As Kensington Palace reopens to visitors, a new temporary exhibition set in the newly-conserved Orangery will explore the relationship between fashion designer and royal client.
As part of the exhibition, the wedding dress of then Princess Diana will go on display 40 years after it was worn, and on display for the first time in 25 years. The famously long sequin encrusted train remains the longest in royal history.
Among the other items going on display will be a rare surviving toile — a full-size working pattern of the completed gown — for the 1937 coronation gown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, along with archive drawings and documents from the fashion designers who worked on a range of regal clothes.
The exhibition is being staged in the Orangery, which was built in 1704 under the aegis of Sir Christopher Wren to designs by Nicholas Hawksmoor and Sir John Vanbrugh, for Queen Anne. As it sits outside the Palace ground, it opened to the public at the turn of the century as a venue for hire. The Orangery is now a cafe for the Palace and was restored in 2017 with a new basement built underneath for staff and exhibition spaces.
The exhibition, Royal Style in the Making opens at Kensington Palace on 3rd June and runs until the end of the year. Entry to the exhibition is included in the entry price for the whole Palace.
Tickets need to be booked in advance here, and for adults costs £23.
Alternatively, membership costs £59 and gets you free entry into the five historic royal palaces – Hampton Court Palace, Tower of London, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Hillsborough Castle and Gardens plus a range of events.
