by Next year a new exhibition will be opened at King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace, the 100th anniversary of the birth of Queen Elizabeth II. According to the Royal Collection Trust, it will ever be the “largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the deceased queen”.
Queen Elizabeth II.: Your life opened in spring 2026 and will contain more than 200 clothing – some exhibited for the first time – worn for all 10 decades of life of the deceased queen. Visitors can see one of the earliest surviving couture pieces of their kindergartenobe: a Silberlamé and Tüll bridesmaid designed by Edward Molyneux, which she wore at the age of eight for the wedding of her uncle, Duke of Kent, Princess Marina von Greece. Other highlights are the wedding dress by Queen Elizabeth II, which was designed by Norman Hartnell in 1947.
All pieces come from the fashion archive of the late Queen, which is now one of the largest surviving collections of the British fashion of the 20th century. Part of the royal collection includes clothing, jewelry, hats, shoes and accessories, all of which are issued as part of the exhibition. In addition, visitors can look for design sketches, fabric patterns and letters from Queen Elizabeth II for the first time and a look behind the scenes of the creation of her wardrobe, in which she was closely involved.
Caroline de Guitaut, exhibition curator and surveyor of the king’s works of art, said: “Only now when the fashion archive of the deceased Queen becomes under the care of the Royal Collection Trust, we can tell the story of a life of thoughtful style. Elizabeth’s unique British style and her permanent fashion inheritance.”
In addition to the wedding and coronation dresses of the late Queen – both of Hartnell, a designer with whom she has worked closely together for over three decades, many of her evening dresses are exhibited. These will be cleared by “the Crinoline Skirted dresses of the 1950s from Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies to liquid, lively printed clothes from Ian Thomas, which capture the relaxed glamor of the 1970s” from the Royal Collection.
It will also be examples of the Queen’s off-duty style (think of silk head activities and tailor-made riding jackets) and an examination of one of her greatest sartorial talents: diplomatic dressing, such as an example of a white dress, which was designed by Norman Hartnell for a state banquet from 1961 in Karachi-Kaks from Norman national colors.
In view of the influence that Queen Elizabeth II still has contemporary British fashion, which can recently be seen in collections of designers such as Richard Quinn and Erdem, there is no doubt that crowds flock to see some of these previously invisible pieces from their enormous archive. There will also be a book that accompanies the exhibition, Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, written by de Guitaut and contributions from various designers and fashion commentators.
Queen Elizabeth II.: Her life in style will run from spring to autumn 2026 in King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. Exact data still has to be confirmed, but tickets will be offered for sale from November 2025. Register here for updates.
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