Outfits worn by Princess Diana and Princess Margaret are some of the treasures included in a stunning new fashion exhibition at Kensington Palace.
Dress Codes explores how conventions have evolved throughout history – from dressing for the royal court to ceremonial uniforms for work – and brings together pieces from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection from 1870 right up to the present day.
While rules were once formally recorded, today’s royals follow unwritten dress codes for their official duties and often use their clothing to communicate messages. One famous master of sartorial diplomacy was royal style-setter Diana.
Visitors will be greeted by the then Princess of Wales's glittering red Bruce Oldfield gown, worn for a state visit to Saudi Arabia in 1987, displayed alongside a tweed hacking jacket from her ancestral Northamptonshire home Althorp House, a homage to her pre-royal life in the countryside.
A red Jasper Conran two-piece worn by Diana in Southampton for the official naming ceremony of the Royal Princess cruise liner in 1984 sits next to a green Catherine Walker tuxedo dress that the Princess wore to private events.
The Conran scarlet jacket and skirt allowed her to stand out from the crowd, but it's the little things, such as the anchor detailing on the buttons, that visitors will be able to see up close for the first time.
"A lot of royal dress codes actually don't change over time," Matthew Storey, curator at Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) tells HELLO!. "So if you look at ceremonial clothing, the whole point is that it stays the same from generation to generation. At an event like a coronation or the state opening of Parliament, the livery is being worn and sometimes the clothing worn by the King has designs that date back centuries. That continuity is really important and always relevant to British life."
Pieces of history
Of the 34 items on show in the exhibition – which also features, for the first time, contributions from three local youth organisations – 15 have never been displayed anywhere before, including a rare mourning bodice worn by Queen Victoria in 1870, and two dresses worn by Princess Margaret.
There's a gold beaded 1978 Thea Porter caped evening ensemble alongside an intricately embroidered green dress by Filipino designer Jose Pitoy Moreno, worn by the Princess on several occasions, including a visit to the Philippines in 1980.
A black Vivienne Westwood dress also on display was worn by the fashion designer when she was made invested as a dame at Buckingham Palace in 2006. Caterina Berni, senior interpretation manager at HRP, revealed that the designer's ensemble was inspired by archive pieces from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection.
"Instead of feathers in her hair, she's wearing horns and a hat which was inspired by Che Guevara," she tells HELLO! "She's come to the palace, she knows she’s got to follow the rules, but in classic Vivienne style, she takes it and makes it her own."
The exhibition is included in palace admission and runs until 30 November 2025. Visit hrp.org.uk.