QUEEN of FASHION

Queen Elizabeth II proudly flew the flag for British fashion throughout her reign, as a major new exhibition at Buckingham Palace makes clear

- INTERVIEW: JACK MALVERN

She was renowned for her devotion to duty, her faith, her family, her horses and, of course, her beloved Pembrokeshire corgis.

Fashion, in the popular imagination, was not Queen Elizabeth II's priority.

This is a view rebutted by Caroline de Guitaut, who, in addition to her job as surveyor of the King's works of art, is masterminding the most comprehensive exhibition of the late monarch's clothing ever staged - Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, at The King's Gallery at Buckingham Palace.

Caroline, who joined the Royal Collection Trust as a junior curator after university more than 30 years ago and has since risen through the ranks, tells HELLO! that visitors will see proof that Elizabeth II was both an admirer of fine couture and a trendsetter who influenced fashion houses including Gucci.

Caroline has delved through the trust's collection of 4,000 items of clothing worn by Elizabeth from her childhood in the Thirties to her final years in the 21st century.

"One of the things that was written about the Queen in the past was that she wasn’t interested in fashion," Caroline says. "The media compared her with her younger sister [Princess Margaret], who went to Paris couturiers, whereas the Queen was supporting the best of British. [Her style] was elegant, restrained and appropriate but something she made recognisable. She absolutely followed fashion.”