Dickens’s only surviving clothes go on show

The only known surviving clothing worn by Charles Dickens – a woollen court suit he donned when meeting Edward, Prince of Wales – is to go on permanent display from today.

Dickens met the prince on April 6 1870 at a select gathering at St James’s Palace, where he was presented by the Earl de Grey. The author wore a close-fitting uniform coat with tails made of dark navy wool with a black silk lining, and gilt buttons by C Smith and Sons Ltd of Piccadilly. His trousers are of a similar fabric with gold trim, worn with a waistcoat and stockings.

The court suit was given to the Charles Dickens Museum in London’s Doughty Street in 2015 by the widow of the author’s great-great-grandson.