🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 29 (from laksa032)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa029.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026","crawl_time":1776133984,"first_indexed_time":1774301716,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"uk,co,houseandgarden!www,\/article\/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026 s443","src_root_hash":"3777563703148297029","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"Burberry macs, tweed jackets and headscarves: uncovering Queen Elizabeth II’s timeless style | House & Garden","meta_descriptions":["A new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"A new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised\n23 March 2026\nCaroline de Guitaut has curated a collection of more than 200 items from the Queen's wardrobe.\nRoyal Collection Trust\nThere have been moments when staging the collection of\nQueen Elizabeth II\n’s clothes when Caroline de Guitaut has caught sight of a dress hanging just-so on a mannequin and briefly stopped in her tracks. The models displaying the tweed suits, hacking jackets and evening gowns soon to go on show in an exhibition which will mark the centenary of the late Queen’s birth have been made bespoke so that every waistline and shoulder fits just as it should. The effect is uncanny. ‘Sometimes you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye and do a bit of a double take,’ she says.\nThere can’t be many people whose silhouette is as recognisable as Elizabeth II. If any of us were to close our eyes and conjure an image of her, a few classic ensembles might come to mind. A Burberry trench coat with an Hermes scarf tied under the chin, perhaps. Or a colourful two piece suit with a matching hat. Blink and you can make out the shape of her, so consistent was her look. In fact, for someone who was so known for having such a distinctive aesthetic it’s odd that she is rarely thought of as having been fashionable. This upcoming exhibition at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace will feature over 200 outfits from every decade of life, and will demonstrate that Queen Elizabeth II was, in fact, very fashionable indeed.\nCaroline – whose official title is Surveyor of the King’s Works of\nArt\nat the Royal Collection Trust – spent months at the storehouse in Windsor where over 4,000 items of clothing and accessories from throughout the Queen’s life lay tucked away in boxes. Painstakingly picking through box after box, Caroline uncovered pieces that tell the story not just of the Queen and her relationship with fashion (which, it soon emerged, was more intimate than anyone truly realised) but also of the evolution of British design.\nMost Popular\nBurberry has launched a capsule collection to commemorate the centenary and the exhibition\nMax Mumby\/Indigo\/Getty Images\nThe collection includes gowns worn on Royal tours in the early years of her reign, when designers like Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies would be called upon to provide dresses and coats which – in subtle ways, through a native flower stitched on a hem or a particular colour choice – would help the Queen wield that particular brand of soft power. But it’s her off-duty wardrobe that Caroline feels was most influential ‘on many contemporary British and European designers’. ‘That beautifully tailored tweed jacket, the tartan skirt, the headscarf, the pearls, that whole look – very “ladylike\ncountry\nwoman” – was perfected I think by the Queen and has endured. We still see people dressing like that today.’\nBespoke tweed (so fashionable again in 2026) is found throughout the collection. ‘What’s wonderful about that off-duty style is – perhaps uniquely – it blends more ready-to-wear with couture. One beautiful ensemble is a Harris tweed jacket which was made by Norman Hartnell and it’s absolutely the essence of a Dior bar jacket. Everything about how it’s cut, the way the material and the pattern has been tailored – it’s really inspired by the bar suit. It’s from the very early part of the Queen’s life, the late 1940s, so it really fits with that Dior aesthetic. You have your couture jacket and then you’re wearing it with a Balmoral tartan skirt. Balmoral tartan was supposedly designed by Prince Albert and is worn only by members of the Royal family.\nTweed Jacket and Balmoral Tartan Skirt, Norman Hartnell, c.1950\nRoyal Collection Trust\n‘It’s that perfect blend. We don’t quite know who made the skirt. It’s a beautiful piece but it’s not high fashion. And I love that idea of mixing the two together. We also see the way the Queen, through her support of British fashion, was supporting British textile production too.’\nMost Popular\nCaroline uncovered boxes of Scottish knitwear and Irish aran. ‘All those materials and traditional makers and ways of making things are absolutely redolent in the collection,’ she says, as we talk in an\noffice\nat St James’s palace, poring over images in the book she has written to accompany the exhibition. ‘There are things made by leading British brands [which are] still going today. Burberry rain capes and Barbour coats and waistcoats that were just practical for walking the dogs and going to Windsor horse show.’\nGet the latest houses and gardens in your inbox.\nSign up to the House and Garden Daily\nThe Queen’s off-duty style ‘might not be everyone’s definition of comfortable’, says Caroline. ‘It was still formal. It was still appropriate and practical for what the day was going to hold, whether she was at Windsor, Balmoral or Sandringham. Quite often a cashmere twin set with riding clothes, or a little air-tex t-shirt or a short sleeved shirt. Brogues by Lobb or Churches. Really practical, but still the best.’\nOne of Caroline’s favourite items in the collection is covered in gold stitching and pearls; it’s a plastic rain mac. ‘Hardy Amies worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001 A Space Odyssey. He was interested in futuristic design and Amies really pushed his boundaries and this really speaks to that period. There was a fashion for wearing these types of plastic rain coats but this is obviously a couture [one]. The mother of pearl buttons are so stunning, and the stitching. For me this is the forerunner of the birdcage umbrella she began using from Fulton, with the coloured trim. It’s perfect because it’s chic, it’s stylish, it’s practical and her clothes can still be seen underneath. I don’t think she would have worn this to walk the corgis. This is much more [for wearing] out on an engagement. I’m going to display it with the umbrellas because we have them in every colour.’\nSilk Dress, Coat and Plastic Raincoat, Hardy Amies, c.1960\nRoyal Collection Trust\nA hacking jacket ‘worn over multiple decades’ was another find. ‘When one examines it you can tell it’s been worn, it has wear, but it’s still in such beautiful condition. Her young adulthood was during the Second World War and so this idea of thrift and frugality was very firmly instilled.’\nOn first glance it might look simple, but it’s an extraordinary piece of design, she says. ‘For something that looks relatively ordinary, the tailoring is just amazing. Bernard Weatherall worked for the Queen for over 70 years producing formal things – he produced her tunics for Trooping the Colour. It’s in the detail [in items like this hacking jacket] where the delight really is. The lining is worn and a bit discoloured due to repeated wear. The back flap is lined with gabardine so that it’s completely waterproof. If you’re riding and it starts raining the water will gather on the back of the saddle and it just gets wicked away.’\nMost Popular\nBurberry crops up again and again – a stalwart of her outdoor wardrobe. This month, Burberry has launched a new collection in collaboration with the Royal Collection Trust in honour of the centenary featuring a belted car coat, a tartan scarf and a silk scarf all inspired by the Queen’s wardrobe.\nHeadscarves are another common thread through the collection. Scarves were fashionable throughout the 50s and 60s (and like Burberry and tweed, they’re back in fashion now) but Caroline suspects the way the Queen wore them was distinct. ‘She began wearing them in the 40s. She always tied them under her chin in a bow, which is actually really unusual. [...] People knew she wore them so she was often given them as gifts which explains why we have quite a few. Hermes features heavily – and that’s an unusual example of her wearing non-British.’ There is an Oliver Messel-designed one which is ‘beautiful’, and another which features ‘the winners of the Derby’.\nA Loden Coat, Angela Kelly Couture\nRoyal Collection Trust\nThe King, who himself has a keen interest in fashion and sustainability, has been kept closely informed of plans for the exhibition, says Caroline. After the exhibition, partnerships with the King’s Foundation will ensure students of design and fashion can access the archive. ‘This tells the story of British couture from the demise of the court dressmaker to the rise of\nLondon\ncouture and the British fashion designer. It runs throughout that whole period because of the Queen’s wonderful long life and it’s all there to see and be inspired by.’\nFor Caroline, what has been striking is how involved the Queen was in curating her wardrobe. Caroline found notes on logs of Royal tours that show she cared deeply about what she wore. ‘I didn’t appreciate how much she took the lead in things as opposed to what I had originally thought which was she would say to her dresser “I’m going on tour can you sort something out”. It was much more: “ok I’m going to be away for six weeks, I need five coats, six evening dresses, three suits”.’\nLetters from designers were revealing too. ‘There are letters from Hartnell and Hardy Amies that she kept privately all her life. They were just tucked away in her desk. Hartnell would write: “all my team without fail will just do anything for you”. There was this really strong bond, and through that, because she was able to wear these beautiful clothes she understood what went into making them.’\nMost Popular\nWhat’s clear is ‘this was someone who was deeply committed to their appearance’. She may have been practical, but she knew that how she looked to the outside world meant something. It’s perhaps why, as Caroline says, most of us can still conjure her distinctive style. ‘You can close your eyes and you can see it,’ she says.\nQueen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at\nThe King's Gallery\nfrom 10 April 2026\nEleanor Steafel\nis House and Garden’s Lifestyle Director. She joined the magazine in 2026, having been a feature writer and recipe columnist at the Daily Telegraph for over a decade. Her first cookbook, The Art of Friday Night Dinner, was shortlisted for a Fortnum and Mason award for debut cookbook. ...\nRead More\nGet the latest houses and gardens in your inbox.\nSign up to the House and Garden Daily\nRead More","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026#main-content)\n\n[![House and Garden](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/verso\/static\/houseandgarden-uk\/assets\/logo.svg)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/)\n\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/subscribe)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/newsletter)\n\n[Sign In](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/auth\/initiate?redirectURL=%2Farticle%2Fqueen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION)\n\nOpen Navigation Menu\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/subscribe)\n\n- [Houses](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/houses)\n- [Decoration](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/decoration)\n- [Gardens](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/gardens)\n- [Recipes](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/recipes)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/travel-lifestyle)\n- [HG101](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/uk-top-interior-designers-architects)\n- [The List](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/the-list)\n- [Shopping](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/shopping)\n- [Property](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/property)\n\n[![House and Garden](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/verso\/static\/houseandgarden-uk\/assets\/logo.svg)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/)\n\nClose Navigation Menu\n\n- [Search](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/search)\n- [Sign In](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/auth\/initiate?redirectURL=%2Farticle%2Fqueen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION)\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/subscribe)\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/newsletter)\n\n- [Houses](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/houses)\n- [Decoration](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/decoration)\n- [Gardens](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/gardens)\n- [Recipes](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/recipes)\n- [Travel](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/travel-lifestyle)\n- [HG101](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/uk-top-interior-designers-architects)\n- [The List](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/the-list)\n- [Video](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/video)\n- [Shopping](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/shopping)\n- [Promotions](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/promotions)\n- [Property](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/property)\n\n- [Competitions](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/competitions)\n- [H\\&G Shops](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/house-garden-shops)\n\n[News](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/news)\n\n# Burberry macs, tweed jackets and headscarves: uncovering Queen Elizabeth II’s timeless style\n\nA new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised\n\nBy [Eleanor Steafel](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/profile\/eleanor-steafel)\n\n23 March 2026\n\nSave this story\n\nSave this story\n\n![Image may contain Person Adult and Wedding](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4d720d5e4cdd8b2c5998\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/Photographer%2520Peter%2520Smith%2520\\(RCIN%2520200127%2520and%2520220199\\).jpg)\n\nCaroline de Guitaut has curated a collection of more than 200 items from the Queen's wardrobe.\n\nRoyal Collection Trust\n\nThere have been moments when staging the collection of [Queen Elizabeth II](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/queen-elizabeth-ii)’s clothes when Caroline de Guitaut has caught sight of a dress hanging just-so on a mannequin and briefly stopped in her tracks. The models displaying the tweed suits, hacking jackets and evening gowns soon to go on show in an exhibition which will mark the centenary of the late Queen’s birth have been made bespoke so that every waistline and shoulder fits just as it should. The effect is uncanny. ‘Sometimes you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye and do a bit of a double take,’ she says.\n\nThere can’t be many people whose silhouette is as recognisable as Elizabeth II. If any of us were to close our eyes and conjure an image of her, a few classic ensembles might come to mind. A Burberry trench coat with an Hermes scarf tied under the chin, perhaps. Or a colourful two piece suit with a matching hat. Blink and you can make out the shape of her, so consistent was her look. In fact, for someone who was so known for having such a distinctive aesthetic it’s odd that she is rarely thought of as having been fashionable. This upcoming exhibition at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace will feature over 200 outfits from every decade of life, and will demonstrate that Queen Elizabeth II was, in fact, very fashionable indeed.\n\nCaroline – whose official title is Surveyor of the King’s Works of [Art](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/art) at the Royal Collection Trust – spent months at the storehouse in Windsor where over 4,000 items of clothing and accessories from throughout the Queen’s life lay tucked away in boxes. Painstakingly picking through box after box, Caroline uncovered pieces that tell the story not just of the Queen and her relationship with fashion (which, it soon emerged, was more intimate than anyone truly realised) but also of the evolution of British design.\n\nMost Popular\n\n- [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Decoration\n  \n  [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Alessandra Pellegrino\n- [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Travel\n  \n  [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Piero Lissoni\n- [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Property\n  \n  [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Kathryn Schultz\n\n![Image may contain Elizabeth II Person Face Happy Head Smile Clothing Scarf Glove Accessories Bag and Handbag](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4f443ea7535ddd56871f\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/1084923562)\n\nBurberry has launched a capsule collection to commemorate the centenary and the exhibition\n\nMax Mumby\/Indigo\/Getty Images\n\nThe collection includes gowns worn on Royal tours in the early years of her reign, when designers like Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies would be called upon to provide dresses and coats which – in subtle ways, through a native flower stitched on a hem or a particular colour choice – would help the Queen wield that particular brand of soft power. But it’s her off-duty wardrobe that Caroline feels was most influential ‘on many contemporary British and European designers’. ‘That beautifully tailored tweed jacket, the tartan skirt, the headscarf, the pearls, that whole look – very “ladylike [country](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/country) woman” – was perfected I think by the Queen and has endured. We still see people dressing like that today.’\n\nWATCH\n\nBespoke tweed (so fashionable again in 2026) is found throughout the collection. ‘What’s wonderful about that off-duty style is – perhaps uniquely – it blends more ready-to-wear with couture. One beautiful ensemble is a Harris tweed jacket which was made by Norman Hartnell and it’s absolutely the essence of a Dior bar jacket. Everything about how it’s cut, the way the material and the pattern has been tailored – it’s really inspired by the bar suit. It’s from the very early part of the Queen’s life, the late 1940s, so it really fits with that Dior aesthetic. You have your couture jacket and then you’re wearing it with a Balmoral tartan skirt. Balmoral tartan was supposedly designed by Prince Albert and is worn only by members of the Royal family.\n\n![Image may contain Clothing Skirt Coat Jacket Blazer Tartan and Overcoat](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4d9b5642b509734b708a\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/250355%2520\\(Jon%2520Stokes\\).jpg)\n\nTweed Jacket and Balmoral Tartan Skirt, Norman Hartnell, c.1950\n\nRoyal Collection Trust\n\n‘It’s that perfect blend. We don’t quite know who made the skirt. It’s a beautiful piece but it’s not high fashion. And I love that idea of mixing the two together. We also see the way the Queen, through her support of British fashion, was supporting British textile production too.’\n\nMost Popular\n\n- [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Decoration\n  \n  [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Alessandra Pellegrino\n- [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Travel\n  \n  [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Piero Lissoni\n- [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Property\n  \n  [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Kathryn Schultz\n\nCaroline uncovered boxes of Scottish knitwear and Irish aran. ‘All those materials and traditional makers and ways of making things are absolutely redolent in the collection,’ she says, as we talk in an [office](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/office) at St James’s palace, poring over images in the book she has written to accompany the exhibition. ‘There are things made by leading British brands \\[which are\\] still going today. Burberry rain capes and Barbour coats and waistcoats that were just practical for walking the dogs and going to Windsor horse show.’\n\n### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox.\nSign up to the House and Garden Daily\n\nThe Queen’s off-duty style ‘might not be everyone’s definition of comfortable’, says Caroline. ‘It was still formal. It was still appropriate and practical for what the day was going to hold, whether she was at Windsor, Balmoral or Sandringham. Quite often a cashmere twin set with riding clothes, or a little air-tex t-shirt or a short sleeved shirt. Brogues by Lobb or Churches. Really practical, but still the best.’\n\nOne of Caroline’s favourite items in the collection is covered in gold stitching and pearls; it’s a plastic rain mac. ‘Hardy Amies worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001 A Space Odyssey. He was interested in futuristic design and Amies really pushed his boundaries and this really speaks to that period. There was a fashion for wearing these types of plastic rain coats but this is obviously a couture \\[one\\]. The mother of pearl buttons are so stunning, and the stitching. For me this is the forerunner of the birdcage umbrella she began using from Fulton, with the coloured trim. It’s perfect because it’s chic, it’s stylish, it’s practical and her clothes can still be seen underneath. I don’t think she would have worn this to walk the corgis. This is much more \\[for wearing\\] out on an engagement. I’m going to display it with the umbrellas because we have them in every colour.’\n\n![Image may contain Clothing Coat Raincoat and Person](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4dd6a15e1b127301c1b6\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/220035+220172%2520\\(Jon%2520Stokes\\).jpg)\n\nSilk Dress, Coat and Plastic Raincoat, Hardy Amies, c.1960\n\nRoyal Collection Trust\n\nA hacking jacket ‘worn over multiple decades’ was another find. ‘When one examines it you can tell it’s been worn, it has wear, but it’s still in such beautiful condition. Her young adulthood was during the Second World War and so this idea of thrift and frugality was very firmly instilled.’\n\nOn first glance it might look simple, but it’s an extraordinary piece of design, she says. ‘For something that looks relatively ordinary, the tailoring is just amazing. Bernard Weatherall worked for the Queen for over 70 years producing formal things – he produced her tunics for Trooping the Colour. It’s in the detail \\[in items like this hacking jacket\\] where the delight really is. The lining is worn and a bit discoloured due to repeated wear. The back flap is lined with gabardine so that it’s completely waterproof. If you’re riding and it starts raining the water will gather on the back of the saddle and it just gets wicked away.’\n\nMost Popular\n\n- [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Decoration\n  \n  [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Alessandra Pellegrino\n- [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Travel\n  \n  [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Piero Lissoni\n- [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Property\n  \n  [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Kathryn Schultz\n\nBurberry crops up again and again – a stalwart of her outdoor wardrobe. This month, Burberry has launched a new collection in collaboration with the Royal Collection Trust in honour of the centenary featuring a belted car coat, a tartan scarf and a silk scarf all inspired by the Queen’s wardrobe.\n\nHeadscarves are another common thread through the collection. Scarves were fashionable throughout the 50s and 60s (and like Burberry and tweed, they’re back in fashion now) but Caroline suspects the way the Queen wore them was distinct. ‘She began wearing them in the 40s. She always tied them under her chin in a bow, which is actually really unusual. \\[...\\] People knew she wore them so she was often given them as gifts which explains why we have quite a few. Hermes features heavily – and that’s an unusual example of her wearing non-British.’ There is an Oliver Messel-designed one which is ‘beautiful’, and another which features ‘the winners of the Derby’.\n\n![Image may contain Clothing Coat Overcoat and Fashion](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4deef318a651689b96b9\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/220224%2520\\(Jon%2520Stokes\\).jpg)\n\nA Loden Coat, Angela Kelly Couture\n\nRoyal Collection Trust\n\nThe King, who himself has a keen interest in fashion and sustainability, has been kept closely informed of plans for the exhibition, says Caroline. After the exhibition, partnerships with the King’s Foundation will ensure students of design and fashion can access the archive. ‘This tells the story of British couture from the demise of the court dressmaker to the rise of [London](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/london) couture and the British fashion designer. It runs throughout that whole period because of the Queen’s wonderful long life and it’s all there to see and be inspired by.’\n\nFor Caroline, what has been striking is how involved the Queen was in curating her wardrobe. Caroline found notes on logs of Royal tours that show she cared deeply about what she wore. ‘I didn’t appreciate how much she took the lead in things as opposed to what I had originally thought which was she would say to her dresser “I’m going on tour can you sort something out”. It was much more: “ok I’m going to be away for six weeks, I need five coats, six evening dresses, three suits”.’\n\nLetters from designers were revealing too. ‘There are letters from Hartnell and Hardy Amies that she kept privately all her life. They were just tucked away in her desk. Hartnell would write: “all my team without fail will just do anything for you”. There was this really strong bond, and through that, because she was able to wear these beautiful clothes she understood what went into making them.’\n\nMost Popular\n\n- [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Decoration\n  \n  [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Alessandra Pellegrino\n- [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Travel\n  \n  [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Piero Lissoni\n- [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d\/1:1\/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  Property\n  \n  [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2)\n  \n  By Kathryn Schultz\n\nWhat’s clear is ‘this was someone who was deeply committed to their appearance’. She may have been practical, but she knew that how she looked to the outside world meant something. It’s perhaps why, as Caroline says, most of us can still conjure her distinctive style. ‘You can close your eyes and you can see it,’ she says.\n\n*Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at [The King's Gallery](https:\/\/www.rct.uk\/visit\/the-kings-gallery-buckingham-palace) from 10 April 2026*\n\n[Eleanor Steafel](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/profile\/eleanor-steafel) is House and Garden’s Lifestyle Director. She joined the magazine in 2026, having been a feature writer and recipe columnist at the Daily Telegraph for over a decade. Her first cookbook, The Art of Friday Night Dinner, was shortlisted for a Fortnum and Mason award for debut cookbook. ... [Read More](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/profile\/eleanor-steafel)\n\nLifestyle Director\n\nTopics[Queen Elizabeth II](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/queen-elizabeth-ii)[King Charles III](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/king-charles-iii)\n\n### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox.\nSign up to the House and Garden Daily\n\nTo learn how we process your data, visit our [Privacy Notice](https:\/\/www.condenast.com\/privacy-pages\/uk\/privacy). You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the [Google Privacy Policy](https:\/\/policies.google.com\/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https:\/\/policies.google.com\/terms) apply.\n\nRead More\n\n[![Inside King Charles's Welsh home, as he gives up the property](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/6189425982d6ea0c229eaf3b\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/CNSTMMGLPICT000000948882-house-14nov16-Simon-Brown_b.jpg)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/prince-charles-welsh-home)\n\n[Inside King Charles's Welsh home, as he gives up the property](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/prince-charles-welsh-home)\n\n14 slides\n\nBy Susan CrewePhotography by Simon Brown\n\n[![Happy birthday King Charles III! Take a look at impressive property portfolio: from Balmoral Castle to Romanian bed-and-breakfasts](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/61894d79d9ae96d083cd1440\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/gettyimages-1264097123.jpg)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/king-charles-iii-property-portfolio)\n\n[Happy birthday King Charles III! Take a look at impressive property portfolio: from Balmoral Castle to Romanian bed-and-breakfasts](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/king-charles-iii-property-portfolio)\n\nBy Tal Dekel-Daks\n\n[![Why King Charles may be Britain’s most green-fingered monarch yet](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/6984b40b0def45936d12862a\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/1242046089)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/king-charles-gardens)\n\n[Why King Charles may be Britain’s most green-fingered monarch yet](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/king-charles-gardens)\n\nBy Clare Foster\n\n[![Where do Prince Harry and Meghan live? From palaces to mansions, inside all the places the couple have called home](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69288343fabe415db5a57b55\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/2161694150)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/where-do-prince-harry-and-meghan-live-inside-all-the-places-they-called-home)\n\n[Where do Prince Harry and Meghan live? From palaces to mansions, inside all the places the couple have called home](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/where-do-prince-harry-and-meghan-live-inside-all-the-places-they-called-home)\n\nBy Kathryn Schultz\n\n[![Behind the scenes of the creation of the new Royal Opera House curtains](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bbed7dce2ecde5a04db959\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/4-4-Royal%2520Opera%2520House-17-10-20-1047.jpg)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/new-royal-opera-house-curtains)\n\n[Behind the scenes of the creation of the new Royal Opera House curtains](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/new-royal-opera-house-curtains)\n\nBy Aida Amoako\n\n[![The beautiful British gardens to visit before you die](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/61893ed4eea7137eaf3729ac\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/gettyimages-92912374805x.jpg)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/the-beautiful-british-gardens-to-visit-before-you-die)\n\n[The beautiful British gardens to visit before you die](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/the-beautiful-british-gardens-to-visit-before-you-die)\n\nBy Clare Foster\n\n[![New launches and diary dates: what House & Garden’s editors are excited about this month](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69ce4aaba633860685f3fbfe\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/what-were-excited-about-this-month#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\n[New launches and diary dates: what *House & Garden*’s editors are excited about this month](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gallery\/what-were-excited-about-this-month#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\nBy House & Garden\n\n[![The UK’s most iconic designers: Meet the 2026 Hall of Fame](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/68f0ef35ee7103c3352d82c0\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/uks-most-iconic-designers-2026-hall-of-fame#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\n[The UK’s most iconic designers: Meet the 2026 Hall of Fame](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/uks-most-iconic-designers-2026-hall-of-fame#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\nBy Christabel Chubb\n\n[![The HG101 library: books from our favourite designers and architects](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/66e82d54e4a994ee5d25f033\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/the-hg101-library-books-from-designers-and-architects#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\n[The HG101 library: books from our favourite designers and architects](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/the-hg101-library-books-from-designers-and-architects#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\nBy House & Garden\n\n[Play\/Pause Button](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/hg101-2026-meet-the-uks-top-designers#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\n[These are the 101 names shaping British design today](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/hg101-2026-meet-the-uks-top-designers#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\nBy House & Garden Editors\n\n[![HG101 Debuts: These are names you need to know](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69a95aa1c22a549b8a98539c\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/hg101-new-generation-uk-designers-2026#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\n[HG101 Debuts: These are names you need to know](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/hg101-new-generation-uk-designers-2026#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\nBy House & Garden Editors\n\n[![Why it is essential to add a touch of black to every room](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/690a11cc4780328a824c9aa4\/1:1\/w_640%2Cc_limit\/undefined)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/touch-of-black-decorating-ideas#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\n[Why it is essential to add a touch of black to every room](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/touch-of-black-decorating-ideas#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1)\n\nBy Fiona McKenzie Johnston\n\n[![House and Garden](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/verso\/static\/houseandgarden-uk\/assets\/logo-reverse.svg)](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/)\n\nMore from House & Garden\n\n- [Newsletters](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/newsletter)\n- [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/subscribe)\n- [The List](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/the-list)\n- [Christmas Gift Guides](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/gift-ideas-guide)\n\nContact\n\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/contact-us)\n- [Contact The List Team](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/info\/the-list\/contact-us)\n- [Careers](https:\/\/www.condenast.co.uk\/careers\/)\n\n- [Privacy notice and cookie statement](https:\/\/www.condenast.co.uk\/privacy\/)\n- [Code of Conduct](https:\/\/www.condenast.co.uk\/code-of-conduct\/)\n- [Terms & conditions](https:\/\/www.condenast.co.uk\/terms\/)\n- [Editorial Complaints Policy](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/article\/%20https:\/\/www.condenast.co.uk\/complaints\/policy\/)\n- [Site Map](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/sitemap)\n- Your Privacy Choices\n\n© Condé Nast Britain 2026.","attrs_readable_markdown":"A new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised\n\n23 March 2026\n\n![Image may contain Person Adult and Wedding](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4d720d5e4cdd8b2c5998\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/Photographer%2520Peter%2520Smith%2520\\(RCIN%2520200127%2520and%2520220199\\).jpg)\n\nCaroline de Guitaut has curated a collection of more than 200 items from the Queen's wardrobe.Royal Collection Trust\n\nThere have been moments when staging the collection of [Queen Elizabeth II](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/queen-elizabeth-ii)’s clothes when Caroline de Guitaut has caught sight of a dress hanging just-so on a mannequin and briefly stopped in her tracks. The models displaying the tweed suits, hacking jackets and evening gowns soon to go on show in an exhibition which will mark the centenary of the late Queen’s birth have been made bespoke so that every waistline and shoulder fits just as it should. The effect is uncanny. ‘Sometimes you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye and do a bit of a double take,’ she says.\n\nThere can’t be many people whose silhouette is as recognisable as Elizabeth II. If any of us were to close our eyes and conjure an image of her, a few classic ensembles might come to mind. A Burberry trench coat with an Hermes scarf tied under the chin, perhaps. Or a colourful two piece suit with a matching hat. Blink and you can make out the shape of her, so consistent was her look. In fact, for someone who was so known for having such a distinctive aesthetic it’s odd that she is rarely thought of as having been fashionable. This upcoming exhibition at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace will feature over 200 outfits from every decade of life, and will demonstrate that Queen Elizabeth II was, in fact, very fashionable indeed.\n\nCaroline – whose official title is Surveyor of the King’s Works of [Art](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/art) at the Royal Collection Trust – spent months at the storehouse in Windsor where over 4,000 items of clothing and accessories from throughout the Queen’s life lay tucked away in boxes. Painstakingly picking through box after box, Caroline uncovered pieces that tell the story not just of the Queen and her relationship with fashion (which, it soon emerged, was more intimate than anyone truly realised) but also of the evolution of British design.\n\nMost Popular\n\n![Image may contain Elizabeth II Person Face Happy Head Smile Clothing Scarf Glove Accessories Bag and Handbag](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4f443ea7535ddd56871f\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/1084923562)\n\nBurberry has launched a capsule collection to commemorate the centenary and the exhibitionMax Mumby\/Indigo\/Getty Images\n\nThe collection includes gowns worn on Royal tours in the early years of her reign, when designers like Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies would be called upon to provide dresses and coats which – in subtle ways, through a native flower stitched on a hem or a particular colour choice – would help the Queen wield that particular brand of soft power. But it’s her off-duty wardrobe that Caroline feels was most influential ‘on many contemporary British and European designers’. ‘That beautifully tailored tweed jacket, the tartan skirt, the headscarf, the pearls, that whole look – very “ladylike [country](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/country) woman” – was perfected I think by the Queen and has endured. We still see people dressing like that today.’\n\nBespoke tweed (so fashionable again in 2026) is found throughout the collection. ‘What’s wonderful about that off-duty style is – perhaps uniquely – it blends more ready-to-wear with couture. One beautiful ensemble is a Harris tweed jacket which was made by Norman Hartnell and it’s absolutely the essence of a Dior bar jacket. Everything about how it’s cut, the way the material and the pattern has been tailored – it’s really inspired by the bar suit. It’s from the very early part of the Queen’s life, the late 1940s, so it really fits with that Dior aesthetic. You have your couture jacket and then you’re wearing it with a Balmoral tartan skirt. Balmoral tartan was supposedly designed by Prince Albert and is worn only by members of the Royal family.\n\n![Image may contain Clothing Skirt Coat Jacket Blazer Tartan and Overcoat](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4d9b5642b509734b708a\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/250355%2520\\(Jon%2520Stokes\\).jpg)\n\nTweed Jacket and Balmoral Tartan Skirt, Norman Hartnell, c.1950Royal Collection Trust\n\n‘It’s that perfect blend. We don’t quite know who made the skirt. It’s a beautiful piece but it’s not high fashion. And I love that idea of mixing the two together. We also see the way the Queen, through her support of British fashion, was supporting British textile production too.’\n\nMost Popular\n\nCaroline uncovered boxes of Scottish knitwear and Irish aran. ‘All those materials and traditional makers and ways of making things are absolutely redolent in the collection,’ she says, as we talk in an [office](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/office) at St James’s palace, poring over images in the book she has written to accompany the exhibition. ‘There are things made by leading British brands \\[which are\\] still going today. Burberry rain capes and Barbour coats and waistcoats that were just practical for walking the dogs and going to Windsor horse show.’\n\n### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox.\nSign up to the House and Garden Daily\n\nThe Queen’s off-duty style ‘might not be everyone’s definition of comfortable’, says Caroline. ‘It was still formal. It was still appropriate and practical for what the day was going to hold, whether she was at Windsor, Balmoral or Sandringham. Quite often a cashmere twin set with riding clothes, or a little air-tex t-shirt or a short sleeved shirt. Brogues by Lobb or Churches. Really practical, but still the best.’\n\nOne of Caroline’s favourite items in the collection is covered in gold stitching and pearls; it’s a plastic rain mac. ‘Hardy Amies worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001 A Space Odyssey. He was interested in futuristic design and Amies really pushed his boundaries and this really speaks to that period. There was a fashion for wearing these types of plastic rain coats but this is obviously a couture \\[one\\]. The mother of pearl buttons are so stunning, and the stitching. For me this is the forerunner of the birdcage umbrella she began using from Fulton, with the coloured trim. It’s perfect because it’s chic, it’s stylish, it’s practical and her clothes can still be seen underneath. I don’t think she would have worn this to walk the corgis. This is much more \\[for wearing\\] out on an engagement. I’m going to display it with the umbrellas because we have them in every colour.’\n\n![Image may contain Clothing Coat Raincoat and Person](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4dd6a15e1b127301c1b6\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/220035+220172%2520\\(Jon%2520Stokes\\).jpg)\n\nSilk Dress, Coat and Plastic Raincoat, Hardy Amies, c.1960Royal Collection Trust\n\nA hacking jacket ‘worn over multiple decades’ was another find. ‘When one examines it you can tell it’s been worn, it has wear, but it’s still in such beautiful condition. Her young adulthood was during the Second World War and so this idea of thrift and frugality was very firmly instilled.’\n\nOn first glance it might look simple, but it’s an extraordinary piece of design, she says. ‘For something that looks relatively ordinary, the tailoring is just amazing. Bernard Weatherall worked for the Queen for over 70 years producing formal things – he produced her tunics for Trooping the Colour. It’s in the detail \\[in items like this hacking jacket\\] where the delight really is. The lining is worn and a bit discoloured due to repeated wear. The back flap is lined with gabardine so that it’s completely waterproof. If you’re riding and it starts raining the water will gather on the back of the saddle and it just gets wicked away.’\n\nMost Popular\n\nBurberry crops up again and again – a stalwart of her outdoor wardrobe. This month, Burberry has launched a new collection in collaboration with the Royal Collection Trust in honour of the centenary featuring a belted car coat, a tartan scarf and a silk scarf all inspired by the Queen’s wardrobe.\n\nHeadscarves are another common thread through the collection. Scarves were fashionable throughout the 50s and 60s (and like Burberry and tweed, they’re back in fashion now) but Caroline suspects the way the Queen wore them was distinct. ‘She began wearing them in the 40s. She always tied them under her chin in a bow, which is actually really unusual. \\[...\\] People knew she wore them so she was often given them as gifts which explains why we have quite a few. Hermes features heavily – and that’s an unusual example of her wearing non-British.’ There is an Oliver Messel-designed one which is ‘beautiful’, and another which features ‘the winners of the Derby’.\n\n![Image may contain Clothing Coat Overcoat and Fashion](https:\/\/media.houseandgarden.co.uk\/photos\/69bd4deef318a651689b96b9\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/220224%2520\\(Jon%2520Stokes\\).jpg)\n\nA Loden Coat, Angela Kelly CoutureRoyal Collection Trust\n\nThe King, who himself has a keen interest in fashion and sustainability, has been kept closely informed of plans for the exhibition, says Caroline. After the exhibition, partnerships with the King’s Foundation will ensure students of design and fashion can access the archive. ‘This tells the story of British couture from the demise of the court dressmaker to the rise of [London](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/topic\/london) couture and the British fashion designer. It runs throughout that whole period because of the Queen’s wonderful long life and it’s all there to see and be inspired by.’\n\nFor Caroline, what has been striking is how involved the Queen was in curating her wardrobe. Caroline found notes on logs of Royal tours that show she cared deeply about what she wore. ‘I didn’t appreciate how much she took the lead in things as opposed to what I had originally thought which was she would say to her dresser “I’m going on tour can you sort something out”. It was much more: “ok I’m going to be away for six weeks, I need five coats, six evening dresses, three suits”.’\n\nLetters from designers were revealing too. ‘There are letters from Hartnell and Hardy Amies that she kept privately all her life. They were just tucked away in her desk. Hartnell would write: “all my team without fail will just do anything for you”. There was this really strong bond, and through that, because she was able to wear these beautiful clothes she understood what went into making them.’\n\nMost Popular\n\nWhat’s clear is ‘this was someone who was deeply committed to their appearance’. She may have been practical, but she knew that how she looked to the outside world meant something. It’s perhaps why, as Caroline says, most of us can still conjure her distinctive style. ‘You can close your eyes and you can see it,’ she says.\n\n*Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at [The King's Gallery](https:\/\/www.rct.uk\/visit\/the-kings-gallery-buckingham-palace) from 10 April 2026*\n\n[Eleanor Steafel](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/profile\/eleanor-steafel) is House and Garden’s Lifestyle Director. She joined the magazine in 2026, having been a feature writer and recipe columnist at the Daily Telegraph for over a decade. Her first cookbook, The Art of Friday Night Dinner, was shortlisted for a Fortnum and Mason award for debut cookbook. ... [Read More](https:\/\/www.houseandgarden.co.uk\/profile\/eleanor-steafel)\n\n### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox.\nSign up to the House and Garden Daily\n\nRead More","meta_canonical":null}

3. Robots.txt Check

Query:

Response:

4. Spam/Ban Check

Query:

Response:

5. Seen Status Check

ℹ️ Skipped - page is already crawled

📄

INDEXABLE

✅

CRAWLED

3 days ago

🤖

ROBOTS ALLOWED

Page Info Filters

Filter	Status	Condition	Details
HTTP status	PASS	`download_http_code = 200`	HTTP 200
Age cutoff	PASS	`download_stamp > now() - 6 MONTH`	0.1 months ago
History drop	PASS	`isNull(history_drop_reason)`	No drop reason
Spam/ban	PASS	`fh_dont_index != 1 AND ml_spam_score = 0`	ml_spam_score=0
Canonical	PASS	`meta_canonical IS NULL OR = '' OR = src_unparsed`	Not set

Page Details

Property	Value
URL	https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026
Last Crawled	2026-04-14 02:33:04 (3 days ago)
First Indexed	2026-03-23 21:35:16 (24 days ago)
HTTP Status Code	200
Meta Title	Burberry macs, tweed jackets and headscarves: uncovering Queen Elizabeth II’s timeless style \| House & Garden
Meta Description	A new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised
Meta Canonical	null
Boilerpipe Text	A new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised 23 March 2026 Caroline de Guitaut has curated a collection of more than 200 items from the Queen's wardrobe. Royal Collection Trust There have been moments when staging the collection of Queen Elizabeth II ’s clothes when Caroline de Guitaut has caught sight of a dress hanging just-so on a mannequin and briefly stopped in her tracks. The models displaying the tweed suits, hacking jackets and evening gowns soon to go on show in an exhibition which will mark the centenary of the late Queen’s birth have been made bespoke so that every waistline and shoulder fits just as it should. The effect is uncanny. ‘Sometimes you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye and do a bit of a double take,’ she says. There can’t be many people whose silhouette is as recognisable as Elizabeth II. If any of us were to close our eyes and conjure an image of her, a few classic ensembles might come to mind. A Burberry trench coat with an Hermes scarf tied under the chin, perhaps. Or a colourful two piece suit with a matching hat. Blink and you can make out the shape of her, so consistent was her look. In fact, for someone who was so known for having such a distinctive aesthetic it’s odd that she is rarely thought of as having been fashionable. This upcoming exhibition at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace will feature over 200 outfits from every decade of life, and will demonstrate that Queen Elizabeth II was, in fact, very fashionable indeed. Caroline – whose official title is Surveyor of the King’s Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust – spent months at the storehouse in Windsor where over 4,000 items of clothing and accessories from throughout the Queen’s life lay tucked away in boxes. Painstakingly picking through box after box, Caroline uncovered pieces that tell the story not just of the Queen and her relationship with fashion (which, it soon emerged, was more intimate than anyone truly realised) but also of the evolution of British design. Most Popular Burberry has launched a capsule collection to commemorate the centenary and the exhibition Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images The collection includes gowns worn on Royal tours in the early years of her reign, when designers like Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies would be called upon to provide dresses and coats which – in subtle ways, through a native flower stitched on a hem or a particular colour choice – would help the Queen wield that particular brand of soft power. But it’s her off-duty wardrobe that Caroline feels was most influential ‘on many contemporary British and European designers’. ‘That beautifully tailored tweed jacket, the tartan skirt, the headscarf, the pearls, that whole look – very “ladylike country woman” – was perfected I think by the Queen and has endured. We still see people dressing like that today.’ Bespoke tweed (so fashionable again in 2026) is found throughout the collection. ‘What’s wonderful about that off-duty style is – perhaps uniquely – it blends more ready-to-wear with couture. One beautiful ensemble is a Harris tweed jacket which was made by Norman Hartnell and it’s absolutely the essence of a Dior bar jacket. Everything about how it’s cut, the way the material and the pattern has been tailored – it’s really inspired by the bar suit. It’s from the very early part of the Queen’s life, the late 1940s, so it really fits with that Dior aesthetic. You have your couture jacket and then you’re wearing it with a Balmoral tartan skirt. Balmoral tartan was supposedly designed by Prince Albert and is worn only by members of the Royal family. Tweed Jacket and Balmoral Tartan Skirt, Norman Hartnell, c.1950 Royal Collection Trust ‘It’s that perfect blend. We don’t quite know who made the skirt. It’s a beautiful piece but it’s not high fashion. And I love that idea of mixing the two together. We also see the way the Queen, through her support of British fashion, was supporting British textile production too.’ Most Popular Caroline uncovered boxes of Scottish knitwear and Irish aran. ‘All those materials and traditional makers and ways of making things are absolutely redolent in the collection,’ she says, as we talk in an office at St James’s palace, poring over images in the book she has written to accompany the exhibition. ‘There are things made by leading British brands [which are] still going today. Burberry rain capes and Barbour coats and waistcoats that were just practical for walking the dogs and going to Windsor horse show.’ Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox. Sign up to the House and Garden Daily The Queen’s off-duty style ‘might not be everyone’s definition of comfortable’, says Caroline. ‘It was still formal. It was still appropriate and practical for what the day was going to hold, whether she was at Windsor, Balmoral or Sandringham. Quite often a cashmere twin set with riding clothes, or a little air-tex t-shirt or a short sleeved shirt. Brogues by Lobb or Churches. Really practical, but still the best.’ One of Caroline’s favourite items in the collection is covered in gold stitching and pearls; it’s a plastic rain mac. ‘Hardy Amies worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001 A Space Odyssey. He was interested in futuristic design and Amies really pushed his boundaries and this really speaks to that period. There was a fashion for wearing these types of plastic rain coats but this is obviously a couture [one]. The mother of pearl buttons are so stunning, and the stitching. For me this is the forerunner of the birdcage umbrella she began using from Fulton, with the coloured trim. It’s perfect because it’s chic, it’s stylish, it’s practical and her clothes can still be seen underneath. I don’t think she would have worn this to walk the corgis. This is much more [for wearing] out on an engagement. I’m going to display it with the umbrellas because we have them in every colour.’ Silk Dress, Coat and Plastic Raincoat, Hardy Amies, c.1960 Royal Collection Trust A hacking jacket ‘worn over multiple decades’ was another find. ‘When one examines it you can tell it’s been worn, it has wear, but it’s still in such beautiful condition. Her young adulthood was during the Second World War and so this idea of thrift and frugality was very firmly instilled.’ On first glance it might look simple, but it’s an extraordinary piece of design, she says. ‘For something that looks relatively ordinary, the tailoring is just amazing. Bernard Weatherall worked for the Queen for over 70 years producing formal things – he produced her tunics for Trooping the Colour. It’s in the detail [in items like this hacking jacket] where the delight really is. The lining is worn and a bit discoloured due to repeated wear. The back flap is lined with gabardine so that it’s completely waterproof. If you’re riding and it starts raining the water will gather on the back of the saddle and it just gets wicked away.’ Most Popular Burberry crops up again and again – a stalwart of her outdoor wardrobe. This month, Burberry has launched a new collection in collaboration with the Royal Collection Trust in honour of the centenary featuring a belted car coat, a tartan scarf and a silk scarf all inspired by the Queen’s wardrobe. Headscarves are another common thread through the collection. Scarves were fashionable throughout the 50s and 60s (and like Burberry and tweed, they’re back in fashion now) but Caroline suspects the way the Queen wore them was distinct. ‘She began wearing them in the 40s. She always tied them under her chin in a bow, which is actually really unusual. [...] People knew she wore them so she was often given them as gifts which explains why we have quite a few. Hermes features heavily – and that’s an unusual example of her wearing non-British.’ There is an Oliver Messel-designed one which is ‘beautiful’, and another which features ‘the winners of the Derby’. A Loden Coat, Angela Kelly Couture Royal Collection Trust The King, who himself has a keen interest in fashion and sustainability, has been kept closely informed of plans for the exhibition, says Caroline. After the exhibition, partnerships with the King’s Foundation will ensure students of design and fashion can access the archive. ‘This tells the story of British couture from the demise of the court dressmaker to the rise of London couture and the British fashion designer. It runs throughout that whole period because of the Queen’s wonderful long life and it’s all there to see and be inspired by.’ For Caroline, what has been striking is how involved the Queen was in curating her wardrobe. Caroline found notes on logs of Royal tours that show she cared deeply about what she wore. ‘I didn’t appreciate how much she took the lead in things as opposed to what I had originally thought which was she would say to her dresser “I’m going on tour can you sort something out”. It was much more: “ok I’m going to be away for six weeks, I need five coats, six evening dresses, three suits”.’ Letters from designers were revealing too. ‘There are letters from Hartnell and Hardy Amies that she kept privately all her life. They were just tucked away in her desk. Hartnell would write: “all my team without fail will just do anything for you”. There was this really strong bond, and through that, because she was able to wear these beautiful clothes she understood what went into making them.’ Most Popular What’s clear is ‘this was someone who was deeply committed to their appearance’. She may have been practical, but she knew that how she looked to the outside world meant something. It’s perhaps why, as Caroline says, most of us can still conjure her distinctive style. ‘You can close your eyes and you can see it,’ she says. Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at The King's Gallery from 10 April 2026 Eleanor Steafel is House and Garden’s Lifestyle Director. She joined the magazine in 2026, having been a feature writer and recipe columnist at the Daily Telegraph for over a decade. Her first cookbook, The Art of Friday Night Dinner, was shortlisted for a Fortnum and Mason award for debut cookbook. ... Read More Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox. Sign up to the House and Garden Daily Read More
Markdown	[Skip to main content](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026#main-content) [![House and Garden](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/verso/static/houseandgarden-uk/assets/logo.svg)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/) - [Subscribe](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/subscribe) - [Newsletters](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/newsletter) [Sign In](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/auth/initiate?redirectURL=%2Farticle%2Fqueen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION) Open Navigation Menu [Subscribe](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/subscribe) - [Houses](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/houses) - [Decoration](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/decoration) - [Gardens](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/gardens) - [Recipes](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/recipes) - [Travel](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/travel-lifestyle) - [HG101](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/uk-top-interior-designers-architects) - [The List](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/the-list) - [Shopping](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/shopping) - [Property](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/property) [![House and Garden](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/verso/static/houseandgarden-uk/assets/logo.svg)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/) Close Navigation Menu - [Search](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/search) - [Sign In](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/auth/initiate?redirectURL=%2Farticle%2Fqueen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026&source=VERSO_NAVIGATION) - [Subscribe](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/subscribe) - [Newsletters](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/newsletter) - [Houses](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/houses) - [Decoration](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/decoration) - [Gardens](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/gardens) - [Recipes](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/recipes) - [Travel](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/travel-lifestyle) - [HG101](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/uk-top-interior-designers-architects) - [The List](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/the-list) - [Video](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/video) - [Shopping](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/shopping) - [Promotions](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/promotions) - [Property](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/property) - [Competitions](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/competitions) - [H\&G Shops](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/house-garden-shops) [News](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/news) # Burberry macs, tweed jackets and headscarves: uncovering Queen Elizabeth II’s timeless style A new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised By [Eleanor Steafel](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/profile/eleanor-steafel) 23 March 2026 Save this story Save this story ![Image may contain Person Adult and Wedding](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4d720d5e4cdd8b2c5998/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Photographer%2520Peter%2520Smith%2520\(RCIN%2520200127%2520and%2520220199\).jpg) Caroline de Guitaut has curated a collection of more than 200 items from the Queen's wardrobe. Royal Collection Trust There have been moments when staging the collection of [Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/queen-elizabeth-ii)’s clothes when Caroline de Guitaut has caught sight of a dress hanging just-so on a mannequin and briefly stopped in her tracks. The models displaying the tweed suits, hacking jackets and evening gowns soon to go on show in an exhibition which will mark the centenary of the late Queen’s birth have been made bespoke so that every waistline and shoulder fits just as it should. The effect is uncanny. ‘Sometimes you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye and do a bit of a double take,’ she says. There can’t be many people whose silhouette is as recognisable as Elizabeth II. If any of us were to close our eyes and conjure an image of her, a few classic ensembles might come to mind. A Burberry trench coat with an Hermes scarf tied under the chin, perhaps. Or a colourful two piece suit with a matching hat. Blink and you can make out the shape of her, so consistent was her look. In fact, for someone who was so known for having such a distinctive aesthetic it’s odd that she is rarely thought of as having been fashionable. This upcoming exhibition at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace will feature over 200 outfits from every decade of life, and will demonstrate that Queen Elizabeth II was, in fact, very fashionable indeed. Caroline – whose official title is Surveyor of the King’s Works of [Art](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/art) at the Royal Collection Trust – spent months at the storehouse in Windsor where over 4,000 items of clothing and accessories from throughout the Queen’s life lay tucked away in boxes. Painstakingly picking through box after box, Caroline uncovered pieces that tell the story not just of the Queen and her relationship with fashion (which, it soon emerged, was more intimate than anyone truly realised) but also of the evolution of British design. Most Popular - [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Decoration [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Alessandra Pellegrino - [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Travel [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Piero Lissoni - [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Property [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Kathryn Schultz ![Image may contain Elizabeth II Person Face Happy Head Smile Clothing Scarf Glove Accessories Bag and Handbag](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4f443ea7535ddd56871f/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/1084923562) Burberry has launched a capsule collection to commemorate the centenary and the exhibition Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images The collection includes gowns worn on Royal tours in the early years of her reign, when designers like Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies would be called upon to provide dresses and coats which – in subtle ways, through a native flower stitched on a hem or a particular colour choice – would help the Queen wield that particular brand of soft power. But it’s her off-duty wardrobe that Caroline feels was most influential ‘on many contemporary British and European designers’. ‘That beautifully tailored tweed jacket, the tartan skirt, the headscarf, the pearls, that whole look – very “ladylike [country](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/country) woman” – was perfected I think by the Queen and has endured. We still see people dressing like that today.’ WATCH Bespoke tweed (so fashionable again in 2026) is found throughout the collection. ‘What’s wonderful about that off-duty style is – perhaps uniquely – it blends more ready-to-wear with couture. One beautiful ensemble is a Harris tweed jacket which was made by Norman Hartnell and it’s absolutely the essence of a Dior bar jacket. Everything about how it’s cut, the way the material and the pattern has been tailored – it’s really inspired by the bar suit. It’s from the very early part of the Queen’s life, the late 1940s, so it really fits with that Dior aesthetic. You have your couture jacket and then you’re wearing it with a Balmoral tartan skirt. Balmoral tartan was supposedly designed by Prince Albert and is worn only by members of the Royal family. ![Image may contain Clothing Skirt Coat Jacket Blazer Tartan and Overcoat](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4d9b5642b509734b708a/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/250355%2520\(Jon%2520Stokes\).jpg) Tweed Jacket and Balmoral Tartan Skirt, Norman Hartnell, c.1950 Royal Collection Trust ‘It’s that perfect blend. We don’t quite know who made the skirt. It’s a beautiful piece but it’s not high fashion. And I love that idea of mixing the two together. We also see the way the Queen, through her support of British fashion, was supporting British textile production too.’ Most Popular - [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Decoration [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Alessandra Pellegrino - [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Travel [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Piero Lissoni - [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Property [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Kathryn Schultz Caroline uncovered boxes of Scottish knitwear and Irish aran. ‘All those materials and traditional makers and ways of making things are absolutely redolent in the collection,’ she says, as we talk in an [office](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/office) at St James’s palace, poring over images in the book she has written to accompany the exhibition. ‘There are things made by leading British brands \[which are\] still going today. Burberry rain capes and Barbour coats and waistcoats that were just practical for walking the dogs and going to Windsor horse show.’ ### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox. Sign up to the House and Garden Daily The Queen’s off-duty style ‘might not be everyone’s definition of comfortable’, says Caroline. ‘It was still formal. It was still appropriate and practical for what the day was going to hold, whether she was at Windsor, Balmoral or Sandringham. Quite often a cashmere twin set with riding clothes, or a little air-tex t-shirt or a short sleeved shirt. Brogues by Lobb or Churches. Really practical, but still the best.’ One of Caroline’s favourite items in the collection is covered in gold stitching and pearls; it’s a plastic rain mac. ‘Hardy Amies worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001 A Space Odyssey. He was interested in futuristic design and Amies really pushed his boundaries and this really speaks to that period. There was a fashion for wearing these types of plastic rain coats but this is obviously a couture \[one\]. The mother of pearl buttons are so stunning, and the stitching. For me this is the forerunner of the birdcage umbrella she began using from Fulton, with the coloured trim. It’s perfect because it’s chic, it’s stylish, it’s practical and her clothes can still be seen underneath. I don’t think she would have worn this to walk the corgis. This is much more \[for wearing\] out on an engagement. I’m going to display it with the umbrellas because we have them in every colour.’ ![Image may contain Clothing Coat Raincoat and Person](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4dd6a15e1b127301c1b6/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/220035+220172%2520\(Jon%2520Stokes\).jpg) Silk Dress, Coat and Plastic Raincoat, Hardy Amies, c.1960 Royal Collection Trust A hacking jacket ‘worn over multiple decades’ was another find. ‘When one examines it you can tell it’s been worn, it has wear, but it’s still in such beautiful condition. Her young adulthood was during the Second World War and so this idea of thrift and frugality was very firmly instilled.’ On first glance it might look simple, but it’s an extraordinary piece of design, she says. ‘For something that looks relatively ordinary, the tailoring is just amazing. Bernard Weatherall worked for the Queen for over 70 years producing formal things – he produced her tunics for Trooping the Colour. It’s in the detail \[in items like this hacking jacket\] where the delight really is. The lining is worn and a bit discoloured due to repeated wear. The back flap is lined with gabardine so that it’s completely waterproof. If you’re riding and it starts raining the water will gather on the back of the saddle and it just gets wicked away.’ Most Popular - [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Decoration [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Alessandra Pellegrino - [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Travel [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Piero Lissoni - [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Property [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Kathryn Schultz Burberry crops up again and again – a stalwart of her outdoor wardrobe. This month, Burberry has launched a new collection in collaboration with the Royal Collection Trust in honour of the centenary featuring a belted car coat, a tartan scarf and a silk scarf all inspired by the Queen’s wardrobe. Headscarves are another common thread through the collection. Scarves were fashionable throughout the 50s and 60s (and like Burberry and tweed, they’re back in fashion now) but Caroline suspects the way the Queen wore them was distinct. ‘She began wearing them in the 40s. She always tied them under her chin in a bow, which is actually really unusual. \[...\] People knew she wore them so she was often given them as gifts which explains why we have quite a few. Hermes features heavily – and that’s an unusual example of her wearing non-British.’ There is an Oliver Messel-designed one which is ‘beautiful’, and another which features ‘the winners of the Derby’. ![Image may contain Clothing Coat Overcoat and Fashion](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4deef318a651689b96b9/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/220224%2520\(Jon%2520Stokes\).jpg) A Loden Coat, Angela Kelly Couture Royal Collection Trust The King, who himself has a keen interest in fashion and sustainability, has been kept closely informed of plans for the exhibition, says Caroline. After the exhibition, partnerships with the King’s Foundation will ensure students of design and fashion can access the archive. ‘This tells the story of British couture from the demise of the court dressmaker to the rise of [London](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/london) couture and the British fashion designer. It runs throughout that whole period because of the Queen’s wonderful long life and it’s all there to see and be inspired by.’ For Caroline, what has been striking is how involved the Queen was in curating her wardrobe. Caroline found notes on logs of Royal tours that show she cared deeply about what she wore. ‘I didn’t appreciate how much she took the lead in things as opposed to what I had originally thought which was she would say to her dresser “I’m going on tour can you sort something out”. It was much more: “ok I’m going to be away for six weeks, I need five coats, six evening dresses, three suits”.’ Letters from designers were revealing too. ‘There are letters from Hartnell and Hardy Amies that she kept privately all her life. They were just tucked away in her desk. Hartnell would write: “all my team without fail will just do anything for you”. There was this really strong bond, and through that, because she was able to wear these beautiful clothes she understood what went into making them.’ Most Popular - [![What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/64c92c6eebb981106e9893b5/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Decoration [What is ‘sunshine guilt’ and how to let go of the pressure to be outside](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/what-is-sunshine-guilt#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Alessandra Pellegrino - [![Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/67e2a2c39f39200c6c7b4068/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Travel [Piero Lissoni's guide to Milan's lesser-known spots](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/piero-lissoni-milan-guide#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Piero Lissoni - [![Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69dcf6ff649f58aec8275b0d/1:1/w_120%2Ch_120%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) Property [Where does Sabrina Carpenter live? Step inside her real-life ‘House Tour’](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/sabrina-carpenter-property-porfolio#intcid=_houseandgarden-right-rail_9639e7f3-79b6-427b-a872-96964b24a8d3_popular4-2_fallback_cral-top2-2) By Kathryn Schultz What’s clear is ‘this was someone who was deeply committed to their appearance’. She may have been practical, but she knew that how she looked to the outside world meant something. It’s perhaps why, as Caroline says, most of us can still conjure her distinctive style. ‘You can close your eyes and you can see it,’ she says. Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at [The King's Gallery](https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-kings-gallery-buckingham-palace) from 10 April 2026 [Eleanor Steafel](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/profile/eleanor-steafel) is House and Garden’s Lifestyle Director. She joined the magazine in 2026, having been a feature writer and recipe columnist at the Daily Telegraph for over a decade. Her first cookbook, The Art of Friday Night Dinner, was shortlisted for a Fortnum and Mason award for debut cookbook. ... [Read More](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/profile/eleanor-steafel) Lifestyle Director Topics[Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/queen-elizabeth-ii)[King Charles III](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/king-charles-iii) ### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox. Sign up to the House and Garden Daily To learn how we process your data, visit our [Privacy Notice](https://www.condenast.com/privacy-pages/uk/privacy). You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the [Google Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. Read More [![Inside King Charles's Welsh home, as he gives up the property](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6189425982d6ea0c229eaf3b/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/CNSTMMGLPICT000000948882-house-14nov16-Simon-Brown_b.jpg)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/prince-charles-welsh-home) [Inside King Charles's Welsh home, as he gives up the property](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/prince-charles-welsh-home) 14 slides By Susan CrewePhotography by Simon Brown [![Happy birthday King Charles III! Take a look at impressive property portfolio: from Balmoral Castle to Romanian bed-and-breakfasts](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61894d79d9ae96d083cd1440/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/gettyimages-1264097123.jpg)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/king-charles-iii-property-portfolio) [Happy birthday King Charles III! Take a look at impressive property portfolio: from Balmoral Castle to Romanian bed-and-breakfasts](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/king-charles-iii-property-portfolio) By Tal Dekel-Daks [![Why King Charles may be Britain’s most green-fingered monarch yet](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/6984b40b0def45936d12862a/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/1242046089)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/king-charles-gardens) [Why King Charles may be Britain’s most green-fingered monarch yet](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/king-charles-gardens) By Clare Foster [![Where do Prince Harry and Meghan live? From palaces to mansions, inside all the places the couple have called home](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69288343fabe415db5a57b55/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/2161694150)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/where-do-prince-harry-and-meghan-live-inside-all-the-places-they-called-home) [Where do Prince Harry and Meghan live? From palaces to mansions, inside all the places the couple have called home](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/where-do-prince-harry-and-meghan-live-inside-all-the-places-they-called-home) By Kathryn Schultz [![Behind the scenes of the creation of the new Royal Opera House curtains](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bbed7dce2ecde5a04db959/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/4-4-Royal%2520Opera%2520House-17-10-20-1047.jpg)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/new-royal-opera-house-curtains) [Behind the scenes of the creation of the new Royal Opera House curtains](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/new-royal-opera-house-curtains) By Aida Amoako [![The beautiful British gardens to visit before you die](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/61893ed4eea7137eaf3729ac/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/gettyimages-92912374805x.jpg)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/the-beautiful-british-gardens-to-visit-before-you-die) [The beautiful British gardens to visit before you die](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/the-beautiful-british-gardens-to-visit-before-you-die) By Clare Foster [![New launches and diary dates: what House & Garden’s editors are excited about this month](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69ce4aaba633860685f3fbfe/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/what-were-excited-about-this-month#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) [New launches and diary dates: what House & Garden’s editors are excited about this month](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gallery/what-were-excited-about-this-month#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) By House & Garden [![The UK’s most iconic designers: Meet the 2026 Hall of Fame](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/68f0ef35ee7103c3352d82c0/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/uks-most-iconic-designers-2026-hall-of-fame#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) [The UK’s most iconic designers: Meet the 2026 Hall of Fame](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/uks-most-iconic-designers-2026-hall-of-fame#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) By Christabel Chubb [![The HG101 library: books from our favourite designers and architects](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/66e82d54e4a994ee5d25f033/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/the-hg101-library-books-from-designers-and-architects#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) [The HG101 library: books from our favourite designers and architects](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/the-hg101-library-books-from-designers-and-architects#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) By House & Garden [Play/Pause Button](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/hg101-2026-meet-the-uks-top-designers#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) [These are the 101 names shaping British design today](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/hg101-2026-meet-the-uks-top-designers#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) By House & Garden Editors [![HG101 Debuts: These are names you need to know](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69a95aa1c22a549b8a98539c/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/hg101-new-generation-uk-designers-2026#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) [HG101 Debuts: These are names you need to know](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/hg101-new-generation-uk-designers-2026#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) By House & Garden Editors [![Why it is essential to add a touch of black to every room](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/690a11cc4780328a824c9aa4/1:1/w_640%2Cc_limit/undefined)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/touch-of-black-decorating-ideas#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) [Why it is essential to add a touch of black to every room](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/touch-of-black-decorating-ideas#intcid=_houseandgarden-bottom-recirc_97309e46-e7cb-43b6-80fe-e7e3bdbf7bf3_text2vec1) By Fiona McKenzie Johnston [![House and Garden](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/verso/static/houseandgarden-uk/assets/logo-reverse.svg)](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/) More from House & Garden - [Newsletters](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/newsletter) - [Subscribe](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/subscribe) - [The List](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/the-list) - [Christmas Gift Guides](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/gift-ideas-guide) Contact - [Contact Us](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/contact-us) - [Contact The List Team](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/info/the-list/contact-us) - [Careers](https://www.condenast.co.uk/careers/) - [Privacy notice and cookie statement](https://www.condenast.co.uk/privacy/) - [Code of Conduct](https://www.condenast.co.uk/code-of-conduct/) - [Terms & conditions](https://www.condenast.co.uk/terms/) - [Editorial Complaints Policy](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/%20https://www.condenast.co.uk/complaints/policy/) - [Site Map](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/sitemap) - Your Privacy Choices © Condé Nast Britain 2026.
Readable Markdown	A new exhibition set to showcase 10 decades of the late Queen’s clothes and accessories, from off-duty outerwear to ceremonial finery, reveals a woman who cared more about the way she looked than we might previously have realised 23 March 2026 ![Image may contain Person Adult and Wedding](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4d720d5e4cdd8b2c5998/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/Photographer%2520Peter%2520Smith%2520\(RCIN%2520200127%2520and%2520220199\).jpg) Caroline de Guitaut has curated a collection of more than 200 items from the Queen's wardrobe.Royal Collection Trust There have been moments when staging the collection of [Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/queen-elizabeth-ii)’s clothes when Caroline de Guitaut has caught sight of a dress hanging just-so on a mannequin and briefly stopped in her tracks. The models displaying the tweed suits, hacking jackets and evening gowns soon to go on show in an exhibition which will mark the centenary of the late Queen’s birth have been made bespoke so that every waistline and shoulder fits just as it should. The effect is uncanny. ‘Sometimes you catch a glimpse out of the corner of your eye and do a bit of a double take,’ she says. There can’t be many people whose silhouette is as recognisable as Elizabeth II. If any of us were to close our eyes and conjure an image of her, a few classic ensembles might come to mind. A Burberry trench coat with an Hermes scarf tied under the chin, perhaps. Or a colourful two piece suit with a matching hat. Blink and you can make out the shape of her, so consistent was her look. In fact, for someone who was so known for having such a distinctive aesthetic it’s odd that she is rarely thought of as having been fashionable. This upcoming exhibition at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace will feature over 200 outfits from every decade of life, and will demonstrate that Queen Elizabeth II was, in fact, very fashionable indeed. Caroline – whose official title is Surveyor of the King’s Works of [Art](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/art) at the Royal Collection Trust – spent months at the storehouse in Windsor where over 4,000 items of clothing and accessories from throughout the Queen’s life lay tucked away in boxes. Painstakingly picking through box after box, Caroline uncovered pieces that tell the story not just of the Queen and her relationship with fashion (which, it soon emerged, was more intimate than anyone truly realised) but also of the evolution of British design. Most Popular ![Image may contain Elizabeth II Person Face Happy Head Smile Clothing Scarf Glove Accessories Bag and Handbag](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4f443ea7535ddd56871f/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/1084923562) Burberry has launched a capsule collection to commemorate the centenary and the exhibitionMax Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images The collection includes gowns worn on Royal tours in the early years of her reign, when designers like Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies would be called upon to provide dresses and coats which – in subtle ways, through a native flower stitched on a hem or a particular colour choice – would help the Queen wield that particular brand of soft power. But it’s her off-duty wardrobe that Caroline feels was most influential ‘on many contemporary British and European designers’. ‘That beautifully tailored tweed jacket, the tartan skirt, the headscarf, the pearls, that whole look – very “ladylike [country](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/country) woman” – was perfected I think by the Queen and has endured. We still see people dressing like that today.’ Bespoke tweed (so fashionable again in 2026) is found throughout the collection. ‘What’s wonderful about that off-duty style is – perhaps uniquely – it blends more ready-to-wear with couture. One beautiful ensemble is a Harris tweed jacket which was made by Norman Hartnell and it’s absolutely the essence of a Dior bar jacket. Everything about how it’s cut, the way the material and the pattern has been tailored – it’s really inspired by the bar suit. It’s from the very early part of the Queen’s life, the late 1940s, so it really fits with that Dior aesthetic. You have your couture jacket and then you’re wearing it with a Balmoral tartan skirt. Balmoral tartan was supposedly designed by Prince Albert and is worn only by members of the Royal family. ![Image may contain Clothing Skirt Coat Jacket Blazer Tartan and Overcoat](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4d9b5642b509734b708a/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/250355%2520\(Jon%2520Stokes\).jpg) Tweed Jacket and Balmoral Tartan Skirt, Norman Hartnell, c.1950Royal Collection Trust ‘It’s that perfect blend. We don’t quite know who made the skirt. It’s a beautiful piece but it’s not high fashion. And I love that idea of mixing the two together. We also see the way the Queen, through her support of British fashion, was supporting British textile production too.’ Most Popular Caroline uncovered boxes of Scottish knitwear and Irish aran. ‘All those materials and traditional makers and ways of making things are absolutely redolent in the collection,’ she says, as we talk in an [office](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/office) at St James’s palace, poring over images in the book she has written to accompany the exhibition. ‘There are things made by leading British brands \[which are\] still going today. Burberry rain capes and Barbour coats and waistcoats that were just practical for walking the dogs and going to Windsor horse show.’ ### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox. Sign up to the House and Garden Daily The Queen’s off-duty style ‘might not be everyone’s definition of comfortable’, says Caroline. ‘It was still formal. It was still appropriate and practical for what the day was going to hold, whether she was at Windsor, Balmoral or Sandringham. Quite often a cashmere twin set with riding clothes, or a little air-tex t-shirt or a short sleeved shirt. Brogues by Lobb or Churches. Really practical, but still the best.’ One of Caroline’s favourite items in the collection is covered in gold stitching and pearls; it’s a plastic rain mac. ‘Hardy Amies worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001 A Space Odyssey. He was interested in futuristic design and Amies really pushed his boundaries and this really speaks to that period. There was a fashion for wearing these types of plastic rain coats but this is obviously a couture \[one\]. The mother of pearl buttons are so stunning, and the stitching. For me this is the forerunner of the birdcage umbrella she began using from Fulton, with the coloured trim. It’s perfect because it’s chic, it’s stylish, it’s practical and her clothes can still be seen underneath. I don’t think she would have worn this to walk the corgis. This is much more \[for wearing\] out on an engagement. I’m going to display it with the umbrellas because we have them in every colour.’ ![Image may contain Clothing Coat Raincoat and Person](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4dd6a15e1b127301c1b6/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/220035+220172%2520\(Jon%2520Stokes\).jpg) Silk Dress, Coat and Plastic Raincoat, Hardy Amies, c.1960Royal Collection Trust A hacking jacket ‘worn over multiple decades’ was another find. ‘When one examines it you can tell it’s been worn, it has wear, but it’s still in such beautiful condition. Her young adulthood was during the Second World War and so this idea of thrift and frugality was very firmly instilled.’ On first glance it might look simple, but it’s an extraordinary piece of design, she says. ‘For something that looks relatively ordinary, the tailoring is just amazing. Bernard Weatherall worked for the Queen for over 70 years producing formal things – he produced her tunics for Trooping the Colour. It’s in the detail \[in items like this hacking jacket\] where the delight really is. The lining is worn and a bit discoloured due to repeated wear. The back flap is lined with gabardine so that it’s completely waterproof. If you’re riding and it starts raining the water will gather on the back of the saddle and it just gets wicked away.’ Most Popular Burberry crops up again and again – a stalwart of her outdoor wardrobe. This month, Burberry has launched a new collection in collaboration with the Royal Collection Trust in honour of the centenary featuring a belted car coat, a tartan scarf and a silk scarf all inspired by the Queen’s wardrobe. Headscarves are another common thread through the collection. Scarves were fashionable throughout the 50s and 60s (and like Burberry and tweed, they’re back in fashion now) but Caroline suspects the way the Queen wore them was distinct. ‘She began wearing them in the 40s. She always tied them under her chin in a bow, which is actually really unusual. \[...\] People knew she wore them so she was often given them as gifts which explains why we have quite a few. Hermes features heavily – and that’s an unusual example of her wearing non-British.’ There is an Oliver Messel-designed one which is ‘beautiful’, and another which features ‘the winners of the Derby’. ![Image may contain Clothing Coat Overcoat and Fashion](https://media.houseandgarden.co.uk/photos/69bd4deef318a651689b96b9/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/220224%2520\(Jon%2520Stokes\).jpg) A Loden Coat, Angela Kelly CoutureRoyal Collection Trust The King, who himself has a keen interest in fashion and sustainability, has been kept closely informed of plans for the exhibition, says Caroline. After the exhibition, partnerships with the King’s Foundation will ensure students of design and fashion can access the archive. ‘This tells the story of British couture from the demise of the court dressmaker to the rise of [London](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/topic/london) couture and the British fashion designer. It runs throughout that whole period because of the Queen’s wonderful long life and it’s all there to see and be inspired by.’ For Caroline, what has been striking is how involved the Queen was in curating her wardrobe. Caroline found notes on logs of Royal tours that show she cared deeply about what she wore. ‘I didn’t appreciate how much she took the lead in things as opposed to what I had originally thought which was she would say to her dresser “I’m going on tour can you sort something out”. It was much more: “ok I’m going to be away for six weeks, I need five coats, six evening dresses, three suits”.’ Letters from designers were revealing too. ‘There are letters from Hartnell and Hardy Amies that she kept privately all her life. They were just tucked away in her desk. Hartnell would write: “all my team without fail will just do anything for you”. There was this really strong bond, and through that, because she was able to wear these beautiful clothes she understood what went into making them.’ Most Popular What’s clear is ‘this was someone who was deeply committed to their appearance’. She may have been practical, but she knew that how she looked to the outside world meant something. It’s perhaps why, as Caroline says, most of us can still conjure her distinctive style. ‘You can close your eyes and you can see it,’ she says. Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style is at [The King's Gallery](https://www.rct.uk/visit/the-kings-gallery-buckingham-palace) from 10 April 2026 [Eleanor Steafel](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/profile/eleanor-steafel) is House and Garden’s Lifestyle Director. She joined the magazine in 2026, having been a feature writer and recipe columnist at the Daily Telegraph for over a decade. Her first cookbook, The Art of Friday Night Dinner, was shortlisted for a Fortnum and Mason award for debut cookbook. ... [Read More](https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/profile/eleanor-steafel) ### Get the latest houses and gardens in your inbox. Sign up to the House and Garden Daily Read More
Shard	29 (laksa)
Root Hash	3777563703148297029
Unparsed URL	uk,co,houseandgarden!www,/article/queen-elizabeth-ii-style-exhibition-london-2026 s443