Madame Tussauds London announces Royal Dress Collection ahead of Platinum Jubilee

Ahead of the momentous Platinum Jubilee weekend, Madame Tussauds London is kicking off the celebrations by displaying seven of the incredible gowns that have graced some of Her Majesty The Queen’s 24 figures created during her 70-year reign.  

Our team delved into our archive to pull the exclusive pieces that make up this spectacular collection of dresses. Ever since the creation of The Queen’s first figure in 1928, we have worked closely with the Palace on each of Her Majesty’s figures, with many outfits created especially for us by the Royal dressmaker. The designs selected for our Royal Dress Collection chart Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953, right up to the colourful designs Her Majesty is well-known for wearing today.  

The stunning dresses on display include: 

• The 1953 Coronation dress – created by Joan Tussaud, the great-granddaughter of our founder Marie Tussaud and our then Head of Wardrobe. This design is a meticulous recreation of one of The Queen’s coronation tour gowns by Royal dressmaker Norman Hartnell.  

• Order of the Garter mantle – the exquisite ceremonial robes were first seen on The Queen’s figure in 1956. It went on to adorn six further figures of Her Majesty.  
• Day Dress – created by Royal dressmaker Ian Thomas especially for our Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977. We created a display depicting a family scene of The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne in 1952, the year she took to the throne.  

Tim Waters, General Manager at Madame Tussauds London, said: “Madame Tussauds London’s relationship with the British Royal Family dates back to Marie Tussaud herself. When King George III sat for Marie in 1809 it began a tradition that British monarchs would sit for our artists to create their figures. This is a tradition we are incredibly proud of and it continues to this day with The Queen generously agreeing to seven sittings with our artists during her reign.   

“More figures of Queen Elizabeth II have been made than anyone else in Madame Tussauds’ history and with that comes a vast array of stunning outfits from over the years – some of which were even designed and created by The Queen’s dressmakers themselves.  

“We are in a privileged position to have charted significant moments during The Queen’s reign to date through our figures and each design included in the Royal Dress Collection is a piece of history in itself. A Platinum Jubilee is something most, if not all of us are unlikely to experience again and we felt taking this step back in history and giving our guests the opportunity to see these breath-taking pieces altogether was a fitting way to celebrate such a historic milestone.”    

Also showcased as part of the Royal Dress Collection will be: 

• A replica of the Imperial State Crown which was displayed alongside The Queen’s figures from 1956 until the early 1970s. 
• The 1956 richly embroidered French white satin gown based on designs worn by Her Majesty The Queen at the Order of the Garter ceremonies.  
• The 1979 beaded evening gown created by Royal dressmaker Ian Thomas. 
• The 1985 blue and gold topaz gown designed by Royal dressmaker Ian Thomas. This particular figure was taken to Buckingham Palace for a viewing by The Queen herself.  

• The 2018 yellow coat and hat created by our team in the style of one of The Queen’s famously colourful designs.  

The Royal Dress Collection will be on display from 27th May for two weeks only as part of our world-famous attraction’s Jubilee celebrations.

Keep your eyes peeled for some more Jubilee news soon!