Emily Andrews reviews new exhibition dedicated to Queen Elizabeth's style - 'A fascinating greatest hits of her reign'

There were plenty of celebrations last week for what would’ve been the 100th birthday of our late Queen (April 21).

From Princess Anne opening a new green space in central London to King Charles's solemn speech, the Royal Family came out in force for the special centenary.

Elizabeth II was never much of a fashion fan but she understood the huge power and silent messages her clothes conveyed. She reportedly once said, "I have to be seen to be believed," and to celebrate her icon status, a new exhibition of her style has just opened.

The Queen: 70 Glorious Years by Royal Collection Trust | £21.09 at Amazon

From family photographs to images from her expansive reign, each one is accompanied by resonant quotations from speeches given by The Queen over the years, from her wartime Children’s Hour radio broadcast at the age of 14 and her first televised Christmas Day broadcast in 1957 to her speeches welcoming Commonwealth leaders and US Presidents to Buckingham Palace.

View Deal

More than 300 items from her wardrobe are on display – from her Norman Hartnell wedding dress, to her royal christening robe made almost 200 years ago, to an amazing collection of hats.

I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview and it’s a fascinating greatest hits of her reign, which includes her coronation gown with that tiny waist and many examples of her diplomatic dressing on royal tours.

Taking after her mother Elizabeth, and grandmother Queen Mary, the late Queen kept everything: all her hats, shoes, coats, dresses, handbags and even receipts for her Burberry dry cleaning.

The result is an archive of couture fashion, consisting of more than 4,500 pieces, now looked after by the Royal Collection Trust (the charity that cares for the royal art collection).

It is such a fun exhibition. I particularly enjoyed the two peach dresses, designed by the late Queen’s assistant Angela Kelly for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

One, famously, was worn by the Queen that evening in a skit with Daniel Craig’s James Bond, where she was seen being picked up at Buckingham Palace by Bond, and then a helicopter hovered over the arena where the ‘Queen’ jumped out before walking to her seat with the stadium cheering.

The larger of the two outfits, worn by the stuntman with a very cleverly concealed zip down the back where his parachute deployed, is seen here for the first time.

I quizzed the curator and archivists on how the Queen’s wardrobe is kept and most are stored wrapped in tissue in special plastic storage boxes, while items that need to be hung are kept on a hermetically sealed clothes rail.

The satin of her gorgeous wedding dress from 1947, despite meticulous care, is showing its age (at the time it was common to treat satin with tin salts to improve the drape, which has meant the material has become brittle).

So it was fascinating to hear how the arms have been replaced and restored, while if you look closely you can see the fabric has been treated with a net overlay to stop it breaking down further.

This is fashion as history - don’t miss it!

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style runs until 18 October 2026 at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace - tickets can be bought online.