A Look Back at Queen Elizabeth II's Most Glamorous Moments

By Laura Rizzo Chagani Parade - Trending Stories

Updated April 20, 2026 10:21 AM

Queen Elizabeth II is the longest-reigning monarch in British history, having ruled for 70 years and 214 days until her death in 2022 at the age of 96. When she became queen, she was just 25 years old. Although she became one of the most powerful world figures, she was also a fashionable young woman coming into her own. During her first few decades as queen, she donned some of the most fabulous outfits that will live on forever.

Elizabeth wore many beautiful dresses early in her life, but she garnered worldwide attention for her jaw-dropping wedding dress by Norman Hartnell, a favorite designer of her mother. The ivory silk gown, which had a sweetheart neckline and fitted long sleeves, featured intricate pearl and diamond-encrusted flowers, roses, jasmine blossoms, and ears of wheat embroidered on the bodice. The showstopping silk tulle train was a whopping 15 feet long.

She was 21 years old when she married Prince Philip in November 1947, and four years later, she would ascend to the throne after the death of her father, George VI. Elizabeth tapped Hartnell again to create her coronation dress for the event in June 1953.

The designer wrote about the experience of creating a piece of history in his 1955 autobiography, Silver and Gold.

"In simple conversational tones the Queen went on to express her wishes. Her Majesty required that the dress should conform in line to that of her wedding dress and that the material should be white satin," he wrote. "It was almost exactly five years earlier that I had put the final touches to the dress which, as Princess Elizabeth, she had worn on the day of her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh."

Hartnell went on to conduct months of research, including visits to the London Museum and the London Library, to create the perfect look. The gown was constructed with U.K.-made white duchesse satin and featured embellishments in gold, silver, and pastel colours that included the emblems of Great Britain and Ireland. The finished product reportedly weighed 15 pounds and took 12 seamstresses from the Royal School of Needlework 3,500 hours to complete.

Elizabeth loved her Coronation gown so much that she wore it six more times after the ceremony, including at the Opening of Parliament in New Zealand and Australia in 1954.

Keep scrolling to see photos of Elizabeth's most glamorous looks as a young monarch.

1947: Elizabeth's wedding dress was designed by Norman Hartnell.

1953: Elizabeth tapped Norman Hartnell again for her coronation dress.

1956: Elizabeth met Marilyn Monroe in a black off-the-shoulder gown designed by Norman Hartnell at the Empire Theatre in London.

1961: Elizabeth sparkled in a blue Norman Hartnell gown during a meeting with John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.

1967: Elizabeth sparkled in a white beaded gown and tiara when she met American singer Vikki Carr and French singer Mireille Mathieu at the Royal Variety Performance in London.

1973: Elizabeth began experimenting with colorful frocks during an outing in the West End.

1987: Elizabeth's polka dot gown was stacked with dazzling jewelry as she posed with Prince Philip.

2003: Elizabeth sparkled in pink during a family portrait with heirs Charles and William.

This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 9:05 AM.