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Royal Style in the Making

The art of dressing icons

Step into the world of regal elegance with Royal Style in the Making, a captivating new exhibition at Hillsborough Castle. Unveiling the intimate bond between royal clients and fashion designers, discover how the British fashion industry has crafted the iconic style of the British royal women.

The exhibition showcases three stunning outfits on display, including the extraordinary toile used in the design of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s coronation gown, worn in 1937.

Original design drawings feature some of Britain’s finest designers including Madame Handley Seymour, Norman Hartnell, Hardy Amies and Oliver Messel. Don’t miss sketches from David Sassoon, for Diana, Princess of Wales, including her handwritten comments.

A thrill for fashion fans, don’t miss this unique journey into regal elegance and history, only until 04 January 2026. 

Learn more about the Members-Only Royal Style in the Making preview day.

When

15 March 2025 - 04 January 2026


Ticketing information

Tickets on sale soon.

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Included in combined castle tour and gardens tickets (Members go free)

Coronation gown toile

Designed for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

See a rare surviving toile for the 1937 coronation gown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The toile is a full-sized working pattern for the completed gown, created by court dressmaker Madame Handley-Seymour.

As a favoured couturier of the dowager Queen Mary, Madame Handley-Seymour understood the rules and traditions of royal dress. This detailed silk satin prototype demonstrates her use of national floral emblems to create a sense of tradition and continuity at the start of an unexpected new reign.

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A cream coloured toile embroidered with golden national symbols created by London based court designer Madame Handley-Seymour for the 1937 coronation gown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; consort of King George VI.

View hand-painted embroidery designs

The toile used to plan the gown’s intricate embroidery. Hand-painted samples could be moved around or reworked to achieve the perfect effect for such an historic state occasion.

Image: © Historic Royal Palaces

18th century-style ballgown, 1964

Designed for Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon

Also on display will be an 18th century-style ballgown worn by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. The gown was designed by Oliver Messel and made of silk brocade and lace, with wire, beading and cord decoration.

Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon wore the dress to a Georgian-themed charity costume ball at the Mansion House in 1964.

Messel was a celebrated stage designer, known for his dramatic flair and imagination. Margaret's first experience of theatre had been Messel's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in 1938.

His talents in painting, sculpture, stage production, as well as his expertise in creating fairytale worlds, made Messel the perfect choice to design Margaret's ballgown. 

A light blue elaborate ballgown on a mannequin, against a light grey background.

Image: Royal Collection Trust / © 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto.

Evening dress, 1979

Designed for Queen Elizabeth II

Sir Hardy Amies designed this dress for Queen Elizabeth II to wear at a State Dinner during her official visit to Bahrain in 1979. It is made of silk chiffon embellished with gold thread, and its flowing kaftan shape is both fashionable and appropriate for a formal occasion. Elizabeth wore the dress on multiple occasions, including to a royal film premiere in the same year.  

Amies introduced a brighter colour palette to Elizabeth II's wardrobe to ensure she stood out during public engagements.

The royal partnership started in 1950 when Elizabeth, as Princess, placed a small order to Amies for her Canadian tour. Only five years later, Amies was award the Royal Warrant as official dressmaker to the Queen.

The pair would work together for 50 years. Amies created a fashionable and elegant working wardrobe, evolving Elizabeth II's image from fairytale princess to a 'business-like' modern monarch.

 

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Orange and gold flowy evening gown against a black background

View Hardy Amies' dress in detail

The vibrant colour and floating fabric of this evening dress embodies the relaxed fashion of the 1960s and 1970s. Despite its fluid design, Amies' talent as a tailor is illustrated in the dress's impeccable construction. 

Image: Royal Collection Trust / © 2nd Earl of Snowdon and Lady Sarah Chatto

Discover more royal designs

A pencil and watercolour sketch of a woman wearing a pink/orange spangled tulle dress with full sleeves, low V neck, a full skirt. The sketch shows her with white elbow length gloves, jewellery and tiara as as a blue sash.

Design for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, c1935–1939

This sketch by Norman Hartnell depicts a design for a pink spangled tulle dress for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, including elbow length white gloves, jewellery and a tiara. 

Image: © Historic Royal Palaces

A sketch of a woman wearing a dark blue and black dress and matching hat.

Design for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, c1935–1939

A design for a blue and black dress with a matching hat for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother by Norman Hartnell.

Image: © Historic Royal Palaces

A sketch of a woman wearing a light-coloured dress. There are handwritten notes on the sketch, as well as a small patch of fabric in the top right corner of the page.

Design for Princess Diana, 1981

An original fashion design of a belted dress for Princess Diana by David Sassoon. The design includes Sassoon's handwritten annotations, as well as a fabric swatch.

Image: © Historic Royal Palaces/The gift of David Sassoon

A sketch showing a woman dressed in a blue dress. There is a fabric swatch in the top right hand corner, as well as handwritten notes.

Design for Princess Diana, 1982

A sketch for a blue dress for Princess Diana by David Sassoon. This design also features a handwritten request from Diana to the designer: 'This in dark blue please'. 

Image: © Historic Royal Palaces/The gift of David Sassoon

Sketch of a woman wearing a multi-coloured bright dress and blue hat and shoes.

Design for Princess Diana, 1990

A design for a blue dress with multi-colour print with matching hat and shoes by David Sassoon. Sassoon called this Diana's 'caring dress', as she frequently wore it on visits to schools and hospitals to provide a cheerful presence for children and patients. 

Image: © Historic Royal Palaces/The gift of David Sassoon

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Explore the gardens this Christmas transformed with beautiful decorations inspired by the 12 Days of Christmas.

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The Gardens

Discover the ornamental lawns, meandering waterways, peaceful woodlands and picturesque glens that surround Hillsborough Castle.

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Jubilee Parterre

Discover a charming formal garden and find out why the castle's 19th-century summer house is so unusual.

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Official Hillsborough Castle & Gardens Guidebook

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