As the Queen of England, Elizabeth II occupies a unique position in British society. She is simultaneously the head of state, the head of the Commonwealth, and a beloved national figure. This gives rise to many questions about how she lives her life and carries out her duties. One question that often comes up is: Does the Queen go clothes shopping?
The Queen’s Wardrobe
The Queen has access to an extraordinary wardrobe filled with designer dresses, hats, coats, and accessories. Her majestic collection of colorful outfits and matching hats is legendary. But with such an extensive royal wardrobe, it raises the question – where do all these clothes come from? Does Queen Elizabeth pop down to the shops herself to pick up a new frock or hat? The answer is more complex than one might think.
In truth, the Queen does not generally go out shopping for clothes in the way most people do. She relies on talented designers and talented dressmakers to keep her wardrobe stocked with bespoke outfits suitable for every occasion. However, she does exert personal control over the creation of her attire. The Queen has developed trusted relationships with a select handful of British designers over the years like Hardy Amies, Norman Hartnell, and Angela Kelly. She works closely with them to craft designs that perfectly suit her tastes and needs.
The Importance of Dress
Clothing plays an extremely important role for the Queen. As the most photographed and scrutinized woman in Britain, she understands the power of dress. The colors, styles, and motifs she chooses send subtle messages. Her clothes help her express national sentiment, mark occasions, and convey professionalism, dignity, and royal authority.
The designs and colors the Queen wears on official state visits, for example, are always carefully chosen with the host nation in mind. If she is attending an event in Australia, she may wear a green and gold dress featuring Australian national symbols. For a trip to Canada, she will likely be dressed in red and white. The Queen uses her sartorial choices to telegraph respect and connect with the public.
The Queen’s Personal Style Preferences
While the Queen relies on designers for original creations, she has very definitive preferences when it comes to her apparel. Bright colors are a must. She favors eye-catching hues like fuchsia, canary yellow, turquoise, lime green, and electric blue. This ensures she can be easily spotted in a crowd. The Queen also prefers clothes with a streamlined, tailored silhouette featuring knee-length hemlines and elegant structural details.
When it comes to accessories, Launer London has held the exclusive rights to produce the Queen’s handbags since 1968. Her shoes and gloves are made by Anello & Davide. And no royal outfit would be complete without a magnificent hat. Milliner Rachel Trevor-Morgan provides many of the Queen’s hats.
The Queen’s Dressmakers
To bring the Queen’s fashion vision to reality, she relies on three key dressmakers:
- Hardy Amies – Hardy Amies served as the Queen’s official dressmaker from 1955 until 1989. He established many of the sartorial signatures she is known for today, like suits with knee-length skirts and small waists. Even after his retirement, the Queen maintained a close relationship with the fashion house.
- Ian Thomas – Ian Thomas took over from Hardy Amies as the Queen’s official dressmaker in the 1990s. He continued providing Her Majesty with creations tailored to her style.
- Angela Kelly – Currently, Angela Kelly serves as the Queen’s Personal Assistant and Senior Dresser. She has been integral in crafting the Queen’s inimitable looks since 2002. Kelly and the Queen work together to sketch designs, select fabrics swatches, and match accessories.
This small group of trusted fashion contacts has remained remarkably consistent over the years. The Queen prefers to develop ongoing creative relationships rather than constantly changing designers.
Ordering Clothes as Royal Gifts
In addition to coordinating original bespoke designs with dressmakers, the Queen also sometimes bestows gifts of clothing and accessories upon her family and ladies-in-waiting. ordering items for others provides an opportunity for the Queen to browse some of the latest fashions and styles at her leisure. Fifty years of order books and records from British retailers like Harrods, Henry Goodman, Rigby & Peller, and Lachasse of London were examined to reveal some of the Queen’s purchases.
Gifts for Princess Diana
Before Princess Diana joined the royal family, she worked as a kindergarten teacher with a modest income. Upon her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981, the Queen provided Diana with an entire new royal wardrobe by ordering pieces from Harrods. Some of the Queen’s gifts for Diana included:
| Date | Retailer | Item |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Harrods | A pink Chantilly lace petticoat |
| 1981 | Harrods | A pair of diamond and emerald earrings |
| 1981 | Harrods | A three-strand pearl necklace |
The Queen spent roughly ₤100,000 on Diana’s new wardrobe for her first public appearances alongside Prince Charles after the engagement announcement.
Outfits for the Ladies-in-Waiting
The Queen also orders clothing for members of her household staff, particularly her Ladies-in-Waiting. These are personal assistants who accompany the Queen and provide companionship. In 1987, the Queen purchased some new outfits for two of her Ladies-in-Waiting from Harrods:
| Recipient | Item |
|---|---|
| Lady Susan Hussey | A pink and grey suit |
| Lady Ruth Fermoy | A floral dress and jacket |
These gifts demonstrate the Queen’s generosity and care for the people who serve her.
The Queen’s Shopping Habits
Order books from British retailers provide a glimpse into some of the Queen’s shopping habits. Certain patterns emerge:
- She prefers to shop from classic heritage department stores like Harrods, rather than trendy boutiques.
- She often purchases multiples of items in different colors. For example, she may order three new handbags – one red, one blue, and one pink.
- She favors British brands and craftsmanship.
- She tends to stick with customized items and fabrics rather than ready-to-wear pieces.
- She enjoys gifting garments to ladies within her circle.
While she undoubtedly has access to the world’s finest clothes and jewelry, the Queen exhibits modest, practical tastes in her personal shopping. She consistently opts for custom wardrobe staples over flashy statement pieces when placing retail orders.
The Queen’s Annual Budget for Clothing
The Queen receives an annual sovereign grant from the treasury to cover her official duties and household expenses. A portion of this grant goes towards outfitting the Queen. In 2019, £250,000 of her grant was designated for new clothing – that’s over $300,000! While this seems extraordinarily lavish, it is a small fraction of the total grant amount. The Queen also re-wears many of her outfits and takes excellent care of decades-old pieces to get the most use out of her wardrobe.
Breakdown of Annual Clothing Budget
| Expense | Estimated Amount |
|---|---|
| Bespoke dresses and outfits | £125,000 |
| Tailoring and alterations | £35,000 |
| Hats and accessories | £50,000 |
| Clothing gifts for others | £40,000 |
| Total | £250,000 |
While the Queen may not personally go browsing the racks at a department store, she still takes an active role in choosing and purchasing garments each year by working closely with designers, dressmakers, retailers, and her team of stylists.
Does She Ever Go Shopping Publicly?
The Queen does not frequent public shopping areas. However, there have been a few remarkable exceptions where the Queen has visited shops or malls during official public engagements. For example, in 2012 she toured the upscale food halls at Fortnum and Mason in London. And in 2021, she made a surprise visit to a pop-up Westgate department store erected in her honor for the Platinum Jubilee in Windsor.
While the Queen does not typically shop among everyday citizens, she seemed to enjoy these retail appearances interacting with staff and learning about British businesses. Of course, heavy security surrounded the premises during her visits.
How Does the Queen Pay for Purchases?
The Queen never handles cash herself. She has staff members who make payments on her behalf. Purchases for the Queen’s work wardrobe come out of the annual sovereign grant budget. So taxpayer funds essentially pay for the Queen’s outfits.
For some personal purchases outside of the grant the Queen may reimburse staff through her private Balmoral and Sandringham estates. Or accounts with certain British retailers may allow items to be charged to the Crown directly.
The Queen does not possess a credit card or ATM card. She does not carry cash or coins either. The Queen never needs to fuss with cash while out and about. Any shopping expenditures are handled discreetly behind the scenes by staff.
The Queen and Online Shopping
The Queen does not shop online herself. However, her dressmaker Angela Kelly is said to do some browsing on the Queen’s behalf. Retail sites make ordering fabrics and supplies much easier. Kelly can simply purchase trim or notions for the Queen’s outfits with a few clicks.
The Queen reportedly received an iPod as a gift from her family in 2005 loaded with her favorite classical music. But it is unlikely she is browsing iTunes or streaming services! The tech savvy Princess Beatrice, however, has been assisting the Queen setting up video calls on her electronic devices during the Covid-19 pandemic so she can keep in touch safely.
While the Queen does not use the internet much herself, she appreciates those in her household utilizing it to efficiently accomplish tasks for her when appropriate.
Ethical Shopping Habits
Today consumers are increasingly concerned about social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Does the Queen factor ethics into her shopping habits? As much as possible, yes!
The Queen declined to follow the traditional fur garments worn by past monarchs. She opted for faux fur and other fabrics in her royal wardrobe to avoid harming animals. She has also instructed Buckingham Palace kitchens to source meat and produce locally and organically when feasible.
An effort has been made to use British materials and labor to support domestic businesses. And scraps from completed royal outfits are repurposed into doll clothes or cushions rather than going to waste.
The Queen upholds high moral standards and carries this through into her consumption habits. Even though staff members do most of the purchasing, the Queen leads by example when it comes to ethical, thoughtful spending as much as she can given her unique position.
Conclusion
In closing, the Queen does not typically go out shopping at stores the way most people do. But she does play an active role ordering custom designer clothes, gifting garments to loved ones, and setting the budget for her working wardrobe each year. While she may not be scanning the racks at the mall, the Queen has cultivated her own unique style of shopping over her long reign.