The Queen’s fashion down through the decades

On the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee we take a look at her incredible fashion evolution from the 1940s to now
By Helen McGurk
Published 4th Feb 2022, 10:35 BST
Updated 4th Feb 2022, 13:19 BST
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Queen Elizabeth II is about to reach a major milestone – for tomorrow it will be 70 years since her accession to the throne.

Over the years, she’s proved herself a veritable style icon.

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When Norman Hartnell was commissioned to make the Queen’s coronation dress in October 1952, he already had his own ideas of what embroideries he could include: lilies, roses, marguerites, the stars and moon, the sky, the earth, the sun among them.

The then 20-year-old Princess Elizabeth (left), bridesmaid at the wedding of Hon. Patricia Mountbatten and Lord Brabourne in 1946.The then 20-year-old Princess Elizabeth (left), bridesmaid at the wedding of Hon. Patricia Mountbatten and Lord Brabourne in 1946.
The then 20-year-old Princess Elizabeth (left), bridesmaid at the wedding of Hon. Patricia Mountbatten and Lord Brabourne in 1946.

But the Queen insisted all the floral symbols of Great Britain and the Commonwealth had to be incorporated; English roses, Welsh leeks, Irish shamrocks, Scottish thistles and Canadian maple leaves sat alongside emblems from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Pakistan, India and Ceylon. At the age of 27, the Queen already had a talent for dressing diplomatically.

Here, to mark her Platinum Jubilee, we look back at how the Queen’s instantly recognisable fashion has evolved, from her days as a young royal to now…

Related topics:QueenElizabeth IIGreat Britain

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