Centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s Birth – Marked by Her Life In Style Exhibition

The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. By Natalie Robinson. Image credit: RCT Press Office

On Friday, 10th April 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.

Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion archive is one of the largest and most important surviving collections of 20th-century British fashion and now forms part of the Royal Collection. Alongside clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes and accessories, visitors will discover never-before-seen design sketches, fabric samples and handwritten correspondence that reveal the behind-the-scenes process of dressing the most famous woman in the world and shed new light on the late Queen’s close involvement in the creation of her wardrobe.

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 from 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.

Caroline de Guitaut, exhibition curator and Surveyor of The King’s Works of Art, said: ‘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.’

‘My first question is, what did it feel like to handle such intricate items of the most famous woman in the world?’ Style Icon asks.

‘Yes, well, in many ways, there could be a danger that it could feel quite overwhelming. However, each piece is in extremely good condition. 
Each piece has been so well cared for. And each piece, of course, has this incredible history. And so, for me, they’re really, like, works of art, and, of course, require very careful handling. 
And there is, to a degree, an emotion attached with them, because, of course, it stirs all our memories of The Queen, and her life and different moments in her life. So it’s probably a combination of treating them like great works of art, which I believe they really are. But at the same time, respecting that memory.’ Caroline says.

‘In terms of deciding what you would incorporate in the exhibition, I mean, how did you start? What was the decision process behind the curation? 
Style Icon asks.

Yeah, as you can imagine, with such a large archive, it has presented some challenges, as I was saying earlier, but I think that I had quite a clear vision. I knew that I wanted it to represent most of the important designers and paturias that The Queen had worked with. I knew that I wanted it to feel very personal to The Queen in the sense that to convey this idea of her being so engaged with the production of her clothing, and being so supportive of British fashion through her life, particularly at those critical times, in the ’40s and ’50s, of post war, and also this idea of the diplomacy and dress is very important, because I think we always saw The Queen on the global stage – no matter how young or old we are, even if we’ve seen it in archive footage and that kind of thing. So I was really clear about the sort of thematic approach to the material, and really being able to showcase the most important pieces that would really resonate with our audiences.’  Caroline says.

And my final question is, The Queen, as we all know, was, or still is, a true style icon, and she left such a legacy behind her. How do you feel she will, or her style, continue to influence the fashion industry?  Style Icon asks.

‘That’s a very good question. 
Well, I think, what I hope, what I really wish for with this whole project, the publication, and the exhibition, and this extraordinary archive that has been entrusted to Royal Collection Trust to care for, and to share, that it will be this source of inspiration, which is why part of the reason we’re doing this exhibition, obviously, we commemorate The Queen’s Birth in this year, which is a wonderful thing to celebrate. But, I really feel that it is, it’s such an extraordinary snapshot of a life, an extraordinary snapshot of the changes in British fashion, and it is so rich in its content. My passion, my real passion, is to connect students, the designers, the creatives of the future, with the material. And I will continue with that legacy, as far as I can.’ Caroline says.

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.

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.

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.

Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style opens tomorrow, 10 April, until 18 October at The King’s Gallery, London. Tickets on sale on our website – www.rct.uk/queenelizabeth

The Royal Collection Trust is a charity that cares for the Royal Collection and welcomes visitors to the royal palaces. We bring our shared history to life through world-class experiences that involve and inspire people, wherever they are. Income from ticket sales and retail helps us conserve the Collection so it can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come.

The Royal Collection is one of the world’s great art collections, held in trust by The King for his successors and the nation. With over a million objects, from paintings, drawings and books to sculpture, furniture and jewellery, it is a unique record of the tastes of British kings and queens over the past 500 years, with many items still used today for their original purpose. The Collection can be seen in palaces, museums and galleries across the UK and around the world, and can be explored online at www.rct.uk.