Queen Elizabeth II: Her Majesty's Life In Style
The epitome of elegance.
Queen Elizabeth II was nothing, if not an icon. In more than 70 years of dressing in the public eye, the Queen never put a sensibly shoed foot wrong.
From a regal childhood to her years as a newly-coronated Queen and young mother, to her eventual status as the revered figurehead of the Commonwealth, the most impressive aspect of the Queen's sense of style might just have been the gloriousness of its consistency.
In the early days, Her Majesty sought the vision of royal couturier Sir Norman Hartnell, who was tasked with the near-impossible mission of creating not only her wedding dress for her marriage to the late Prince Philip in 1947, but also her silk Coronation gown in 1953. During the course of her 70-year reign, the royal continued to set and follow the trends, with the help of her dressmaker and confidante Angela Kelly, from wearing bright block colours and Richard Quinn-esque floral dresses, to Gucci-like tartan midi skirts, coats with fur cuffs and metallic shoes.
Here, we chart the Queen’s most experimental, modern and chic looks throughout her reign, to remind ourselves that Her Majesty will forever be the first queen of style.
The Queen attends London Fashion Week, 2018
Her Majesty arrived at the Richard Quinn show at 180 The Strand wearing a pale blue tweed suit, accessorised with the Pearl Trefoil brooch. Following the show, she presented Quinn with the first Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
The Queen makes her annual speech at the State Opening of Parliament, 2017
It is widely believed that the Queen made a subtle political statement in her choice of outfit for the 2017 State Opening of Parliament, the first following the UK's Brexit vote. Her Majesty wore an intricate royal blue jacquard coat and matching hat – which featured yellow-centred flowers, and bore a suspicious resemblance to the EU flag.
The Queen attends the Trooping The Colour ceremony, 2016
Her Majesty's love of colour is well-known, and reached its peak in 2016 when the Queen wore a very bright neon green coat-dress and matching hat by Stewart Parvin for a special Trooping The Colour to celebrate her 90th birthday. The look quickly broke the internet and spawned hundreds of hilarious 'Green Screen Queen' memes.
The Queen attends the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, 2012
To celebrate the Royal Variety Performance's 100th anniversary year, the Queen wore an elegant gold, beaded, wrap-style dress – completing the look with matching metallic shoes, a patent silver Launer handbag and one of her many collet-style diamond necklaces.
The Queen attends Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding in 2011
The Queen wore a primrose two-piece look by designer Angela Kelly to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Kelly also designed the Queen's hat - which featured handmade silk roses - for the event, and the look was completed with the true lovers’ knot brooch (which her Majesty also wore to Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960).
Queen Elizabeth II attends the unveiling of a new statue of the Queen Mother in London, 2009
This was such a fabulous look for the Queen: a delicate peach coat-dress is elevated with ultra-glamorous fur cuffs, a matching hat, and chic black accessories.
The Queen attends the 2008 wedding of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly in
Princess Anne's son wed the Canadian Autumn Kelly at Windsor Castle, marking the first nuptials of any of the Queen's grandchildren. To join the celebrations, Her Majesty wore a beautiful lavender and bronze brocade coat-dress by Angela Kelly, with a matching hand-made feather headdress. Royal autumnal chic at its very best.
The Queen meets Nelson Mandela, 2000
The Queen wore a bow-print gown with subtle puff sleeves to greet Nelson Mandela at Buckingham Palace, adding Royal Family Orders and a suite of emerald jewellery, including the Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara.
The Queen attends the Royal Variety Performance at the Birmingham Hippodrome, 1999
This year marked the Birmingham Hippodrome's hundredth anniversary, and to celebrate the venue was chosen to host the first Royal Variety Performance outside London. The Queen was in full celebration mode, too, and wore one of her most standout looks to date: a Harlequin-style sequin top and full length yellow silk skirt.
The Queen attends a royal banquet in Budapest with Prince Philip, 1993
Her Majesty was pretty in a pink gown for a state visit to Budapest, which she paired with the stunning Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.
The Queen visits Marshall Heights in Washington DC during a state visit to America, 1991
Spring florals at their very best for the Queen's Marshall Heights visit in 1991. Her Majesty celebrated the start of the new season in a pretty yellow and white floral dress, plus a smart yellow hat and white leather bag.
The Queen at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, 1991
Of course, the Queen isn't always dressed in her most formal attire. Here, Her Majesty is seen in a classic 'countryside casual' look for the Royal Windsor Horse Show, consisting of a tartan skirt, red shirt and green cardigan. We love her dressed-down style – and this particular look is giving us major heritage Gucci vibes.
Queen Elizabeth II attends the Queen Mother's birthday celebrations with members of the royal family in 1990
To celebrate her mother's 90th birthday celebrations, Queen Elizabeth II (and the rest of the royal family, it seems) opted for a bold and bright floral dress. The perfect summer party look.
Queen Elizbeth II and Prince Philip pose for a portrait, November 1987
The Queen and Prince Philip posed in The Green Room at Windsor Castle to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and looked the epitome of sophistication.
Atop her ivory-hued full-length dress, with elbow-length sleeves, Her Majesty wore a blue sash, which symbolises her role as a member of member of the Order of the Garter, of which she is sovereign. She also wore the Badge of the Order, the Star and two other orders given to her by her predecessors George V and George VI.
Queen Elizabeth II visits New Zealand during Silver Jubilee Year Tour , March 1977
This look could be forgiven for looking like it'd been taken straight off the Richard Quinn runway, given its sharp cut, floral print and bright colours. The Queen wore this light-weight midi dress, with a coordinated hat, during her tour of New Zealand. She styled the springtime look with a white leather bag, white gloves and pearl earrings.
Queen Elizabeth II during a state visit to Mexico, January 1975
The Royal wore bright yellow polka dot midi dress that fell just below her knee. She styled the summer look with a coordinated turban hat, white globes, a white belt and matching shows with a gold buckle.
Queen Elizabeth II attends a premiere in London's West End, January 1973
For a West End premiere the Queen wore a beautiful white floor-length gown which featured a scallop-trim on the cuffs and embellished with multi-coloured stones, fabrics and threads. She styled the look with a rose gold clutch bag, diamond bracelet, white gloves, a fur stole and a tiara. The dress might be 50 years old but it's timeless in our eyes.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arriving at the Manoel Theatre in Malta, January 1967
The Queen dazzled in this off-white dress, worn with a fur stole. To introduce a pop of colour into the look she opted for the Baring Ruby Necklace, which was commissioned in 1964, and made from unused existing jewellery from the royal collection. Again, she wore to wear what appears to be her favourite tiara, the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland.
Queen Elizabeth II at Ventnor during a royal visit to the Isle of Wight, July 1965
The mother-of-four wore a coral-coloured coat dress with large button detailing and a matching hat for her visit. She coordinated the look perfectly with a slick of coral-hued lipstick, pearl earrings and a diamond bow-shaped brooch.
Queen Elizabeth II attends a performance at RADA, November 1964
We could see Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle in this dress given it's chic cut and bright colour. Her Majesty wore the gown - made of a coral satin - for a performance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She accessorised the outfit with diamonds, all of which are linked to her grandmother, Queen Mary.
The standout accessory was, undoubtedly, the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara. Meanwhile, the Queen’s necklace for the occasion was the Diamond Festoon Necklace, commissioned in 1950 by her father, King George VI. The individual stones were Queen Mary’s 'leftover' diamonds, which were used to make adjustments and repairs to pieces. When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne in 1952, she became the exclusive wearer of the festoon necklace.
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
The British Line Of Succession, Explained
Bank Holiday After King Charles' Coronation
Queen Elizabeth II: Our Lasting Memory
Charles & Camilla En Route To Church In Balmoral
