Next year, a new exhibition will open at the King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth. It will, according to the Royal Collection Trust, be the “largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted”.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style opens in spring 2026, and will feature more than 200 items of clothing – some on display for the very first time – worn during all 10 decades of the late Queen’s life. Visitors will be able to see one of the earliest surviving pieces of couture from her childhood wardrobe: a 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. Other highlights will include Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell in 1947.
All of the pieces are taken from the fashion archive of the late Queen, which is now one of the largest surviving collections of 20th-century British fashion. Part of the Royal Collection, it includes clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes and accessories, all of which will be on display as part of the exhibition. In addition, visitors for the first time will be able to see design sketches, fabric samples and letters written by Queen Elizabeth II, offering a glimpse 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, 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.”
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Windsor
As well as the late Queen’s wedding and coronation dresses – both designed by Hartnell, a designer with whom she worked closely for over three decades – there will be many of her evening dresses on display. These will span 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,” according to the Royal Collection.
As well as this, there will be examples of the Queen’s off-duty style (think silk headscarves and tailored riding jackets) and an examination of one of her greatest sartorial talents: diplomatic dressing, as exemplified by a white gown designed by Norman Hartnell for a 1961 State Banquet in Karachi, which features Pakistan’s national colours through a dramatic emerald-green pleat cascading down the back.
President Ayub Khan of Pakistan assists Queen Elizabeth II during the 1961 State Banquet in Karachi
Given the influence that Queen Elizabeth II still has over contemporary British fashion, seen most recently in collections from designers such as Richard Quinn and Erdem, there is no doubt that crowds will flock to see some of these previously unseen pieces from her enormous archive. There will also be a book to accompany the exhibition, Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, written by de Guitaut and featuring contributions from various designers and fashion commentators.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style will run from spring to autumn 2026 at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace. Exact dates are yet to be confirmed, but tickets will be on sale from November 2025. Sign up here for updates.
