Queen Elizabeth has had an illustrious and historic career as Great Britain’s monarch, a title she has held for nearly 70 years (via Business Insider). Throughout her reign, she has been involved in countless momentous world events as well as career-defining moments that have truly asserted the breadth of her leadership. After all, she was a young princess who came of age during World War II and subsequently inherited the throne in a world struck by division and warfare (via the National World War II Museum). But Her Majesty won’t only be remembered for her graceful and competent navigation as a world leader, but indeed for her distinct fashion sense.
By virtue of holding the throne for nearly seven decades, Elizabeth’s fashion sense has evolved throughout the years. Her outfits reflected the fashion trends of their respective decades, but stayed true to the regulations assumed within the royal family. “The Queen allows her clothes to reflect fashion but not lead it,” said Caroline de Guitaut, Deputy Surveyor of the Queen’s Works of Arts (via LinkedIn). De Guitaut added, “She dresses in bright, visible block colors, often with a complementary hat but note that we rarely see her in pattern,” per Vogue. And, according to one of Elizabeth’s personal dressers, Angela Kelly, per Express, “The Queen loves clothes and is a real expert on fabrics.”
But with so many decades of fashion in her closet, we can’t help but wonder — where do all the outfits go?
Previously worn royal attire can be sold to the general public
As she approached older age, Queen Elizabeth sported outfits of bright coloring which she would pair with extravagant hats and dramatic coats. But despite a clear vision of her sense of style, the queen would very rarely — if ever, though there are some exceptions — rewear the same outfits. In fact, according to Insider, unlike her granddaughter-in-law Kate Middleton, who made “outfit repeating” trendy, Elizabeth didn’t want her audience to catch her recycling clothes. “After the second or third public outing, it will either be reworked into a new design or relegated to private holidays or meetings,” wrote fashion journalist Elizabeth Holmes.
So then where do these previously worn outfits go once Her Majesty is done with them? Author Brian Hoey answered this question in his 2011 book, “Not in Front of the Corgis.”
“When she finally tires of [an outfit], she will hand it to one of her dressers, who can either wear it or sell it,” Hoey explained, per Express. The only rule, however, is that there cannot be any proof that the outfit once belonged to Elizabeth. “[All] labels must be removed and anything that could possibly identify it as having come from royalty obliterated,” Hoey revealed. And this rule extends to all royal ‘fits. The clothes can still be sold to the general public, but won’t be labelled as such — so if you’re in the business of thrifting, you might just get lucky and find an item worn by royalty without even knowing it.
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