Queen Elizabeth's gowns on show

Jul 26, 2006, 15:10 GMT

Buckingham Palace opened to the public today (26.07.06) with a spectacular exhibition of gowns and diamonds belonging to Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

The exhibition - the largest display of the monarch's evening dresses and valuables to date - has been put on to mark her 80th birthday.

The gowns, dating from the 40s to the present day, have been worn by the queen on both official and private events.

Among the garments on show is a range of couture outfits made by designers Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies.

One of the most spectacular garments, a silver coat embroidered with pearls and crystals, was made for a state visit to Paris in 1972. The queen also wore it to the British Parliament opening ceremony in 1976.

Maureen Marchan who worked on the silver coat, said Hartnell had aimed to impress the royal with his dazzling creation.

She was quoted in Britain's Daily Mail newspaper as saying: 'Mr Hartnell always went to town when the queen was going to France. He was given one of the country's highest honours so he wanted to impress them.

'It took quite a long time to make - about two to three weeks. I did one of the front panels. If we made a mistake we'd just have to unpick it and do it right.'

Marcham also revealed the queen had not been impressed with the outfit when it was first presented to her.

She said: ''She wasn't sure whether she wanted it. I think she thought she would find it a bit heavy. But Mr Hartnell said she would find it very useful. She did. She thanked him afterwards.'

Another highlight of the exhibition is a pair of Cartier aquamarine and diamond clip-brooches, which were an 18th birthday gift from the queen's father - King George VI.

Copyright 2006 BANG Media International