Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style Announced for April 2026
After a period of speculation and - let’s face it - a rather turbulent quarter for the royal family, Buckingham Palace has confirmed at the largest ever display of Queen Elizabeth II’s clothing, accessories and fashion items and inspirations will be held at The King’s Gallery from April 10th 2025, with tickets available from November 4th 2025.
The hautest of haute couture
The exhibition, neatly titled ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ was first announced in July by the Royal Collection Trust (a charity which oversees the royal palaces for public viewing as well as other aspects of the crown estate and collections). The showcase will include over 200 items including the late Queen’s iconic range of brightly-coloured hats and matching suits, items of rare and custom-made jewellery, shoes and accessories. Excitingly for those fascinated by the fashion choices made by the Queen, more than half of the collection will be on display for the very first time, allowing for a retrospective understanding and holistic view of a monarch who ushered in the modern age.
Running from the 10th of April until October 18th, 2026, the exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s full fashion archive, and it provides a deep-dive into fashion choices selected from across the ten decades of her life. Expect haute couture items of dazzling eveningwear, tailored off-duty items and examples of her everyday style - riding outfits, tweed suits, her distinctive headscarves and surprisingly practical attire will surely all be present and correct.
Even for the staunch republicans amongst us, there’s little doubt that there’s something truly fascinating about Queen Elizabeth II as a style icon, and her archive is justifiably described as one of the most important surviving collections of 20th century fashion. Featuring designs by Angela Kelly (the Queen’s preferred couture designer in her later years), Normal Hartnell, Edward Molyneux, Hardy Amies and Ian Thomas, guests can expect to uncover a perhaps unexpectedly influential array of clothing that reflects the unbeaten breadth of her world-changing reign.
Regal fits for royal enthusiasts
According to the Royal Collection Trust, highlights of the exhibition will include the vibrant apple-green gown Elizabeth II wore at President Eisenhower’s state banquet in 1957, the bolero jacket and crinoline gown worn at Princess Margeret’s 1960 wedding, Balmoral tartans and Harris tweeds and much, much more. These - and many, many more - will be exhibited alongside fabric samples and sketches by luminary designers, providing a remarkable insight into what went into dressing the world’s most famous and instantly-recognisable 20th century woman.
It won’t all be focused on glories of the past, either. The exhibition will also highlight Queen Elizabeth II’s continuing influence as a fashion icon within the British fashion scene. Three contemporary designers from the UK - Richard Quinn, Christopher Kane and Erdem Maralioglu - will contribute specially-created pieces to the exhibition, demonstrating that while the new Elizabethan age may have come to an end, her presence remains in the haute couture of today and tomorrow.
Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from April 10 to October 18, 2026.
