What do they do with the Queen's clothes?

Yes, I would like one of those purses too.

It seemed in the later years she was wearing suits and hats cut from the same pattern with maybe some slight variations.

Princess Anne is organizing a secret Fight Club in the basement of Buckingham Palace.

[quote] What do they do with the Queen's clothes?

Rifle through them, to check if there is any cash or jewelry stuffed in the pockets.

Naturally!

Was Fergie at the funeral?

They're selling them on Poshmark Rose.

Yes Fergie was at the funeral. Church service only. Windsor. The queen's clothes will probably be parsed out to various of the women folk. And some really important pieces will go to their museum. But she had some ensembles worth auctioning for $$$. Maybe next year for her birthday.

I doubt they threw anything away - she must have tons of clothes tucked away.

What did they do with Diana's? Now she had some beautiful clothes.

I saw an exhibit of gowns Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and Diana in London once.

I believe it may have been at Kensington, but I forgot.

Judging from their dresses on mannequins - the Queen Mum was tiny - Queen Elizabeth was a little taller and more well-proportioned. Diana was really tall and thin - I'd guess 5'9' or 5'10".

Tag sale to be held on a future date in the motor court @ Buckingham.

You guys know what to do at tag sales. Bring the mace and brass knuckles. And get me a jazzy Fascinator, pleeeeese.

I get first dibs on shoes and hats!

They're all going in the garbage!!!

We need to trim down the monarchy.

We musn't confuse hats w/Fascinators. That wouldn't do.

Professional courtesy. They'll be donating them all to RuPaul's Drag Race.

Reminds me, JFK jnr once told someone he and Caroline gave Jackie's clothes away to a group of nuns

I don't know any of The Queen's relatives who would fit into her outfits, except for Kate Middleton or Princess Anne.

They remove the tags and any reference to HM, and give them to staff...she's done it for years, through Angela kelley

Diana famously arranged to sell some of her iconic non-Royal-owned clothes to benefit charity a year or two before she came to her splashy end. Some of the pieces joined the family-owned frocks at a Kensington show in 2017. It was spectacular.

I, too, would like one of her Launer handbags. Such classic granny pocketbooks! I would be sure to keep a handkerchief and Trident gum in there.

I've seen Diana's revenge dress in person. It looked like it would fit an in-shape woman of average height. It didn't look like it was made for someone very tall and thin. That was just my impression of it so I could be wrong.

Diana was supposedly 5'9" and Charles a bit taller (though he appears to have shrunk in his old age).

R6, Fergie attended the Westminster Abbey service.

"For Monday's service, Sarah processed through the abbey with her children and was seated directly behind the Prince and Princess of Wales in a prominent position.

This caused some commenters to note how far the duchess had come from not being invited to the royal wedding in 2011 to today. Prominent royal commentator and Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden said on Twitter:

"It's a reflection of the remarkable rehabilitation of #PrinceAndrew's ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, that she's been given a prominent seat directly behind the Princess of Wales, in the second pew at Westminster Abbey #thequeensfuneral #royal #Fergie""

If Lilibet gets nothing, we'll hear about it. If she gets anything short of a tiara, we'll hear how crappy it is.

OP - I was wondering the same thing myself! Thanks for starting this thread.

Apparently, QEII didn’t “do” orange:

Read somewhere that while the materials were always first-rate, the actual construction of her public wear wasn't the top quality you might expect. They were like stage costumes meant to be worn just a few times, not intended for hard daily use.

Difficult to imagine her clothes being given away. The style is so distinctive and identified with her, who would feel comfortable wearing them. Bags and scarves a different issue.

Meticulously curated exhibition at the V&A. Given The Queue it could run at least a year, and break all known revenue records.

The late Queen had many Hermes headscarves, some quite rare, which she wore while riding and performing outdoors activities. One was placed on the saddle of Emma the Fell pony in memoriam. I wonder who got those, since no wears headscarves anymore.

Ooh, R27, I'd love that! Attached is a particular favourite of mine from 1954.

R27 Yea, Angela Kelly has quite a job for a few years curating the collection.

Even apart from their association with the Queen, her old Hermes scarves have real value, not to be given away carelessly.

WTF, John Jr?

I rely on Jackie's old clothes!

Do we have any textile experts here?

One of the big mysteries for me is how, no matter how different the materials, colour shades always matched. A coat made of wool and a hat of something else, yet the match would be perfect. Even a plastic umbrella. Seems like it would take forever to get it just right.

R31 But who would take them since women don't wear scaves anymore? Other than to stick them in a drawer or frame them as an objet d'art. I'm hoping they'll eventually turn up in one of the auction houses as part of a lot to be sold for charity. I'll bid!

R34 Ever travelled around a bit? Scarves are still worn and still sold in great number, especially in some societies. Note that Hermes is not in bankruptcy.

Angela Kelly was bloody good at her job, R33.

Does anyone know who's dressing Camilla? She's upped her game in recent years.

Diana's Gowns were auctioned off for charity.

I also read that they were given away to charity shops.

The queen was never a fashion plate but the style she adopted 20-25 years ago suited her very well. Sheath coat in a solid color, matching high crown and narrow to medium width brim hat. Variations in the collar of the coat and the trim on the hat. Year in and year out.

Is "pocket book" British?

We have to remember that the Queen had two different wardrobes, her on duty as The Queen wardrobe and her off duty country attire wardrobe.

The Queen was known to be frugal. She had her Barbour waxed walking/hunting jacket for decades and was sometimes sent back for repair. When Barbour offered a free replacement as it was so tatty she declined. At Balmoral she would wear a pair of handmade walking shoes made for her in the 40's for the rest of her life.

I can't imagine the couture clothing being offered to staff, its too distinctive and where would they ever wear it.

The Peruvian compact with straw and razor goes to Anne.

The ancient bionic Babylonian Benwa Balls go to Andrew

The gowns and the lovely hat and coat ensembles will be worth something at auction. She was Queen for 70 years. That covers a lot of ground in fashion. They might consider an exhibit. R40 is right. Her "off duty" wardrobe is probably not worth much.

What about her G-Strings and Push-Up bras?

I know some lovely young unemployed girls who are in need of clothing.

Edward got dibs and Sophie is complaining because everything he picked is much too tight on her, for some reason.

"Pocket book," whatever its use in the UK, was a standard American English term throughout the 20th century.

Often, in Chicago and St. Louis, at least, smoothed to "pockabook."

[quote]Is "pocket book" British?

I don't know, but "Pockie Book" is pure Baltimorese!

I got two of the dresses from the sale table, one electric sour apple green and the other bleeding-pork-pink.

I didn't realize all the dresses have an inner flask pocket and a place on the upper arm to roll a cigarette case up in it.

I walked over to the purse table but the one I opened had a dried-up fetus in it. A male, apparently.

I think she was born as a twin and the QM smothered the first-born boy between the royal hams before the doctor and nurses could fetch it.

R34, Hermes scarves are very much in demand and always have been. You may have seen the Queen wearing them on her head, but haven't you ever seen them worn around the neck? They can be worn many different ways to accent outfits (as can any other square scarf).

[quote]She had her Barbour waxed

I'm assuming "Barbour" is a British euphemism for "pussy."

Sophie is going to be insufferable. She has become very proprietary about The Queen. Her grief, her relationship, her memories, blah, blah, blah. If she meets with an accident look to Anne.

I'd like to know the "somewhere" R26 read that asserted work on these garments was sub-par. I can see with my eyes the bound buttonholes, careful trim and extensive handwork on fine cashmere, wool and silk fabrics. The best of the best all the way.

R33, many hats were covered in the same fabric as the outfit, and top notch workrooms have expert dyers.

She was too matchy matchy.

The tailors can refashion them for Lady Louise, seems her style - she is preternaturally old for her age.

R51, though, don't you love the idea of the Queen being basted into flimsy garments that are basically just for show, because what monarch wouldn't think it appropriate to have a wardrobe of temporary dresses that fall off one after a couple of wearings? :D

One Big Giant Drag Show to delight the whole Commonwealth! Maybe as part of the coronation ceremonies.

[quote]She was too matchy matchy.

To give the illusion of height. Mixing colors makes a short person look, well, 'short and squat'.

They should hold an auction to benefit charity using her closet but obviously keep any important outfits for museums.

I would love to own one of her purses which she carried everywhere making them iconic.

Both Diana and Charles were/are about 5ft8. Diana in heels made her a lot taller though. By the way, the average female height in the UK is 5ft3.5, so Diana was tall! But not as much as 5ft10. Average heights tend to be shorter than what most people think they are, for both men and women.

R22 Diana and Charles were the same height. People only think he was taller because photographs were constantly manipulated to make him look taller. They had Di sitting down while he was standing, they had him standing on a higher step than her, they had her sitting in an armchair while he was sitting on the armrest, they had her slouch next to him, and so on...

[quote]"Pocket book," whatever its use in the UK, was a standard American English term throughout the 20th century.

Yeah, no. Unless you’re talking about a paperback, the term is and was pocketbook.

[quote]I want a pocket book

From which author, OP?

FWIW I'm British and I have never heard the term pocket book (or pocketbook) before. I even had to look it up. It's 100% American.

The only day Queen Elizabeth carried money was on Sunday when she went to church. Reportedly she'd leave a £5 or £10 note in the collection plate. Otherwise she had no need for money. If she went into a shop, anything she'd buy would be paid for by one of her security people, if it wasn't given to her outright by the shop owner.

They'll be placed in a museum, likely.

Her nrand for life was Launer. $1100 - $3000 per bag. Message on. their site today: We are experiencing exceptional demand for our products and as a result regret that production delays will be necessary. Every item is crafted by hand in our workshop in England using traditional leather making methods. We ask for your patience due to unprecedented recent events.

R25 I must say, I’m now actually a fan of the matching hat and clothing - patterns and color. In all the flashbacks to old photos and television footage, it does pull the look altogether well. She had her own unique style and it worked very well for her.

I'm most concerned about The Queen's horses. To my knowledge the King only rides for polo, and probably on a string lent to him by the polo club he is playing for at any particular time (?). I certainly hope he doesn't turn the Royal Mews (Stables) at BP and Windsor in to one big and gaudy rich man's garage exclusively for his vintage car collection. He will have to keep all the coach horses I presume for the big events, but I hope he doesn't ditch the riding horses, like the ones gifted by Canada's RCMP (Burmese, 1964-1992, below).

I'm American and "pocket book" sounds incredibly old fashioned. Surprised that it's unknown in the UK. Everyone I know says purse or handbag.

[quote]Reminds me, JFK jnr once told someone he and Caroline gave Jackie's clothes away to a group of nuns

Because nothing conveys the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience like attending to the poor while donning Valentino Garavani.

R42 She probably has hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of hats alone. Her ‘royal wardrobe’ hats came from only the very top end millinery shops in London. Some hats were several thousand dollars. They along with the matching coats are likely museum bound.

Our Richard shall be picking up a few shifts at Frosticles to pay for two of the smartest Launer bags from the Royal Collection. Mrs Barker-FInch down the way will be pea-green with enveh! (Though I'll have a devil of a time keeping Our Rose away from the unmentionables, I suspicion!)

Diana was just over 5'9" . Stop trying to knock down her height to your peasant levels. She was a goddess.

It takes a man of taste and sophistication to rock an Hermes scarf.

I went through a silk scarf period before the pandemic, but I never really knew how to wear them well. As a man, a headscarf obviously wouldn't do, and while I am pretty effeminate, the style above still looked silly on me. I tied one to a bag, as seen in Vogue, but the rest are in storage boxes.

You could fashion them into dreadlocks, mon 🤷🏻‍♂️

Hyacinth already has them.

Who gets her Vivienne Westwood catsuit?

I hope they go on tour just like Princess Diana's did.

There are a number of ways to wear an Hermes scarf without looking fey. My glamour lesbian sister tied one around my neck like this and I think it looks pretty good.

Probably what they have always done with her clothes.

[quote] once she has tired of them, the Queen’s clothes are donated to her dressers, who are then allowed to do one of two things with them – wear it themselves or sell it.

I would want her panty liners.

Screw the wardrobe. Jewels. And MOUNTAINS of priceless art and historical artifacts.

I believe her gowns were all left to Edward.

She hadn't worn beautiful and stylish gowns for several decades.

In your dreams, OP.

Her clothes and hats are fun and colorful but mostly costumes. As described upthread, most of them were designed for one-time use at public appearances. I don't know how well they're constructed, but they were designed to photograph well and stay "on-brand" for Elizabeth. Her clothes were never "fashionable" per se: she was much too short in stature and too traditional in style to ever take real fashion risks. Margaret and Diana were the only members of that clan to ever really explore fashion with any success.

Some of the accessories, though--shoes, handbags, and yes, those scarves--would be worth getting one's hands on.

Some should go into archives, but I hope that Charles does sell a huge chunk of it for charity.

Given how much stuff she owns that are run of the mill suits and hats, selling it could net some worthwhile charity a fortune, even if sold at bargain prices.

The accessories - hats, gloves, handbags, especially the handbags, would sell quickly if it came with a certificate of authenticity.

Isn’t there a Queenseum?

It's tacky to have women running around in the queen's hats and carrying her purses. And the palace doesn't do tacky, certainly not Charles.

Memory Bears for everyone.

I'v been around her in person, and her dresses will fit only if you're a 12-year-old girl.

I mentioned before that in the 90s I viewed an exhibition of The Queen's Hats at KenPal, probably 100 examples, many with corresponding film of her wearing them. Agree that her clothes and accessories would make a fabulous exhibit traveling all over the world, for years.

[quote] rI'v been around her in person,

How did that happen? Did she ask you over sometimes to watch TV with her?

"Let's chill out and watch Doctor Who together!"

[quote]I've been around her in person, and her dresses will fit only if you're a 12-year-old girl.

Perfect!

R94 - Decades ago, (and that is the timeframe I am referring to), she would be 'around town' in London on a regular basis- business meetings, doctor's appointments, there were a couple of stores that she liked to shop at. If you lived in the West End, it just wasn't a big deal to see one of that family out doing whatever. A business associate of mine had fairly regular business meetings with her.

I think most non-UK people think of her at one of those public events she used to do, and then go back into a deep-freezer or something until emerging again for another event, and that's just not it.

That article above is not accurate, the Queen did not only wear her outfits once. She usually wore them several times and sometimes they would alter some of the details to refresh the outfit. Her favourite off duty clothes, tweed skirts, cardigans, coats, she would wear for years.

A few weeks ago at the Jubilee weekend Zara was asked what the Queen would be doing on the days that she couldn’t attend the events. Zara said she will be sat on the sofa wearing comfy clothes and watching the TV. I imagine it must have been a relief to take of those suits and hats, and to wear something more casual.

I think that many of the Queen’s most iconic outfits over the decades will be kept and stored. There must be a ton of stuff so they can’t keep everything, maybe just a selection of outfits from every era.

On a similar note, I wonder what it was like going through the Queen’s stuff when she died? Of course this happens to everyone, we die and someone goes through our stuff, looking what to keep or dump. The Queen had several homes so there must me a heap of personal stuff in all of them. She has kept a dairy for most of her life so there will be a heap of those Locked away somewhere.

R97 One of the DM stories said Tall Paul had the keys to the diary safes and other sensitive stuff and would hand them over to Charles.

[quote] They remove the tags and any reference to HM

What's the point of having her clothes if they remove all references to her?

I don't think her diaries will necessarily be bombshells (even though they'll be locked away for another fifty or hundred years in the Royal Archive.) I read in one of the Ts (Times or Telegraph) she said she lasted about two minutes a night writing in her diary and then got bored with it. I think the exact quote was "two minutes and then zzzzzzz" or something to that effect. Didn't seem worthy of cutting and pasting but I recall it.

[quote]One of the DM stories said Tall Paul had the keys to the diary safes and other sensitive stuff and would hand them over to Charles.

Tall Paul began working for the Queen in the 80s. I though he had retired years ago.

Many of the Queen’s long serving staff carried on working to be loyal to her until the end. Same as her elderly Lady’s in Waiting and cousin’s, many of them are in their 80’s.

I expect the elderly Dukes etc will all quietly retire now that she’s gone.

I want a hat.

The Maul, seems definitive and shows the "most of them were designed for one-time use at public appearances" to be untrue. I wonder, do you people just make this shit up, do you compulsively feel a need to present you own opinions as fact, what? It's so bizarre to assert something that can be disproved.

"The Queen's personal dresser Angela Kelly explained how the monarch liked her clothes to be 'adapted and recycled as much as possible'.

'Typically, the lifespan of an outfit can be up to around 25 years,' she wrote in her book The Other Side Of The Coin: The Queen, The Dresser And The Wardrobe.

'Her Majesty is always thrifty and likes her clothes to be adapted and recycled as much as possible… After two or three outings, a piece will have become familiar to the media, so we will either look for ways to modify it or it will become something that is worn on private holidays at Balmoral or Sandringham.'

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

My friend Julie crumpled up some tulle and added a scrunchie - sold it as Fergie’s Day One mourning morning fascinator.

Right now they are in storage. Soon, Charles will begin wearing the while murdering visitors to the palace. He will talk to his mother while he does this.

r105 Kate and Camilla were awfully brave to be that close to HM while she was wielding a sharp object.

The royal family must have a storage system that archives clothes as historically significant so event like Trooping the color, Christmas speeches, weddings, etc. get tagged and stored. I was surprised when George popped up in one of William’s old sailor suits, but William wore it on the balcony as a toddler so it must have been considered worth archiving.

Did she ever wear an of her professional outfits more than once?

The UK press is good about picking that kind of thing.

What about her knickers?

R50, I bet Anne & Sophie bond over their mutual distaste for Harry & Meghan! I guarantee they were both livid that the Oprah interview went ahead while Philip was dying.

I'd be rifling through her pockets for jewels and such. With provenance, even QE's snot rags would bring $$$

Diana was 5’10” if not taller. I suspect her height was lowballed. Kate, OTOH, is sometimes claimed to be 5’9” but I think she is 5’8”, tops. Diana was slim, sometimes very slim, but she wasn’t a small woman. She was broad shouldered and had a relatively thick waist. Of course, she also had a great natural set of breasts and absolutely spectacular legs. But she would not have worn tiny sizes. Not with her shoulders and breasts.

I remember when a bunch of Diana’s gowns were auctioned. I think it was quite a few.

Did she have a royal dominatrix outfit? I can see Phil going in for that kind of thing.

[quote]Right now they are in storage. Soon, Charles will begin wearing the while murdering visitors to the palace. He will talk to his mother while he does this.

R107 = Sir Jimmy Savile.

R51 I agree. There is no way that the Queen was going to venture out in sub par clothing. Her coats were beautifully tailored; the hats matched, and while some of the (hat) crowns were not flattering, they too were well made and finished.

They should save her outfits that hold significant historical value, but a lot of her clothes belong in a bonfire. I know she dressed colorfully to stand out in a crowd, but Queen Elizabeth II was not particularly stylish. She dressed like a grandmother in her 90’s for several decades.

I would recommend saving her wedding dress, coronation dress, the dress she wore upon returning to the UK after her father died, and maybe some dresses worn during significant state visits (like the green dress she wore while visiting Ireland).

R111, brings up an interesting point: What happens to The Queens bras and panties (especially those in the hamper to be washed)?

Who gets the leopard skin coat?

Just realised us Brits lost Neighbours, Darius Danesh, and the Queen in the space of six weeks. The Book of Job seems tame by comparison

R121: Don’t forget BoJo and Eurovision!

[quote]Who gets the leopard skin coat?

What about her leopard skin bras and panties?

The queen went through a phase in the 1960s - Margaret was not a good influence...

They're in clear plastic storage bins under the Windsor Castle's steps with the words "CLOTHES" written in sharpie by Prince Philip

We keep hearing over and again about the Queen's frugality. But just how much did it cost to keep that workshop running and stocked with material?

^ She used a lot of coupons.

^ She was generally polite, but she could get pushy when JoAnn's Fabrics was having a sale.

That was her pattern.

Somewhere in Croydon there’s a Buckingham Palace staffer wearing a stolen pair of Elizabeth II’s panties like a face mask.

It's been taken care of. I KNOW people.

Charlotte is cute, but George would be wise to Google “Rhoda Penmark.”