Royal Dress: The Image and the Reality 1580 to the Present Day

The relationship between royalty and their clothes has often been an uneasy one. This book assesses the importance of clothing to the image of kings, queens and their courtiers, and indicates why the appearance of these individuals must always be distinct and regulated. It shows how, before the advent of cheap printing and photography, the approved images of royalty reinforced the idea of an invoiable ruling caste surrounded by impecably dressed courtiers. In the present, television and newspapers have placed high expectations on these remote figures. The private lives of Charles II, George IV and Queen Victoria as well as our own royals and their relationship to fashion is examined. The author considers those figures who have used dress to their advantage, and those who have failed to do so.