Dressing for Tours

The Queen has undertaken some extraordinary journeys, having visited 116 countries and carried out 265 official overseas visits.  Her Majesty is the most travelled monarch in British history and has circled the globe several times.

An important part of the logistics for any tour or State Visit is the creation of a suitable wardrobe.  The Queen's dresser undertakes the responsibility of contacting designers, who will be asked to submit suggested designs in the form of sketches, according to an online itinerary of The Queen's engagements.  For some of the longest tours, multiple designers have created ensembles for the many different engagements to be carried out.

The examples in the section that follows recreate elements of specific tour wardrobes from the 1950s to the late 1970s.  They demonstrate how day and eveningware must be designed with the occasion and climate in mind.