The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style by Bethan Holt covers The Queen’s fashion choices from the time she was a princess to the current day. Her Majesty has worn an estimated 10,000 outfits in her 70 years on the throne and has used fashion to strengthen her reign through diplomacy and helped to promote British fashion for decades.
Holt does an excellent job of covering various points of The Queen’s style – from her hats to the importance of her handbag. I really like that she breaks her style down into so many different sections, making it easier to navigate through the book. My favourite section is the discussion and analysis of the Coronation Gown and the breakdown of the emblems on the gown.
Of course, a fashion book like this would not be complete without looking at the royal jewel vault, and as Holt states, “No one has a more spectacular selection of rocks than The Queen.” Holt discusses some of the most worn pieces of jewellery and the most important to Her Majesty, like the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, “Granny’s Chips,” the Edinburgh wedding bracelet, and the Andrew Grima brooch. The last of these pieces is particularly special to Her Majesty as it was given to her by her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, in 1966.
Like the fashion analysis by Holt before on the Duchess of Cambridge, the book provides an array of different photos so the reader can see the looks for themselves and judge whether or not they like them or want to emulate them. In the chapter “The Queen as muse,” Holt talks of how Her Majesty became a fashion icon and continues to inspire to this day. What I like is how she provides examples from more recent fashion shows with models wearing outfits similar to ones The Queen has worn, including the 2018 Erdem spring/summer collection.
The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style by Bethan Holt is now available on Amazon and other platforms where books are sold for £18.99 or $24.99.
