What the Queen does with her old unwanted clothes - YOU Magazine (2024)
When you’re the Queen of England, you have access to the finest things in life – and that includes clothes. The Queen is known for her bold and bright fashion style, usually donning a head-to-toe tonal look consisting of a coordinating coat dress, hat and heels.
Most of us would chuck it all in a bag and take it down to the local charity shop or textile recycling bin, but something tells us Lizzie doesn’t do that – or certainly not herself, anyway.
Well, thanks to royal biographer Brian Hoey’s bookNot In Front of the Corgis, we do in fact know exactly what Her Majesty does with her discarded outfits.According to the author, once she has tired of them,the Queen’s clothes are donatedto her dressers, who are then allowed to do one of two things with them – wear it themselves or sell it.
However, there are some rules if they opt for selling the Queen’s clotheson. ‘If her dresser wishes to sell an item, she is not allowed to disclose any information about its former owner,’ says Brian. ‘All labels and any other evidence that might point to The Queen have to be removed so that no one can trace its origin.’
‘All of the labels found on the clothes and anything that could possibly identify it as having come from royalty are obliterated.’
So there’s little chance you’ll stumble across the Queen’s old garms in your local Oxfam, but even if you did you’d never know.
According to Brian Hoey, author of Not In Front of the Corgis, the queen regularly gave her old clothes to her dressers. From there, they could either keep the pieces, wear them, or sell them. Hoey notes that if pieces were sold, buyers couldn't know that the clothes came from Her Majesty.
Clothing that was of less historical significance is likely set to be given to family members — and her granddaughters and great-granddaughters could be in for a windfall. “Items from the Queen's personal collection would have been passed to her family members with each chosen personally by Her Majesty.
What about the Queen and other members of the royal family? The late Queen made her own money, paid as part of the Sovereign Grant, and totals millions of dollars per year. Because of this, she was free to buy her own clothes, but no doubt has a self-set clothing allowance as well.
According to the author, 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. However, there are some rules if they opt for selling the Queen's clothes on.
So what did Kate Middleton inherit from Queen Elizabeth? Radar Online reported in September 2022 that Kate was expected to inherit $110 million in jewelry from the Queen's personal jewelry collection, which includes 300 pieces that belonged specifically to the Queen and not the Crown.
Such is the genius of her turn toward frumpy fashion: The queen uses her modesty as a tool to pacify her advisers, so that they remain her cooperative informants. But the dowdiness of her clothes is merely a comforting lie. Underneath her ill-fitting garments lies an experienced, determined, resilient woman.
They stay safeguarded at the Tower of London in safekeeping for the nation, and when one monarch dies, the crown jewels are immediately passed to their heir.” So the Queen's former crown, sceptre and orb now belong to her son, King Charles III.
As the Crown Jewels belong to the monarchy itself and not an individual, the pieces won't necessarily be passed down to anyone. However, Elizabeth's family, including Charles, will inherit different sparklers from the collection she acquired herself.
Yet, did you know that the Queen was buried with a handful of her most valuable personal pieces? The monarch's final resting place is the King George VI memorial chapel, located in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and it's likely her most sentimental jewels will be buried alongside her.
The only time the Queen was photographed in pants was during the Royal Tour of Canada in 1970, when a young tailor crafted her a matte-silk trouser suit in an effort to update her look. Apparently it never stuck, and the moment has become the only time the royal wore trousers in public.
No, the Queen does not do her own washing. As a member of the British royal family, Her Majesty the Queen has an extensive staff of housekeepers, chefs, and other professionals who attend to all the tasks associated with running a royal household, including the washing.
The palace has an official outfitter for every piece of Queen Elizabeth II's wardrobe, from gloves and hats to bathrobes and umbrellas. So, naturally, she also has a designated corsetiere for her brassieres and other underthings: June Kenton of lingerie retailer Rigby & Peller.
Sometimes she'll recycle outfits from years ago. (We'd love to know how many palace rooms are occupied by Kate's old clothing.) Still, even when she does rewear an outfit, she usually changes her accessories or shoes or some other detail to make the second look stand out.
To prevent their skirts from flying up in even the strongest winds, royal women, such as Middleton and Markle, often wear bodysuits underneath their dresses to create static. That way, when a gust of wind comes, their skirts will stick to their bodysuits and stay down.
But in reality, they also love jeans — well, some of them do, anyway. While we doubt we'll ever catch King Charles wearing denim again, we've seen other royals use jeans in all kinds of washes and colors, as a go-to pant for official and personal outings.
The sheer expense of Elizabeth's wardrobe meant that little has survived. Gowns and accessories were recycled, reused, given away as gifts and sometimes used as payment to those in her service.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace and other royal residencies will be held in trust for the country by King Charles following the Queen's death. The palaces, as well as the Royal Collection and the Crown Jewels were not in the Queen's personal wealth and will pass onto each succeeding Head of State.
Who will inherit the Queen's jewels? It is likely that these jewels will be passed down to members of the Windsor family and if the Queen follows tradition, she will leave the majority of them to the next monarch, which in this case is King Charles III.
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