Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation Gown Goes Global

Our sartorial journey through the late Queen's landmark Coronation Tour of the Commonwealth continues today with a major tiara debut and a reappearance from one of the monarch's most iconic gowns

How do you get a priceless coronation gown from one continent to another? Today, we’re exploring the logistics required to transport the coronation gown in our third installment on the jewelry and gowns of Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953-54 Coronation Tour. If you missed either of the previous installments, you can read them here and here!

When Lord Althorp supervised the arrangements for Queen Elizabeth II's luggage ahead of the start of the Coronation Tour in October 1953, there was one very special gown that offered unique challenges ahead of the trip. The grand coronation gown made for the Queen by Sir Norman Hartnell, with its delicate embroidery and heavy skirt, had been carefully cleaned and pressed following the marathon of Coronation Day in June 1953. Now, it was ready for its global debut. 

In many ways, the gown was a sort of second wedding dress for Elizabeth–but this time, she was marrying each and every one of her subjects, not just the Duke of Edinburgh. Now, she would be extending those celebrations throughout the Commonwealth of Nations. Hartnell had designed Princess Elizabeth's actual wedding dress in 1947, and for her coronation, she asked him to design a dress with a similar silhouette. Unlike her wedding gown, though, the coronation dress needed to be able to be worn on multiple occasions. Hartnell and the artists at his workshop had crafted a masterpiece, one that deserved to be seen in person.