The exhbition of more than 300 items from the late Queen's wardrobe is to run to what would have been her 101st birthday
Credit: Tristan Fewings/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- A landmark exhibition of the late Queen Elizabeth’s wardrobe shared an exciting announcement
- The display at the King’s Gallery contains more than 300 items from the late Queen’s collection
- It is on pace to be the most-visited exhibition in the history of the Royal Collection
The late Queen Elizabeth is still breaking records.
The exhibition of the history-making monarch's outfits, hats and other accessories, which went on show around her 100th birthday in April, has sold out its initial run. And now, curators have announced that it will run for another six months at the King's Gallery, adjacent to Buckingham Palace.
The initial dates sold out within weeks, meaning around 200,000 visitors will see it before the original close date of Oct. 18. Now, there could be another 200,000 visitors in the period until April 18, 2027, when it is now scheduled to close. It means it will be the most visited exhibition in the history of the Royal Collection Trust, which looks after and manages the royals' garments and other historic items and heirlooms.
The Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style show contains never-before-seen childhood dresses to the Queen's wedding necklaces, tiaras and even the dress worn by her stunt double for the London 2012 Olympics ceremony. Around half of the items are on display for the first time.
“With over 300 pieces in the exhibition, it is the most thorough examination of her clothing collection, which I hope will help visitors understand why fashion was so important in the Queen’s role,” Caroline de Guitaut, curator of the exhibition, told PEOPLE around the launch in April.
Credit: Tristan Fewings/Getty
Tim Knox, the director of the Royal Collection, said in a statement on May 22, "The response to this exhibition has been unprecedented. We are delighted to extend its run, ensuring that even more people from across the UK and around the world will have the chance to experience this once-in-a-generation tribute to Queen Elizabeth II’s life and legacy, in line with our charitable aim to share the Royal Collection as widely as possible."
What de Guitaut calls an "exciting discovery" was a pair of gold lame dresses made by Jeanne Lanvin for the then Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret.
“They are fascinating from a fashion history perspective, and they beautifully illustrate that interface between Paris and London at that time,” the curator, who has worked for the Royal Collection Trust for over three decades and organized many royal clothing exhibitions during her career, added.
Credit: Tristan Fewings/Getty
There were also treasured items from the royal's childhood, including some of her very first pieces of couture. One of those is a silver lame bridesmaid dress, designed by Edward Molyneux, that the princess wore at age 8 to the wedding of her uncle the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece in 1934. There is also Elizabeth's dress from her wedding to Prince Philip and the coronation gown from 1953.
Another standout was a cornflower blue skirt, appliqued with little figures of Romeo and Juliet and intricate trailing roses, which was gifted to the Queen on her visit to Ottawa, Canada, in 1951. The Queen wore it that same evening and was photographed being twirled on the dance floor by Prince Philip (who wore jeans and a neckerchief!).
“Considering its age, it’s so pristine, and it’s just a really fun piece,” the art historian and curator explained. “You can interpret it however you want, but I think it does perhaps indicate someone who is prepared to dress up and have fun with clothes.”
De Guitaut told PEOPLE what she hopes visitors will learn from the groundbreaking exhibition. “She was so often compared to her sister, Princess Margaret, who was wearing Dior and considered to be the more fashionable of the two princesses,” de Guitaut said. “Something that has been interesting to me is hopefully debunking that myth because clearly she really did care what she looked like, and she absolutely was involved and interested. And it’s that level, the personal connection and the degree of that personal connection with her designers, has been quite revelatory.”
Credit: Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust. Photographer: Jon Stokes
With demand high and ongoing, visitors are encouraged to book tickets in advance For those who can't make it to the exhibition at the King's Gallery in London, there is an official accompanying book Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style, by de Guitaut.
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In another marking of the centenary of the Queen's birthday, the Royal Collection has opened the private apartments used by the Queen when she was in residence at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh. It's the first time they have been able to be seen by visitors, and the tours will run for 100 days.
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