collection of the ten decades of her life.
The treasure trove will be shown alongside design sketches, fabric samples, and handwritten correspondence, offering a behind-the-scenes insight into dressing the most famous woman in the world.
It is being held at the King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from spring 2026, opening in tandem with what would have been her 100th birthday in April 2026. The dates and more details (and how to buy tickets) will be revealed in November 2025, the Royal Collection Trust, which is hosting the exhibition, says.
Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
The wedding dress for the then Princess Elizabeth -- from 1947 -- will be on show next year
Caroline de Guitaut, the curator of the landmark exhibition, said in a statement on July 21, "Over the course of Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkably long reign, 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."
Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
Queen Elizabeth's coronation dress, from the ceremony in 1953, will be shown from spring 2026
The show will be accompanied by a book, Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, written by de Guitaut, who is Surveyor of The King’s Works of Art, and featuring contributions by fashion experts and designers, who will assess Elizabeth's style impact and her role in promoting British fashion.
Organizers at the Royal Collection Trust say that it will tell the story of the influence of Hartnell (who created the gown for her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947 and her coronation dress in 1953) in the first decades of her record-breaking reign, and also illustrate how evening wear was a vital part of her wardrobe. That will be told via dresses such as those by Hardy Amies and the vibrant prints of Ian Thomas.
Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust
The evening gown created by Norman Hartnell for the visit to Pakistan in 1961
It will also underscore how the late queen used colors and emblems in her fashion choices to pay tribute to overseas countries she was visiting — with a Hartnell gown for a state banquet in Karachi, Pakistan, in 196,1, incorporating that country's colors for instance.
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The show will also explore how Elizabeth's off-duty wear of headscarves, riding jackets, and tartan skirts, seen during summer breaks in Balmoral, Scotland, summed up her practical style.
It was at her beloved Balmoral Castle that the queen died on Sept. 8, 2022, two days after she had carried out her most important constitutional role — formally appointing the incoming British prime minister, Liz Truss. Truss was her 15th prime minister in a record-breaking reign, and the meeting was accompanied by a now-historic image of her standing in front of the fireplace at the castle in what was the last official photograph of her.
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