One of eight bridesmaids’ dresses from the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II to the Duke of Edinburgh: ‘A rare example of royal fashion history’

When the late Queen Elizabeth II married H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey in 1947, she had eight bridesmaids to accompany her down the aisle. Among them was Lady Elizabeth Longman, née Lambart (1924-2016), the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Cavan.

‘Lady Elizabeth was born into a now almost lost world of inter-war aristocratic privilege,’ says Christie’s specialist Benedict Winter, who adds that Lady Elizabeth counted both Queen Mary and Princess Mary, The Princess Royal, as her godmothers.

‘She grew up in the orbit of the royal family and knew Princess Elizabeth from an early age. Both girls attended the same dance school and were part of the Buckingham Palace Girl Guides company. I imagine it would have been a wonderful honour to serve as a bridesmaid at the royal wedding.’

For the royal ceremony, Longman and the seven other bridesmaids wore bespoke ivory dresses featuring scoop necklines, ruched bodices and flowing tulle skirts. These were embellished with clusters of satin flowers designed by Flora Ballard and woven by Warner & Sons. Floral satin headdresses with ears of corn, lilies and silver lamé leaves complemented the look.

The dresses were commissioned by H.M. Queen Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother) and designed by the celebrated British couturier Sir Norman Hartnell, who also created the late Queen’s wedding dress and 1953 coronation gown.

‘Sir Norman Hartnell’s designs in the inter-war period have come to epitomise the glamour and taste of the aristocracy at that time,’ says Winter, adding that Hartnell whitewashed the windows of his Bruton Street studio to avoid the wedding dress or the bridesmaids’ dresses being photographed by paparazzi stationed in a building opposite. ‘The naturalistic floral motifs, which echoed those on the royal bridal gown, were symbolic of rebirth in post-war Britain.’

For his design inspiration, Hartnell looked to Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, now in the Uffizi in Florence, and the fashions of high-Victorian Britain. Winter says that Hartnell was particularly taken by the whimsical garments depicted in several royal portraits, including one painted in 1857 of Victoria, Princess Royal, by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, which he saw while waiting for his first meeting to discuss the commission at Buckingham Palace.

Longman treasured her bridesmaid’s dress, which was on loan to the Fashion Museum in Bath from the 1980s to the early 2000s, until her death in 2016, when it passed by descent to her family. After nearly 80 years, it is now offered in the The Exceptional Sale on 2 July 2024 at Christie’s in London.

‘It’s a wonderful opportunity to acquire an evocative and rare example of royal fashion history,’ says Winter, who expects bidders to include royal enthusiasts, collectors of vintage couture and fashion museums around the world. ‘With its delicate design, beautiful embroidery and exquisite sense of movement, this elegant dress epitomises the glamour of Sir Norman’s commissions and the hope that the wedding of the late Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh gave to post-war Britain.’

The fact that it’s in such good condition, and has been worn by supermodel Kate Moss, only increases its desirability. In 2012, Moss was doing a photoshoot for Love magazine at a house where Longman happened to be staying, and Lady Elizabeth was persuaded to pose with her.

‘Lady Elizabeth is said to have found the photoshoot amusing, and thought it would be fun to see Kate try on her bridesmaid’s dress,’ explains Winter.

‘Meeting Lady Elizabeth and wearing her dress, which had such a wonderful heritage, was a magical moment for me,’ recalls Moss. ‘I felt like I was wearing a piece of history.’

Although other images of Moss and Longman from the photoshoot were published in an edition of Love magazine, the photograph showing Moss in the royal bridesmaid’s dress remained in private hands — until now.

‘It’s an incredibly poignant image, which shows the old world of aristocratic glamour and the new world of popular culture colliding,’ says Winter of the photograph, now released by the family to mark the sale of the dress. ‘The dress is an incredible survivor and a remarkable piece of fashion history. It has been much loved, but the family feel it is now time for a wider audience to appreciate it.’

The royal bridesmaid’s dress and accompanying headdress will be on public view at Christie’s in London until the morning of 2 July 2024

Classic Week — Art from antiquity to the 20th century — takes place from 2 to 10 July 2024 at Christie’s in London. Highlights include Titian’s The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, the rediscovered The Madonna of the Cherries by Quentin Metsys and Frans Hals’s Portrait of a gentleman of the de Wolff family. The pre-sale view is now open