Fitted for a Queen: royal gowns go on display to mark the Queen's 90th birthday

The wedding dress and her coronation dress were designed by British couturier Sir Norman Hartnell
The Coronation gown
ITV/Rex
Robert Jobson27 May 2016

The Queen’s wedding and coronation dresses are to go on display together for the first time to mark her 90th birthday.

The wedding dress, which was worn by the then Princess Elizabeth for her marriage to the Duke of Edinburgh on November 20, 1947, and her coronation dress, worn in 1953, were designed by British couturier Sir Norman Hartnell.

They will go on show at the summer opening of the state rooms at Buckingham Palace between July 23 and October 2, as part of the special exhibition Fashioning A Reign: 90 Years Of Style From The Queen’s Wardrobe.

The exhibition, which charts important events in the Queen’s life and explores the nation’s history through her, covers state occasions, international tours and family celebrations.

The wedding of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Duke of Edinburgh
Rex

The Queen’s support of British couture and millinery will be highlighted through outfits created by renowned designers including Sir Norman, Sir Edwin Hardy Amies and Ian Thomas.

When commissioned to design Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress, Sir Norman set out to produce “the most beautiful dress I had so far made”.

Queen Elizabeth II after her wedding to Prince Philip
Popperfoto/Getty

His creation is in ivory silk and decorated with crystals and 10,000 seed pearls.

The gown incorporates a 15ft star-patterned train, woven in Braintree in Essex and inspired by Botticelli’s Primavera, symbolising rebirth after the war.

In 1947, Britain was still subject to rationing, so Princess Elizabeth collected clothing coupons to pay for the dress.

Queen Elizabeth II: Style File - In pictures

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Sir Norman, who had worked for the royal family since 1938, was subsequently commissioned to design the dress worn by the Queen for her coronation at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

He fashioned a gown in the finest white duchesse satin, richly embroidered in a lattice-work effect with national and Commonwealth floral emblems in gold and silver thread and pastel-coloured silks, encrusted with seed pearls, sequins and crystals.

For good luck, Sir Norman added a four-leaf shamrock on the left side of the skirt, so the Queen’s hand could rest upon it during the ceremony.

The exhibition at Buckingham Palace is one of three displays to celebrate the Queen’s 90th across her official residences. At Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh the use of tartan in royal dress is explored and, at Windsor Castle, evening gowns worn on official occasions will be contrasted with Princess Elizabeth’s fancy-dress costumes.

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