Queen Alexandra’s gold coronation dress is among more than 300 works from the Royal Collection that go on show at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace in the new exhibition The Edwardians: Age of Elegance.
The exhibition explores the lavish lives and tastes of two of Britain’s most fashionable royal couples – King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary. Visitors will be immersed in the glamour and drama of the Edwardian era, with the exhibition’s free multimedia guide narrated by Hugh Bonneville.
Exhibition curator Kathryn Jones said, “While it has darkened over time, Alexandra’s choice of a shimmering gold fabric would have been incredibly striking at the coronation; there are descriptions in contemporary newspapers of moments in the ceremony where the Queen appears in an extraordinary blaze of golden light, the dress glowing in the new electric lighting. It’s a powerful example of Edward and Alexandra’s attempts to balance tradition and modernity as they stood on the cusp of the 20th century: a shining moment of glamour before the world was at war.”
Alongside Alexandra’s ensemble, visitors will see Edward’s cloth-of-gold coronation mantle, the thrones commissioned for the occasion, and Edward and Alexandra’s state portraits.
As part of Royal Collection Trust’s charitable aim, £1 tickets for the exhibition are available to those receiving Universal Credit and other named benefits between 11 April and 7 July, and between 29 September and 23 November 2025.
In addition to £1 tickets, The King’s Gallery offers a range of concessionary rates including a Young Person (18–24) discount, while visitors who purchase standard tickets directly from Royal Collection Trust can convert them into a 1-Year Pass, allowing free re-entry for 12 months. You can find visitor information and tickets for The King’s Gallery at www.rct.uk
