The multi-day celebrations of the Queen’s 70th throne jubilee begin on Thursday. With flags and fanfares, with parties and parades, with church services, dinners, speeches. In short: it gets loud and it gets long, the processes are meticulously planned. So far, however, it is unclear – at least for the fans of the pretty queen – what Her Majesty will wear to all the events. Pretty sure, though, that the dresses and costumes will hardly seem familiar to the watchful observers of the court.
Because behind the Elizabeth II wardrobe is a sophisticated system that is kept running by several employees – which is why the persistent and yet false rumor has persisted for decades Her Majesty The Queen would never wear the same look twice. Not true, as we found out during our fashion research. Here are seven style facts about the British monarch and her (not always) new clothes:
1. Her clothes: Candy colors and leaden hems
Skirt and blouse combos? pants? Not with the Queen! She only wears dresses, depending on the occasion floor-length robes or combinations of knee-length, straight-cut dresses and coats. A pair of jeans, for example – the nation’s all-encompassing uniform – she is said to have never owned. What’s more, according to several reliable sources, Elizabeth II has never even tried on such blue trousers. But why doesn’t she wear a skirt and blouse? Because something could slip, as Norman Hartnell, who died in 1979, once announced.
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May it be a little bit more? 1947 in Norman Hartnell’s wedding dress.
The fashion designer had designed the wedding dress for the Queen in 1947 and the lavish robe for her official coronation ceremony in 1952 and was in Her Majesty’s service for many years. Stewart Parvin, another of the Queen’s couturier, also made it known that Elizabeth II is not built quite straight at the top, one shoulder hangs a little lower, which is why an extra pad is worked into the shoulder area of the dresses on that side. Meanwhile, the queen has fine lead strips sewn into the skirt hems – the good housewife knows something similar from the area of curtains – so that there can never be an unfavorable Marilyn Monroe moment with flying fabric and uncovered underpants.
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London wind force 5 – the skirt fits! There are lead bands in the hem.
And anyway: Unforeseen outfit problems are unlikely to occur with the monarch: she has a whole team of dressers who carefully plan and arrange her wardrobe. Each new dress is named and categorized, the rule being that Elizabeth II never wears the same ensemble to meetings with other heads of state – which is why it seems she never wears her dresses twice at all. But that’s not true if you count the Queen’s many other public appearances and private appointments.
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Feels visibly comfortable in blue: the Queen wears no other color more often.
The wide range of colors in her wardrobe also gives the impression that Elizabeth II is always wearing something new. British Vogue has taken the painstaking effort to analyze this a bit: According to this, the Queen’s favorite color is blue, and to date 29 percent of her public outfits have been the color of hope. They are followed by pink and purple, each with ten percent.
2. Your umbrellas: Anything that doesn’t fit will be made to fit
It goes without saying that with so many different colored dresses, there are also a corresponding number of hats and gloves, coats and fashion accessories in the monarch’s closet – after all, she is also known as the queen of color matching. To remain the world’s most famous tone-on-tone wearer, Elizabeth II is said to own around 5,000 hats, mostly models by milliner Angela Kelly, which can be chosen to match her dresses and coats. Her selection of neckerchiefs and headscarves should also run into the thousands. And then there are the umbrellas – a notoriously important accessory in rainy England.
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Nobility obliges: An umbrella with purple edges goes with the purple hat.
As the official rain protection outfitter, the traditional British brand Fulton Umbrellas supplies the palace. Not only with the high-quality umbrellas, which Krethi and Plethi can also buy in the label’s stores: there is always something to do at the royal umbrella supplier, because as soon as the queen buys a new dress, the palace archives then look for a color wanted an umbrella that fits perfectly. And if necessary, a new one will be made.
3. Your gloves: 15 centimeters of the best quality
The Queen is less varied in the gloves category. Because she has been wearing the two non-colors for decades: white and black. Norman Hartnell, the wedding dress designer and coronation dress maker, had once chosen the perfect manufacturer for the Queen: In 1947, a certain Cornelia James developed the royal bridal gloves for Elizabeth II.
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That’s twice as nice: the gloves are custom-made.
Since then, James’ family business has been the official glove supplier to the court. Every year, the company is to provide twelve pairs for the Queen alone, all of which have a classic cut and are completely color-free. According to the company, they are made of cotton and nylon, are washable, simple and practical. Her Majesty prefers gloves about 15 centimeters long or “bracelet length” – whatever that means.
4. Your handbags: Be careful when your purse is on the floor
When it comes to her bags, Elizabeth II is also far less willing to experiment than with her rainbow dresses. Hobo bags, crossbodies or clutches? Never: The queen usually wears a small, dark model with relatively long handles that does not have any special design elements or functions. She relies on the British brand Launer London, Her Majesty is said to own about 40 handbags at 2000 euros each from his house, as the Launer boss recently revealed to the Daily Mail.
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All-clear for the ladies-in-waiting: The Queen wears her bag on her left arm.
What is more exciting is what signals the queen sends with her bag: It has long been known that she uses this to communicate with her staff. If she casually dangles the purse over her left arm, her ladies-in-waiting know: All good over here, I’m okay. But if she changes the bag to the other arm or even puts it on the floor or a table, Her Majesty would like to be freed from an unpleasant conversation, for example.
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There used to be more variety: Elizabeth II with a white model.
However, no one knows exactly what is in her bag. It was only observed that the queen always had a metal hook with her, with which the bag could be hung nonchalantly on a dinner table. Her court chef Stefan Pappert also recently announced that the Queen is happy to have a few biscuits packed as emergency provisions for longer appointments.
5. Her shoes: she doesn’t need blister plasters
The Queen is indeed regularly on the road for a long time. So that she doesn’t get blisters on her tough appointments, she uses a rather clever and slightly pretentious trick: she always has new models brought in by a dresser who, conveniently, has the same shoe size as her. However, there is not much variety on the four pairs of feet: for 50 years, first the dresser and then the queen have worn almost identical shoe models.
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Made to measure and worn in: When it comes to shoes, she makes no compromises.
They used to come from the London designer Edward Rayne, who also designed the shoes for Queen Mum and Lady Di. He retired from the business in 1988 – and was then knighted by Her Majesty in gratitude for his service. After extensive research, one of Rayne’s former employees, who meanwhile worked in the London shoe studio Anello & Davide, was found to replace Rayne. This not only developed the now legendary Chelsea boots, but has also been producing the Queen’s shoes since then: custom-made pumps with five centimeter heels, mostly black, more rarely in two tones, for 1100 euros a pair. But the Queen – very sustainable – should definitely use the repair services of a shoemaker instead of buying new shoes over and over again.
6. Her nail polish: the color of a ballet slipper
It’s easy to tell what adorns the queen’s fingernails: “Ballet Slippers” by Essie. The soft pink tone of the US cosmetics brand has been said to be the only polish Her Majesty has applied for decades – in the meantime, Essie even advertised this royal anecdote. The light color is said to resemble that of a classic ballet shoe, hence the pretty name.
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Showing off: Her Majesty always has well manicured hands.
The queen uses at least one product that anyone can buy from dm or Rossmann: Essie nail polishes cost just 8.95 euros there. However, it remains unclear who paints the queen’s nails – or whether Her Majesty occasionally even uses the bottle and brush herself. Otherwise, little is known about the monarch’s beauty routine. One thing is certain: the Queen stopped coloring her hair in 1990 at the age of 64. Since then she has worn a possibly very natural silver tone.
7. Her passion: Two queens, many dresses, a pair of sunglasses
How much the Queen is interested in her wardrobe and fashion in general remains her secret. It’s quite possible that all the fuss is more about her staff, the stylists and dressers – the queen herself seems to be more practically oriented, which proves her loyalty to the same shoes, the same bag, the same nail polish. The Queen was only present at a fashion show once: at the age of 91, Elizabeth II attended such a spectacle for the first time in 2018.
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Insolence: “Ice Queen” Anna Wintour does not take off her glasses.
As part of London Fashion Week, she looked at the new designs by Briton Richard Quinn, who received the Award for British Design after his show, including a laudatory speech from the Queen. And by the way, she was sitting next to another monarch during the catwalk dance: US Vogue boss and “Ice Queen” Anna Wintour, who immediately made a blatant faux pas. She didn’t take off her iconic shades even when speaking to Elizabeth II…