Behind the scenes with the dress curator at hampton court palace in an exclusive look at historic coronation wear

A s excitement builds in the run-up to the coronation of the King and Queen Consort next month, HELLO! has been behind the scenes at Hampton Court Palace to take a closeup look at three pieces from the royal ceremonial dress collection – including one that has never been seen by the public.

“The collection is not necessarily very well known, but it is a very important collection and it’s quite a specific collection,” says curator Matthew Storey, who has worked at the palace for more than eight years. “We’re not just looking at fashionable dress, but the stories that clothing can tell us about the royal family.”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

One fascinating item is the toile, or prototype, of the white-and-gold dress Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) wore to her husband George VI’s coronation in 1937, when she was crowned his Queen.

The gown, created by Her Majesty’s favourite designer of the day, Madame Handley-Seymour, is adorned with the same emblems that are seen on the final dress – including flowers from the nations of the United Kingdom and the Empire – but on the toile, they were drawn on with pencil and gold paint. “This gown was how the designer worked out the cut, fit and design of the dress before she cut into the expensive satin that she was going to use. So you can see the tacking stitches and even a rusty pin from 1937,” Matthew says.

“I imagine that the Queen Mother would have been in the studio – or perhaps at Buckingham Palace, because designers often come to royalty at the palace – giving her opinion and working out what would fit so she would be comfortable on the day.”

Another piece, which is more than 200 years old, was worn by Du Pré Alexander, 2nd Earl of Caledon, when he attended the coronation of George IV in 1821. The King was known for his love of luxury – a quality perfectly embodied by this lavish gold-and-white ensemble, which will go on display at the Tower of London from 26 May.

Pointing to a number of stains on the glamorous outfit, Matthew tells us: “Our top theory is that these came from the coronation banquet in Westminster Hall – we know it was a messy and quite riotous occasion. There are stories of people having to dodge dripping hot wax coming from the chande