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The summer public opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace will last from July 30th until September 27th. On display this season will be the 1930s White Wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
These elegant Norman Hartnell gowns were worn on a 1938 royal visit to France, aimed at strengthening Anglo-French ties.
Five days before the visit was to begin, the Queen's mother, the Countess of Strathmore died, and the colorful dresses designed for the trip were set aside. Norman Hartnell suggested all white. It would be more appropriate than black for the trip, and many royal widows had mourned in white in the past. The trip was postponed for three weeks, and Norman Hartnell created a completely new wardrobe in just a fortnight. He became the Queen's primary designer for the rest of her life.
The Queen left England all in black, but emerged in France in a white lace evening gown, and was to wear white for the rest of the trip.
Also on display is the beautiful India Coronet, made for Queen Victoria, and worn by Queen Elizabeth during the state visit. It contains 2,678 diamonds, and was set with Indian rubies in 1902, when Queen Alexandra had the "unlucky" opals removed.
Much more information about the exhibition can be found at:
The Royal Collection,
(You can book tickets to the exhibition at this site.)
Victoria Advocate and
Classic Stitches Magazine
Thanks to Pam, who let me know about this.
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