Hope I don’t sound insensitive but DH and I were just discussing what will happen to the Queens clothes. Do they get auctioned with the proceeds going to charity or will they go to museums?
Good Morning Thursday 6th August 2026
Hope I don’t sound insensitive but DH and I were just discussing what will happen to the Queens clothes. Do they get auctioned with the proceeds going to charity or will they go to museums?
Diana's clothes are sometimes on display at Kensington Palace and the V&A - I expect something similar will happen to HMs.
I saw an exhibition of the Queens evening wear. Some of the material was absolutely exquisite. I hope that many of the best are kept for generations to come.
I feel the queen's clothes or at the very least her Huge collection of Hats will be displayed at a Museum.. Probably the V&A
They could always be auctioned for charity as Diana's were.
Funny you should mention this, I was today admiring an amazing collage of some the Queen's clothes - but not the glitzy ball gowns and ceremonial dresses. It's like a rainbow of colour, I hope the photos have come out OK.
(And of course, it was French magazine no less!)
Her evening dresses dated from as early as 1947 through to (then) present day.
Unusually one was black, worn I think in the early 50s on a visit to France. Her waist was a so tiny, and she herself was so small. It went from the Dior New Look through to the fashion we are so familiar with that she wore. I was interested to see how, like us all her shape changed over the years, to recent times when her waist thickened just like us all. It was difficult to choose a favourite, but one worn in Jamaica was glorious.
I doubt they will be sold.
The queen wore a black evening dress when she met Marilyn Munroe in 1956.
There was a display of some of Queen Elizabeth II ‘s clothes at Buckingham Palace several years ago. It was amazing how slender she was.
Likewise Queen Victoria’s clothes at Kensington Palace.
I would imagine their would be a exhibition of her clothes like Diana’s.
Yes the exhibition was at Buckingham Palace. I’ve been to quite a few but her clothes are always a favourite with me.
I’m always slightly disappointed with the Kensington Palace exhibitions. Saw one with Diana’s clothes which wasn’t bad, but not of course her iconic outfits which were sold off.
Queen Victoria was tiny in height but her knickers told another story about her width?
I liked the Kensington Palace exhibition of some of Diana's clothes. Its not until you get up close that you notice the ruching on the velvet, and the embellishment of pearls and glass sequins on other fabrics like silks.
Unlike the Queen, Diana was very broad across the shoulders.
Lots of the queen's important clothing will probably go to the V&A I would guess. They are carefully looked after there and available for research purposes and can also be exhibited.
I was lucky enough to examine the fabulous details of one of her gowns a few years ago. The staff told me they turn the most important garments regularly so that creases/weaknesses don't develop in the fabric.
This was the dress I saw, designed by NormanHartnell for the Queen. It's a beautiful Duchesse satin embroidered with pearls, gold thread and sparkling glass/beads. It was for her trip to France in 1957 and referenced their wildflowers and "Napoleon's" bee emblems. It was just after we joined the EEC.
collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O16820/the-flowers-of-the-fields-evening-dress-hartnell-norman/
I hope the ones worn on important occasions or a selection showing the course of her life will be preserved for posterity and not appear on the Antiques Roadshow as Queen Victoria draws the other week.
It would be good if the rest were sold for Charity. Though knowing how prepared the queen was with preparation for her demise plans are probably already in place.
I was doing a course at the V&A a few years ago on Queen Victoria. The final session was held at Kensington Palace where we were shown the actual dress a very slender 18-year old Victoria wore at her Accession Council at St James Palace. It had originally been black but because it hadn’t been stored properly had turned brown. We also saw some of Victoria’s underwear, stockings and day dresses. She really was very slim until after Albert’s death. Her black mourning dresses were almost as wide as they were high.
I've wondered about the hats. They are so obviously the Queen's hats, what will happen to them now?
That's beautiful NotSpaghetti. Is it the one worn by Princesse Beatrice for her wedding (in covid times)?
We also saw some of Victoria’s underwear, stockings
I'm guessing anything belonging to The Queen in that department will be burned?
Without wanting to be disrespectful, I cannot imagine the Queen’s clothes being auctioned off.
Her colours were very bold, and I doubt if many other ladies of similar size and shape could carry them off.
The best of them will be displayed eventually I would think.
No, Joseanne it isn't - but the one Beatrice wore was very lovely I thought. This one was made for this one occasion. If you click on the link
and scroll down you will find lots more information about this one. There are lots of sub-sections on the page.
The V&A is just THE most fabulous resource archive.
I also got to see the original Dior suit - the "New Look" there with its microscopic waist. I saw some Schiaparelli and Balenciaga too - one Balenciaga hadn't ever been photographed at the archive and it looked like a 1960s dressing gown!
Here is The ‘Bar’ suit from Dior’s La Ligne Corolle.
Here is Beatrice in "Granny"'s dress:
www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a31085338/princess-beatrice-wedding-dress/
I do hope they go to the V&A I would love to see them. They will all I expect be kept?
I saw her Wedding Dress when I did a tour of Buckingham Palace beautiful, the details exquisite. Her clothes are beautiful they need to be viewed up close.
I know it's morbid and I apologise but I do wonder what she is wearing in her coffin?
I remember giving the Undertaker something lovely for my Mum including her Handbag.
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