Unique piece of royal history to go on show in London

A rare chance to see an historic royal outfit up close has just
been announced.

The
royal christening gown worn by kings, queens, princes and
princesses for almost 200 years will be put on show in London later
this year. It’s believed to be the first public exhibition for the
historic outfit.

It’s part of an exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of the
birth of Queen Elizabeth II and the gown will form a central part
of the once in a lifetime show.

Queen Victoria commissioned the lace christening outfit when her
first child, Princess Victoria, was born in 1840.

Over 80 years later, Queen Victoria’s great, great granddaughter
wore it to her baptism. The baby who was christened then, Elizabeth
Alexandra Mary, would go on to take the throne in 1952 and reign
for 70 years, eclipsing the record set by Victoria herself.

In total, 62 royal babies wore the christening gown including
several other monarchs. King Edward VII, King George V, King Edward
VIII, King George VI and King Charles III were all baptised in it,
as well as Queen Elizabeth II.

Prince William wore it at his christening. However, Prince
George wore a replica of the original. The last royal baby to be
christened in the gown was Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor.
Following her baptism, in 2004, Queen Elizabeth II decided the
gown, made of silk and lace, was too fragile to be used again and
commissioned an exact copy of it which has been used by all royal
babies since. The first to wear it was Louise’s brother, James,
Earl of Wessex.

The original christening outfit was designed to be much more
than just a royal gown. Queen Victoria was determined to support
the dressmaking industries and she deliberately chose very British
materials for the gown to be made from to give them a very public
backing in the hope it would bring them more trade.

Her decision led to silk from Spitalfields in east London being
used to construct the gown which is also covered in lace woven in
Honiton in Devon. The christening outfit was designed by her
dressmaker, Janet Sutherlands, who also carried the title of
‘Embroiderer to the Queen’.

The Royal Collection Trust has spent over 100 hours carefully
restoring the original gown ahead of it going on show. Plans to
keep the dress in perfect condition were made when it was first
commissioned with a note attached to the gown advising it should
only be washed in natural spring water.

The exhibition curator, Caroline de Guitaut, said ”the
christening robe was the most significant garment worn by Princess
Elizabeth in her infancy and is an exceptional example of British
craftsmanship – something Queen Elizabeth went on to champion
throughout her life. As the earliest piece of clothing worn by the
Queen, and by so many royal babies before and after her, it holds a
special place in her wardrobe. We are delighted to be able to share
it with as many people as possible in this centenary
year.’

Also on show will be another, less well known piece of royal
history. Queen Mary began the tradition of recording the names of
all babies christened in the gown in a special note that went with
it and Queen Elizabeth II continued that practice.

There will also be a chance to see the bonnet, silk satin shawl,
sash, bows and ribbons that were traditionally worn for
christenings and which were covered in the emblems of the United
Kingdom.

The exhibition takes place at The King’s Gallery at Buckingham
Palace which was also the site of the chapel there until it was
destroyed in the Blitz. It means that the gown will be on show in
the space where Queen Elizabeth II wore it at her own
christening.

The exhibition, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in
Style is at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from
10 April to 18 October 2026, Tickets cost £22 for adults
and £11 for children and are available from the Royal Collection Trust
website.