Queen Elizabeth II may be approaching 100 years of age, but she's nonetheless arguably the most elegant woman alive. While the Queen rarely opts for flashy garb, her dress is never less than opulent. Handmade by the best makers of clothing in the world, some of the Queen's gowns have been the result of many months of labor, and downright ostentatious expense. It's only fitting for a monarch meant to represent all that is good and glorious about the country they rule, and the Queen continues to bear up under the heavy crown and clothing admirably.
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00:00Queen Elizabeth II's special occasion attire and accessories are always striking. No matter
00:05if they're more traditional or trendy, they're always lavish. Here are the most
00:10luxurious outfits the queen has ever worn. On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth
00:17married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. Britain was still reeling from the wartime darkness of
00:22the previous years, but according to Time, the royal wedding was, quote,
00:27"...the first great celebration of the post-war era."
00:30According to the Royal Collection Trust, Norman Hartnell's design for Elizabeth's
00:34wedding dress was approved in August of 1947, just three months before the wedding took place.
00:40Good Housekeeping reported that 350 women worked on the dress over a span of seven weeks,
00:45and the dress had hand-embroidered, pearl-encrusted flowers blooming all over it.
00:51More than 10,000 seed pearls spangled the dress atop silk spun by silkworms from China
00:57since Japan and Italy were Britain's enemies during the war. The dress was especially
01:02luxurious in the post-war era due to the 15 feet of silk and tulle that made up its train,
01:08as fabric was still rationed in Britain at the time. The royal family was not exempt
01:13from wartime rationing, so the princess paid for her wedding dress with rationing coupons.
01:18In the summer of 1953, a 25-year-old Princess Elizabeth was to be crowned the Queen of
01:24England. So she enlisted Norman Hartnell, who had previously designed her wedding dress,
01:29to create a coronation dress fit for a queen. According to Harper's Bazaar,
01:33the dress took eight months to make, including time for Hartnell to research previous coronations,
01:39to create and present nine designs for the queen-to-be,
01:42and to orchestrate the crafting of the gown in all of its detailed glory.
01:47After conducting his research, Hartnell retreated to Windsor Forest to start sketching. His eight
01:53months of hard work paid off, and the new queen was so pleased with the end result
01:58that she went on to wear the gown on six different occasions.
02:01As for the crown, well, she's been rocking that look ever since.
02:06So there are some disadvantages to crowns, but otherwise, they're quite important things."
02:12When Queen Elizabeth II voyaged to Australia for the first time in 1954,
02:17approximately 75 percent of the continent's nine million population got the chance to see
02:23her at least once, according to the National Museum of Australia. It's fitting, then,
02:27that the young queen wore one of her most iconic looks to a state banquet in Sydney
02:33as a nod to the people of Australia. Her wattle dress was a gold,
02:37tall gown adorned with golden wattles, Australia's national flower.
02:42Sir Norman Hartnell designed the dress specifically for Her Majesty's visit to Australia. The dress
02:47was immortalized later that year when Australian artist William Dargie was commissioned to paint
02:52a portrait of the queen wearing it. Queen Elizabeth II wore yet another
02:57design by Sir Norman Hartnell to a state banquet on the first night of her 1958 visit to the
03:02Netherlands. As noted by the Royal Collection Trust, the evening gown showed off the best of
03:08its designer's usual aesthetic — sparkling embellishments, detailed embroidery, and a
03:13full skirt. It was accentuated by unique embellished shapes and tiny jewels in colors
03:18to match the fabric throughout. Atop her head sat the Vladimir Tiara,
03:23which Town & Country reports is one of Her Majesty's favorites. The tiara belonged to
03:29Grand Duchess Vladimir of Russia before it was sold to Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother,
03:34Queen Mary. On certain occasions, Queen Elizabeth swaps out the pearls for her great-grandmother's
03:39emeralds, but she appears to have opted for classic pearls for the 1958 banquet.
03:45In 1963, Queen Elizabeth II appeared to adopt a glamorous evening uniform. Bejeweled metallic
03:51Norman Hartnell gowns, white fur stoles, delicate evening purses with chain straps and clasp
03:57closures, and, of course, royal jewels. In its Fashioning a Reign exhibition, the Royal
04:03Collection Trust showcased notable Norman Hartnell designs the queen wore in 1963,
04:09featuring a range of luxurious outfits. The following May, Queen Elizabeth wore a fitted
04:14evening gown of silk, tulle, and beaded diamond shapes to a banquet with the King and Queen of
04:19Belgium. In 1977, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Silver Jubilee, which marked 25 years
04:27since she took the throne as monarch. Her Majesty wore several lavish outfits that year,
04:32such as the embellished gowns she wore for her official portrait and the state opening
04:37of New Zealand's parliament in February. And she ended on a bright note.
04:42In Canada, the last stop on her international Silver Jubilee tour,
04:46she attended a state banquet in Quebec. In a departure from the soft metallics she favored
04:51for special occasions in previous decades, the queen wore a sea-foam green gem-encrusted sheath
04:57dress and an especially regal tiara as she celebrated a quarter-century of her monarchy.
05:03In February and March of 1983, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip took their first tour of
05:09California. According to the Los Angeles Times, the royals visited space shuttles and the Yosemite
05:15National Park, and attended a ritzy dinner in Los Angeles with the likes of actor Michael Caine.
05:22"...started without you. Hope you don't mind."
05:24They also took a stormy ride up to President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan's
05:30hilltop ranch, a ride which Her Majesty deemed, quote,
05:33"...terribly exciting." At an honorary dinner in San Francisco on March 3rd,
05:38the queen toasted the president's warmth and the state's, quote,
05:42"...magnificent technological achievements."
05:45This image of the United States, at the forefront of technical invention,
05:50is one of which you are rightly proud."
05:54In keeping with Hollywood glamour and the brightness of the Golden State,
05:57Her Majesty wore an uncharacteristically avant-garde metallic evening gown for the occasion.
06:02As seen in photos and video of the event, the soft gold gown featured a dropped waist and
06:08dramatic ruffled and jewel-adorned sleeves topped with large bows at the shoulders,
06:13proving that even the Queen of England herself was hip to the big shoulders of the 80s.
06:20On June 9th, 1992, Queen Elizabeth II attended a banquet in Paris during a state visit to France.
06:26She wore a long-sleeved white gown spangled with floral-patterned embellishments of tiny
06:31pearls and gems, and topped with diamond-encrusted brooches. Still,
06:36it was the queen's jewels that truly dazzled. She wore her precious Burmese ruby tiara,
06:42along with a matching necklace and earrings.
06:44According to WWD, the queen had the tiara made in 1973 using 96 rare rubies she received as
06:52a wedding gift from the people of Myanmar, nearly three decades prior. In Burmese culture,
06:57the stones are reportedly believed to ward off evil and disease, so the tiara has been
07:03speculated to carry a secret meaning when worn by the queen. Her Majesty may have worn the jewelry
07:08to the 1992 banquet because the event took place in the midst of Prince Charles and Princess
07:14Diana's highly scrutinized separation, or perhaps simply because of its glittering beauty.
07:20Through the decades, Queen Elizabeth II has worn some of her most lavish looks for the state
07:25openings of Parliament each year. During each ceremony, members of Parliament wear red robes,
07:30but Her Majesty typically stands out from the Red Sea by wearing some of her most
07:35dazzling embellished gowns in shades of white and silver.
07:38On November 15, 2006, the queen arrived at the state opening of Parliament in an embellished
07:44white gown, a white fur stole, white gloves, and her diamond diadem crown,
07:49which she has worn for her arrival at several state openings.
07:53As is tradition, the queen's stole and crown appeared to be replaced during the ceremony by
07:58her formal ermine robe of the state and the imperial state crown, which features purple
08:04velvet and 2,868 diamonds, in addition to precious rubies, sapphires, pearls, and emeralds.
08:12Each June, Queen Elizabeth II, members of the royal family, and 24 selected knights
08:18participate in the Order of the Garter ceremony at Windsor Castle.
08:22Ceremonial attire plays a key role in the annual event. The queen, senior royals,
08:27and the knights and ladies in the procession wear, quote,
08:30grand velvet robes, glistening insignia, and plumed hats, per Royal UK.
08:36On Royal Garter Day in 2011, the queen stood among the knights and ladies and
08:40fellow senior royals, including Prince William and Prince Charles.
08:44The Order of the Garter procession was awash with matching midnight blue velvet capes
08:49bearing Order of the Garter emblems on one side.
08:52Her majesty typically stands out from crowds in opulent gowns or rainbow colors,
08:57but on this occasion, she was distinguished primarily by her Garter Star brooch,
09:03which featured 838 brilliant diamonds.
09:07In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her diamond jubilee, indicating 60 years on the throne.
09:14To mark the occasion, Her Majesty posed for an official portrait in the center room at Buckingham
09:19Palace, as noted by Forbes. She donned a white silk dress adorned with lace, silver sequins,
09:25and a scalloped edge, all designed by her royal dressmaker, Angela Kelly.
09:30Emphasizing the diamond in diamond jubilee, Her Majesty brought out some of the most
09:35sparkling pieces of the royal family's jewelry from the royal collection,
09:39including one of her most dazzling crowns, the State Diadem.
09:44She paired the crown with Queen Victoria's Collette necklace, known as the Coronation
09:48Necklace, which has been worn to coronations since 1902, per the Royal Collection Trust.
09:54The outfit was later recreated for a wax figure of the queen,
09:58which lives at Madame Tussauds in London.
10:01The year 2012 was full of pomp and circumstance for Queen Elizabeth II.
10:06It was the year London hosted the Olympic Games and that of Her Majesty's diamond jubilee,
10:11which sparked several honorary events worth dressing up for.
10:15In June, the queen attended a diamond jubilee tribute concert, as noted by The Mirror.
10:20Her Majesty wore a shimmering number by dressmaker Angela Kelly for the occasion.
10:24The gold, long-sleeved dress featured a swirling silver and gold pattern
10:29over one side of the chest, recalling the glamorous metallics the queen favored in the early 60s.
10:34It's no surprise, then, that the dress was fashioned from fabric that had been bought
10:38in 1961 and was, quote,
10:41"...hauled out of storage from the palace stockroom," according to the Liverpool Echo.
10:45Sounds fancy!
10:47As the whirlwind year drew to a close, the queen attended the annual Royal Variety
10:52Performance in November wearing a silvery bejeweled gown, also designed by Angela Kelly,
10:57and tiny silver shoes to match. It was the perfectly luxurious send-off to an already
11:03luxurious year.
11:04Every eight years, Queen Elizabeth II attends the service of the Order of the Bath.
11:10The traditional service honors the installation of new knights at Westminster Abbey, where Her
11:15Majesty makes, quote,
11:16"...the presentation of gold and silver coins, a symbolic surrendering of worldly
11:21treasures," according to the BBC.
11:24On May 9, 2014, the queen's appearance at the service prompted a pop-sugar article aptly
11:30titled,
11:30"...Look How Queenie the Queen Was Today."
11:33In addition to a simple long-sleeved white dress and her typical silver-heeled shoes
11:38and white gloves, Her Majesty wore striking royal regalia — ceremonial gold tassels,
11:44a diamond tiara from the Crown Amethyst suite of jewels,
11:48and a ruby-red velvet cape decorated with two traditional white shoulder bows.
11:54The cape featured a flowing train,
11:56which a uniformed young boy carried to keep it from touching the ground.
12:00It doesn't get much more queenie than that.
12:03She truly looked like she had stepped straight out of a fairy tale.
12:07Queen Elizabeth II often pulls out the most swanky stops for the state opening of Parliament,
12:13and the 2019 opening was no exception.
12:16The occasion calls for lavishness. Even the queen's speech, which is actually written by
12:22members of the British government, is presented to Her Majesty in a silk bag,
12:26as noted by Town & Country.
12:28For the 65th state opening of Parliament in 2019, in addition to the traditional ermine
12:33robe of state that she wears to each Parliament opening, Her Majesty wore an embellished silk
12:39Angela Kelly gown that bore a striking resemblance to the one she wore for her
12:43Diamond Jubilee portrait back in 2012, complete with the coronation necklace and the diamond
12:49diadem she wore. Even so, the outfit drew headlines, as she did not wear the traditional
12:55and very heavy imperial state crown, per Harper's Bazaar. Of course, there may be a reason for that.
13:02"...and you can't look down to read the speech, you have to take the speech up.
13:06Because if you did, your neck would break."