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In a special installment of the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential, royal editor Rebecca English embarks on a captivating journey through an exhibition that traces Queen Elizabeth’s remarkable reign via her fashion choices, alongside curator Caroline de Guitaut. Celebrating what would have been the late monarch’s 100th birthday, the exhibition, titled “Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style,” features numerous iconic outfits and accessories showcased for the first time at The King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace. Among the standout pieces is the historic gown from Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 coronation, crafted by the renowned royal couturier, Sir Norman Hartnell, who had roughly eight months to bring his visionary creation to life, ultimately presenting the Queen with eight distinct designs.
Diplomatic messaging
The Queen made her choice from Hartnell’s eighth design, de Guitaut shared with English—a stunning gown of ivory silk satin that echoed her 1947 wedding dress. However, the monarch had one particular request: ‘The Queen expressed a desire for more than just the United Kingdom’s emblems on her gown,’ de Guitaut revealed. ‘She insisted on including symbols from all the nations she ruled over at the time. The dress became a powerful piece of diplomatic symbolism.’
The Australian wattle
Hartnell’s initial design incorporated only four symbols: the Tudor rose, the Scottish thistle, the Irish shamrock, and a daffodil representing Wales. Following the Queen’s directive, the final gown was adorned with a vibrant array of emblems from across the Commonwealth: the Canadian maple leaf, the Australian wattle, New Zealand’s silver fern, the South African protea, a lotus for India, and wheat for Pakistan. This marked the first occasion a coronation outfit paid homage to nations beyond the British Isles, setting a new precedent in royal fashion.
‘The Queen actually instructed for all the embroidery to be done in colour,’ de Guitaut explained. ‘This was a first at the time – but helped make the piece completely timeless.’ Where past coronation gowns had been worked almost entirely in silver and white thread, the Queen wanted the emblems stitched in lifelike colour, giving the dress a richness that has not faded today. All the embroidery is thought to have brought the gown’s weight to between four and five kilograms. Hartnell was forced to sew horsehair padding into the hips to help it keep its shape. For more of the late Queen’s most iconic outfits explained, subscribe to Palace Confidential on YouTube to watch the full episode.
