Buckingham Palace – Queen & Commonwealth

Exhibition of Dresses and Gowns Worn by Her Majesty on Royal Tours

Jul 28, 2009

Dresses and gowns worn by HM Queen Elizabeth II during royal tours are on view at Buckingham Palace. The display also includes over 100 gifts received during such visits.

In 2009 the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Commonwealth will be marked by an exhibition of 28 dresses and gowns worn by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during royal tours. The show will also feature more than 100 presents received by the monarch during overseas visits.

The show examines the close links developed and maintained by The Queen with member countries of the Commonwealth. During her reign Her Majesty has made more than 170 official visits to Commonwealth countries. This is equal to approximately one third of all her foreign journeys.

Choosing The Queen's Outfits

Her Majesty's clothing is always carefully chosen by her Dresser to meet the requirements of the climate as well as the cultural traditions of the countries she visits. Colours and fabric designs are selected to complement the country's natural flags or emblems. Furthermore, The Queen insists that she must always be clearly visible in a large crowd.

The monarch's day wear and evening gowns have always been created by the world's leading designers including Ian Thomas (1929-1993) Simone Mirman (1912-2008) and Norman Hartnell (1901-1979).

The Queen's tour of Singapore and Malaysia in 1972, saw collaboration between Norman Hartnell and the French Milliner Simone Mirman. Hartnell created a stunning green silk-crêpe day dress, and the outfit was completed by a cloche hat, decorated by fabric flowers, by Mirman.

In 1974, Ian Thomas, another of The Queen's favourite designers, created a bright yellow silk-chiffon gown, with matching cape, for the tour of Australia. The dress was embroidered with irridescent sequin sprays of wattle (mimosa), Australia's national flower. Unfortunately, Her Majesty's tour ended early because of a national election at home so she did not wear the dress during her visit.

Presents to Her Majesty

During the royal tours Queen Elizabeth has received a wide variety of gifts including plants, food and animals, beaded footstools, boomerangs, jewellery, embroidered cloths, fans, Maori feather cloaks and Zulu chess sets.

The show also features an Aboriginal carving of a dugong by Stephen Karwulkku, totem poles from British Columbia, a silk scarf presented by Nelson Mandela and many other items that reflect the cultures and traditions she has witnessed during the tours.

During the 1954 Commonwealth Tour a diamond brooch, resembling a spray of wattle, was presented to the monarch by the Government and People of Australia. The brooch has a large white diamond at its centre. It features yellow diamonds representing wattle together with blue-white diamonds in the form of mimosa leaves. The jewellery also has diamonds in the shape of tea tree blossom. The Queen has worn the brooch on several subsequent Australian tours.

To record the exhibition Royal Collection Publications have produced a 120-page guide book, entitled The Royal Tour: A Souvenir Album, (ISBN 978 1 905686 24 7 hardback).

The State Rooms will be open from 26th July to 30th September 2009. Further information about the exhibition and the souvenir album can be obtained from Royal Collections.

The copyright of the article Buckingham Palace – Queen & Commonwealth in Special Art Gallery Exhibits is owned by Frances Spiegel. Permission to republish Buckingham Palace – Queen & Commonwealth in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.