There’s just over a month to go before the new royal fashion exhibit, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, opens at Buckingham Palace on 10 April. Royal fans are waiting with bated breath to see the extensive offering, which is the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of the late Queen’s fashion to ever be presented.
The King’s Gallery is especially poignant as the gallery stands on the site of the private chapel at Buckingham Palace, where the future Queen was christened, before the chapel was destroyed in the Blitz.
The monarch’s full and illustrious exhibit will house around 200 show-stopping items for royal fans to devour, including a particular family royal heirloom.
The royal Christening gown
Queen Elizabeth’s christening robe, which was made 185 years ago, will be displayed for the first time. It was first worn by Queen Victoria’s eldest child, Princess Victoria, for her christening in 1841. It was then carefully passed down and worn by generations of royal babies, including Queen Elizabeth at her christening in May 1926, when she was just one month old.
© Royal Collection TrustThe robe is quite the historical artefact. Designed by Janet Sutherland, Queen Victoria’s Scottish dressmaker, it’s made from cream Spitalfields silk from East London and overlaid with fine Honiton lace made in Devon.
The robe itself became fragile over time, and areas, including the central panel, wore thin. Although the robe had been repaired in the 1960s, by 2004, Queen Elizabeth decided it had become too delicate and commissioned a replica to be made, which has been worn for every subsequent royal christening, including Prince William and Prince Harry.
The original christening robe has undergone extensive conservation treatment by Royal Collection Trust’s textile conservator Cecilia Oliver in advance of going on display.
© Royal Collection TrustVisitors will also see a note handwritten by Queen Elizabeth recording some of the babies to have worn the robe, a tradition started by her grandmother Queen Mary, after the robe came into her care from Queen Victoria. The note reveals the importance of the robe for the Royal Family as an heirloom and symbol of continuity, and will be accompanied in the exhibition by the bonnet, silk satin shawl, sash, bows, and ribbons embroidered with national emblems that were also traditionally worn for christenings.
© PA ImagesWhat else can we expect to see at the new exhibition?
Queen Elizabeth II had an incredible fashion journey during the ten decades of her life: from birth to adulthood, from princess to queen, and from off-duty style to diplomatic dressing.
© Royal Collection TrustClothing, jewellery, hats, shoes, and accessories will be available to observe, and visitors of the exhibit 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.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from 10 April to 18 October 2026. Tickets available here.
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