A royal life is occupied by the more elegant matters of state: The parades, the ceremonies, the openings.
Queen Elizabeth II ruled for longer than any monarch before her and attended hundreds of official functions a year including investiture ceremonies, royal dinners and the state opening of parliament.
Her Majesty died on 8 September 2022, aged 96, after 70 years as the dignified face of Britain, known to people the world over from behind the veil of pageantry.
One of the grandest events in the Queen’s life was her own coronation, held at Westminster Abbey in step with 900 years of tradition dating back to William the Conqueror. She was crowned in St Edward’s Chair, which was made in 1300 for Edward I.
The dress worn by the Queen at her coronation has been kept by the Royal Collection Trust and was put on display for visitors in the State Rooms of Buckingham Palace.
She would often dress in outfits designed according to precedents set long before her reign. The robes of the Order of the Garter, which she would wear annually, have changed little since the society’s founding in the 14th century.
At the state opening of parliament, where she would read a speech outlining her government’s plan for the year ahead, the Queen would typically wear an 18ft crimson robe which was carried behind her as she walked.
The Queen’s ceremonial duties were supported by the other members of the royal family, who between them attended more than 2,000 events a year.
Scroll through the images below to see the Queen at her most regal.
The Duke of Norfolk, the Earl Marshall, paying homage to Queen Elizabeth II after her coronation at Westminster Abbey (PA)The Queen and Prince Philip ride in the Golden State Carriage at the head of a parade from Buckingham Palace to St Paul’s Cathedral celebrating the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 (Getty)The Queen and Prince Philip watch the Susu dancers in northern Sierra Leone on 4 December 1961,months after the former British colony declared independence (AFP/Getty)The Queen riding side-saddle as she returns to Buckingham Palace, London, after attending the Trooping the Colour ceremony on Horse Guards Parade, 1971. The parade is held in honour of the Queen’s official birthday (Getty)The Queen inspects the guard of honour in Hong Kong on 21 October, 1986 (AFP/Getty)The Queen and Prince Philip on their wedding day, 20 November 1947, at Buckingham Palace (AFP/Getty)Queen Elizabeth II attending the State Opening of Parliament in 1984 (PA)Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II wave to crowds during the Garter Procession at Windsor Castle, 1969 (Getty)The Queen with Nelson Mandela as she unveils a memorial to 600 black soldiers who died when the SS-Mendi sank in the English Channel during World War I, in Soweto, near Johannesburg, 1995 (AFP/Getty)The Queen and Prince Philip ride in an open Landau carriage in London with Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia during his state visit on 14 October 1954 (Getty)A general view of the Queen and the Prince of Wales walking through the Royal Gallery on their way to the House of Lords (PA)Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke Of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales (right) watch the annual Trooping the Colour parade (PA)Queen Elizabeth II, left, at Buckingham Palace after her Coronation at Westminster Abbey. With her are the Duke of Edinburgh, back, Princess Margaret, front, and the Queen Mother, right (PA)Queen Elizabeth II walks in procession ahead of the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle (PA)The Queen dances with Kwame Nkrumah, president of Ghana, and Prince Philip with Fathia Nkrumah, the first lady, during a reception at the State House in Accra as part of a state visit on 21 November 1961 (Central Press/AFP/Getty)Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh return from the House of Lords in a horse-drawn carriage to Buckingham Palace, London (PA)Queen Elizabeth II , The Queen, and husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, arrive in the Royal Carriage on the third day of Royal Ascot 2005 (Getty)Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip sit before The House of Lords prior to giving the Queen's Speech during The State Opening of Parliament at The Palace of Westminster in London 23 November 2004 (AFP/Getty)The Queen on the Buckingham Palace balcony for her platinum jubilee in 2022 (Getty)
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