Often chosen for ‘best dressed’ lists, and whether she was wearing pinstripe, sunshine yellow or the much-talked-about neon green at Trooping The Color in 2016, she always knew how to stand out from the crowd, ensuring that those waiting hours, rain or shine, to take a look at the monarch were not disappointed. He used clothes to make people feel special – that he had made an effort for them – but he also used clothes as a message for tacit diplomacy. For royal tours in her younger years, – with the help of a well-informed team of designers and hairdressers – she would use national colors and symbols in her clothes to flatter the countries she visited. This was a Queen who dressed with duty and public service at the forefront of her mind. “If I wore beige, no one would know who I am,” he once reportedly said. The Queen and her family watch Trooping the Color in 2016 (Photo: Samir Hussein/Wireimage/Getty)
Show respect to other countries
The Queen’s 2011 visit to Dublin was of huge historical significance. King George V was the last reigning monarch to visit the country, in 1911, when the present-day Republic was then part of the UK. As a symbol of peaceful Anglo-Irish relations, she was dressed head to toe in green, the national color of the Emerald Isle. Queen Elizabeth meets fishmonger Pat O’Connell at the English market in Cork in 2011 (Photo: Irish Government/Pool/Getty) The designers used fabrics that weren’t prone to creasing and sewed tiny weights into her hem so it wouldn’t blow up. The Queen’s dressmaker, Angela Kelly, began working for her in 1994 and eight years later became her personal assistant and hairdresser. In 2006 he was appointed to the Royal Victorian Order and six years later was promoted to Lieutenant of the same Order (LVO) for “distinguished personal service to the Sovereign”. In her 2019 monarch-approved memoir, The Other Side of the Coin, Ms Kelly wrote that for a 10-day tour she would prepare 30 outfits for the Queen – and perhaps two hats to choose from depending on the weather. “This allows us to offer two outfits to choose from for each engagement and if neither is right or one gets wet, we always have a backup,” she wrote. The Queen wears a turban during a visit to Saudi Arabia (Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty) Queen Elizabeth II greets a group in Maori dress during a trip to New Zealand in the early 1970s (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty) The Queen presents the Medal of Honor to Mother Teresa at the Presidential Palace in Delhi in 1983 (Photo: Anwar Hussein/Getty) The head-to-toe color blocks and matching hats so often worn by the Queen for her public engagements became her instantly recognizable style. It was rarely the pattern you would notice, as much as vibrant pastels or bold colors. “Tracing the history of the Queen’s dresses worn on state occasions, I noticed that green and yellow were often worn in African and Caribbean countries because these colors symbolize African nationalism and are incorporated into the flags of many African and Caribbean nations,” says Dr Daniel Conway. senior lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Westminster. Wearing a bright yellow dress during her visit to Mexico in 1975 (Photo: Serge Lemoine/Hulton Archive/Getty) With Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda in Lusaka in 1979 (Photo: Anwar Hussein/Getty) He added: “Very elaborate and glamorous evening dresses were worn in France and national flowers of other countries were sewn into the fabric of many evening dresses. The Queen’s jewelery had colonial as well as diplomatic significance – it was sometimes given as a gift and then worn whenever the Queen revisited the country.’ The Queen has been loyal to many brands during her reign, including Anello & Davide, where she has sourced her shoes for 50 years, and Launer for her handbags. The Queen’s handbag is perhaps the most familiar item in her wardrobe and she is said to have had over 200 of them, all with long straps to allow for the crucial hand shake she has done over the years. Arriving at City Hall in Durban, during her visit to South Africa, carrying Launer’s handbag (Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty) The Queen and Emir of Bahrain attend horse races in Bahrain in 1979 (Photo: Anwar Hussein/ WireImage ) “Our role as her hairdressers is to ensure Her Majesty is appropriately dressed for every occasion,” her dressmaker Mrs Kelly writes in her book. “I’m looking for movement with soft lightweight materials and might even turn on a fan to see how they behave in the breeze… “As the light changes or as Her Majesty moves into an interior, this will have an effect on the color and texture of the fabric and this needs to be taken into account.”
Creating the mood of a diplomatic occasion
When the Obamas visited the Queen for the third time at Windsor Castle in 2016, her scarf draped under her chin signaled a more casual feel, a sense of intimacy. She showed that she was comfortable with them, this was not the first meeting and that she was not only the Queen but also a traditional Englishwoman. The Queen and Prince Philip greet US President Barack Obama in 2016 (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP) The Queen and Prince Philip with President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary at Buckingham Palace (Photo: Tim Graham/Getty ) The Queen rides with President Ronald Reagan on the grounds of Windsor Castle during his visit (Photo: Tim Graham/Getty) Queen Elizabeth’s colorful diplomacy can also be seen in the early years of her reign, with her coronation dress designed by court hairdresser Hartnell. It contained many motifs from the United Kingdom and all Commonwealth nations, all of which reinforced the messages of its monarchy. In this rich but elegant dress she told the nations that looked up to her that she was strong and that she would hold the Commonwealth together. The White Satin Coronation Dress, Imperial State Crown and Royal Robes (Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty)
Her recognizable “off duty” looks
The Queen has largely favored the same off-duty look over the years as she enjoys her time in the countryside in England and Scotland. Her scarves, tweeds and jackets reflected the Queen’s public role. as constant, always there, devoted to her country and her roots. She managed to look comfortable while remaining regal. The Queen walks through Balmoral in 1967 (Photo: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis/Getty) The Queen and Prince Charles pose next to the tree they planted to mark the start of the official planting season for the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) at Balmoral Cricket Pavilion (Photo: Andrew Milligan/Pool/AFP/Getty)
A love for hats
The Queen also loved a statement hat, but there was a practical element to this stately choice. Her daughter-in-law Sophie, Countess of Wessex, revealed in the documentary The Queen at 90: “She has to stand out so people say, ‘I saw the Queen.’ “Don’t forget when she shows up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, sometimes 10, 15 and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen’s hat as she walked by.” The Queen visits the Science Museum to open its 2019 summer exhibition (Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty) It has been reported that the Queen’s milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan had strict guidelines regarding the width and height of the Queen’s hats. Hats couldn’t be so wide as to hide the Queen’s face and not too high, otherwise she might get stuck getting in and out of a car. The Queen wearing a green coat and matching hat, laughing as she watches the Royal Windsor Horse Show, held at Home Park in Windsor, Berkshire in 1980 (Photo: Tim Graham/Getty) Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to Hong Kong (Photo : Tim Graham/Getty) In homage to Hong Kong’s flag, which features a white flourish on a sea of purple, the Queen wore a wide-brimmed berry hat dotted with white flowers on a trip to the country. The Queen’s dresser said the Queen always knew how her clothes would be perceived, both by the people she spoke to and the media. The Queen arrives to greet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (Photo: Dan Kitwood/WPA Pool /Getty)The Queen In Reading, Berkshire (Photo: Tim Graham/Getty)The Queen In Swansea wearing a hat by milliner Frederick Fox (Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty) According to historian Robert Lacey, the monarch’s choice to wear a hat almost without fail at every event was “a reminder that the Queen is entrusted with a service, a job”. It was a sense of habit and repetition similar to that of the military. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh (Photo: Anwar Hussein/WireImage) Queen Elizabeth at Ventnor during a royal visit to the Isle of Wight (Photo: Fox Photos/Getty) Queen Elizabeth arrives to reopen the Sir Joseph Gallery Hotung at the British Museum in November 2017 (Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty) Queen Elizabeth wearing a blue dress and hat with white gloves, during her tour of the South Pacific, Tuvalu, October 1982 (Photo: Tim (Graham/Getty)
When protocol meant the Queen had to ditch the colour…
The Queen loved bright colors, but when it came to certain meetings, she had to obey royal protocol like the other members of the royal family. For her engagements with the Pope at the Vatican, she always chose black, with a black veil. The Queen and Prince Philip at the Vatican (Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty) The Queen and Pope John Paul II at the Vatican (Photo: Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty)
The Queen’s outfits also made a statement at family events
Ms Kelly is responsible for some of the monarch’s most iconic recent looks, including her salmon pink dress for London 2012…
