THE ARMY PRINCESS

The dress the queen wore to her coronation in 1953, also a Hartnell creation, took eight months to design and create.

The duchesse satin was to feature emblems of the United Kingdom, including English Tudor rose, Scottish thistle, Irish shamrock and Welsh dandelion. It was gently pointed out to Hartnell the Welsh emblem was in fact a leek. “The leek, I agreed, was a most admirable vegetable, full of historical significance and doubtless of health-giving properties, but scarcely noted for its beauty,” he retorted.

But the powers that be insisted. “In the end, by using lovely silks and sprinkling it with the dew of diamonds, we were able to transform the earthy leek into a vision of Cinderella,” he declared proudly. She wore this outfit for the investiture – or inauguration – of her son Charles as the Prince of Wales in 1969. The silk outfit has the hallmarks of ’60s fashion, with a princessline coat over a tunic and underdress. It includes pearls, beads and embroidery on the cuffs and hem.

The hat – made by French milliner Simone Mirman – was inspired by the mediaeval age, in keeping with the surroundings where the ceremony took place at Caernarfon Castle, Wales. The section at the back represents a “caul”, a historical type of headdress that covers the hair.

“The philosophy behind the design is that the queen would largely be seen from behind as she placed the coronet on the prince’s head. So having a good design from the back was just as important as the outfit looking successful from the front,” Caroline says.