If you are interested in modern royal history, 2 June is probably a notable day for you. On this day, 2 June, in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was held at Westminster Abbey. Although it was only sixteen years after her father’s coronation, she was facing a radically changing society. More than 20 million people watched The Queen’s coronation, which is even more impressive when you consider how few people had television sets. So in honour of this momentous day, I’m going to be exploring Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation gown for Style File Friday!
Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Dress
The Royal Collection Trust holds The Queen’s coronation gown. They describe the gown here as:
Designed by the British couturier Sir Norman Hartnell, the dress was created in the finest white duchesse satin, richly embroidered in a lattice-work effect with an iconographic scheme of national and Commonwealth floral emblems in gold and silver thread and pastel-coloured silks, encrusted with seed pearls, sequins and crystals.
And not only was the gown designed by Hartnell and created by his British team, but the silk itself was also from Britain. The silk used for the coronation gown was produced at Lullingstone Castle at Lady Hart Dyke’s silk farm; it was then woven by Essex firm Warner & Sons.
Norman Hartnell’s Designs
If you are at all interested in the coronation gown or Hartnell’s work with the British Royal Family, you must read his autobiography, Silver and Gold. It was included in the V&A Fashion Perspectives series, and he gives rather a lot of detail on both what it was like to work with different royals, and on the gowns themselves. In particular, you will find a lot of detail on Elizabeth’s 1947 wedding dress in addition to her coronation gown. (Hartnell does not spill the tea as so many 21st-century designers do, but he gives his honest opinion on working with them.)
The History of QEII’s Coronation Gown
Obviously, The Queen wore her coronation gown to… her coronation. But did you know that she wore it six times afterwards, including to open Parliament in Canada in 1957, and to open the Parliaments in Australia, Ceylon, and New Zealand on her 1954 tour? While The Princess of Wales is now praised for re-wearing clothing (which we all should be doing), The Queen re-wore what was one of the most important garments in her life.
During The Queen’s lifetime, her coronation gown was only displayed three times, including a Platinum Jubilee exhibition at Windsor Castle.
Are you interested in more royal fashion?
Royal Fashion at Kensington Palace
Diana: Her Fashion Story Exhibition
From Crown to Couture Exhibition
Royal Women Exhibition at the Fashion Museum: Part I and Part II
What do you think of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation Gown?
Cheers,
The Historian
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