Queen Elizabeth II continued ‘fashion precedent’ pioneered by a Tudor monarch

Curator Caroline de Guitaut argues that the Queen’s wardrobe should be viewed as a series of collaborative masterpieces that allowed her to project “soft power” on the global stage.

In an exclusive interview with GB News, which took place at a press viewing for the exhibition, Ms De Guitaut detailed the complex process behind these diplomatic garments.

She said: “I think some of these pieces of clothing are almost like works of art.

“They’ve involved the creative spirit, the client, in this case, Her Late Majesty, the creative hands of the people who carry out the embroidery, the cutting of the fabric, selecting the different materials.”

Ms De Guitaut added: “The Queen can go and do her duty, and everything is perfect, and she’s communicating with the audience at the same time simply through what she’s wearing.”

While modern commentators often credit the late Queen with inventing “fashion diplomacy,” Ms De Guitaut suggests the practice has deep historical roots.

|

GETTY

She explained: “I don’t think it started with Queen Elizabeth II.

“If we think back to earlier centuries… I know it sounds a bit contrived, but I always go back to Queen Elizabeth I because those great dresses of state, the pearls, the motifs.

“There was so much meaning which, probably, on a modern audience today, is quite lost and actually quite challenging to interpret.

“But if you understand what they meant at the time, that really said something; above all, that this woman was incredibly powerful. So there are definitely earlier precedents.”

However, the Surveyor of the King’s Works of Art noted that the late Queen refined this into a modern discipline.

Ms De Guitaut continued: “I don’t think she invented it, but she turned it into something so sophisticated and so democratically thought-through.

“I suppose we call it ‘soft power’ today, don’t we? She did turn it into an art form.”

The exhibition features 300 items, including the iconic 1961 Norman Hartnell gown worn in Karachi, which featured an emerald-green pleat to honour the national colours of Pakistan.

|

GETTY

This level of detail was essential for a sovereign who undertook extraordinary tours, such as her first Commonwealth tour, which lasted seven months.

Ms De Guitaut remarked on the scale of these journeys, stating: “It’s almost impossible to imagine what that must have felt like to be away for so long.”

The exhibition demonstrates how the Queen used the “creative spirit” of British couture to engage with people across the globe.