Buckingham Palace to showcase Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe in 2026
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The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace is to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth with the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion ever mounted in 2026.
The exhibition ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ will run from spring to autumn 2026 and will chart the 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 described as one of the largest and most important surviving collections of 20th-century British fashion and now forms part of the Royal Collection. More than 200 items, including clothing, jewellery, hats, shoes and accessories, will be used in the exhibition, around half of which will be on display for the first time.
The Queen’s wardrobe will be showcased alongside 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 outfits.
Caroline de Guitaut, exhibition curator and surveyor of The King’s Works of Art, said in a statement: “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.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion legacy to be celebrated with new exhibition in London
Highlights from the exhibition will be the display of one of the earliest surviving pieces of couture from the late Queen’s 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 pieces that will take centre stage include outfits designed by British couturier Norman Hartnell, who became the Queen’s most influential designer during the 1940s and 1950s, and designed her wedding dress in 1947 and her Coronation dress in 1953, both of which will be on display.
Visitors will also see crinoline-skirted gowns of the 1950s designed by Hartnell and Hardy Amies to fluid, vibrantly printed dresses by Ian Thomas that capture the relaxed glamour of the 1970s.
The exhibition will also explore the royal’s use of diplomatic emblems and colours in her wardrobe for overseas tours, including a white gown designed by Hartnell for a 1961 State Banquet in Karachi, which incorporates Pakistan’s national colours through a dramatic emerald-green pleat cascading down the back.
As well as being recognised for her couture gowns, the exhibit will showcase Queen Elizabeth II’s off-duty style and love of classic British tailoring, such as riding jackets, tartan skirts and silk headscarves.
An official publication to mark the centenary, ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style,’ will accompany the exhibition. Written by exhibition curator de Guitaut, the book will feature contributions from fashion experts and designers, and look at the royal’s lifelong championing of the British fashion industry.
The exact dates of the exhibition have not yet been finalised, just that it will open in the spring and run until autumn 2026. The Royal Collection said tickets will go on sale in November 2025, and the book will be published by Royal Collection Trust in March 2026, priced at 40 pounds.