Exhibition in Focus Talks
given by members of our curatorial and conservation teams
- Next event: 12 Oct 2026
1 upcoming event - 13:00 - 13:25
- Free with your exhibition ticket.
- The talks will commence at 1:00pm in the Redgrave Room. We recommend that you arrive at the Gallery 30 minutes before the talk begins as it can take a while to go through security on busy days. Please note that capacity for these event is limited and access will be permitted on a first come, first serve basis.
- Adults
It is not necessary to book a ticket for these talks. Please click the 'Book Now' link below to purchase your exhibition ticket and select a timeslot of 12:30pm or earlier to attend these talks.
Join us for this series of talks given by members of the curatorial and conservation teams at Royal Collection Trust. Each talk will focus on a different artwork on display in our current exhibition at The King's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style.
Each talk will last approximately 20-25 minutes and focus on a particularly artwork or item on display in the exhibition. Our programme will include talks from our curators, who will provide a more detailed insight into the history of the items on display and what it can tell us about the opulent but also transitional nature of this period, while our conservators will take you behind the scenes to see some of the incredible work that goes into preserving and restoring the art in preparation for display.
Please be aware that, while every effort is taken to deliver the programme as described below, it may sometimes be necessary for speakers or titles to change. In this event, we will update the programme below to ensure that it is kept as accurate as possible. Please check back here to check the most up-to-date information.
The programme of Exhibition in Focus talks will be as follows:
| Thursday 30 April | 'The Role of Colour in Queen Elizabeth II’s Wardrobe' by Caroline de Guitaut, Exhibition Curator & Surveyor of The King's Works of Art |
| Queen Elizabeth II was known for wearing bright colours – but what was behind her choices? Join Caroline de Guitaut, Curator of the exhibition Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style to learn about the purpose and meaning of colour in the Queen’s clothing. | |
| Thursday 7 May | ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Modern Portraits of a Monarch’ by Alice Strickland, Senior Curator of Decorative Arts and Exhibition Curator |
| Discover how portrait painters across Queen Elizabeth II’s seventy‑year reign shaped the visual language of modern monarchy. From the traditions inherited from Victorian and Edwardian court portraiture to twentieth‑century modernism. This talk situates royal portraiture within its historical moment, revealing how painting documented not only a monarch, but an era. | |
| Monday 18 May | 'The Designer Network: Queen Elizabeth II’s Couturiers' by Caroline de Guitaut, Exhibition Curator & Surveyor of The King's Works of Art |
| New research into Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion archive reveals for the first time the links between the close-knit group of couturiers and designers entrusted with the production of her clothes. Caroline de Guitaut, Curator of the exhibition Queen Elizabeth II: Fashion and Style shares her discoveries. | |
| Monday 12 October | 'Diplomatic Dressing: Queen Elizabeth II’s Wardrobe on the World Stage’ by Rachel Peat Underhill, Curator of Decorative Arts |
| Queen Elizabeth II was the most travelled sovereign in British history. Throughout her reign, she made numerous overseas visits to strengthen the bonds between nations and Commonwealth member states. On each global tour, careful wardrobe choices and her unmistakeable style brought British fashion design and craft to an international audience. Join Rachel Peat Underhill, Curator of Decorative Arts, to explore how the queen’s wardrobe balanced considerations of diplomacy, climate and cultural sensitivity with elegance and creativity. | |
