Born in 1926, three months after John Logie Baird staged his first television broadcasts, Princess Elizabeth was already dressing – or perhaps more accurately, was dressed by her nursemaids – for the cameras. The sweet smocked dresses, prim wool coats with Peter Pan collars, satin sashes and charming organdie frills, the ruching, the gingham, the berets… give or take a few period pieces such as the white fur cloak she wore to a wedding when she was five, and the white gloves, the list is surprisingly contemporary. The little princess’s outfits cast a powerful spell over millions of middle- and upper-middle-class girls as well as reinforcing the touching message that her parents were not “just” mother and father of the nation, but also young parents of small daughters. Aged 10 she was photographed on holiday wearing a kilt and a knitted cardigan – the same, in essence, as the countrywoman outfits she still loved wearing in her 90s.Steadfastness has been the hallmark of her nine decades of service to her country and to the Commonwealth.
