Kensington & Buckingham Palace

On June 1, 2002 Lindsey and I went to Kensington Palace to see the Royal side of London. Since we were in London during the Queen's Golden Jubilee, much of London was buzzing with Jubilee celebration. Lindsey and I took a tour of the entire Palace. The Palace was gorgeous, but the most exciting part of the tour for me was the collection of garments from past queens and other members of the Royal family. At the end of the garment section was a room devoted solely to Princess Diana's dresses. I purchased a book on Her life in Fashion, and learned a little about how the spotlight effected her dress and who helped design her special occasion wear, as well as her public garments. Queen Elizabeth's wardrobe was also on display in the Palace, and her garments were much more exciting to see from a fashion history point of view as there was an array throughout multiple decades. I have been increasingly interested in Fashion from the perspective of costume and historic costume design. The elaborate dress of royalty, specifically made for events and visits to other nations are created under a range of guidelines. The queens wardrobe has to take into account occasion, location, age and public appropriateness as she upholds her position as Monarch of Great Britain and the Commonwealth. The Golden Jubilee Celebration festivities were held in the gardens behind Buckingham Palace, and when we went to see the Changing of the Guards, the set-up for the big event was underway.

I stood in front of Kensington Palace. The Cover to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 50 Years Jubilee Edition, The Pitkin Guide, written by Brian Hoey		The cover of Howell, Georgina. Diana Her Life in Fashion. Great Britain: Pavilion Books Limited, 1998., which I purchased at Kensington Palace.
		This Family picture includes the three royal woman, Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana of Wales, and the Queen Mother. Diana holds Prince William, with the Prince of Wales and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh stand behind the couch. Photo also taken from Hoey, Brian. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 50 Years Jubilee Edition.
The Guards in the back of Buckingham Palace		At the Changing of the guards at Buckingham palace above and below, we watched the elaborate procedure from the front gate. Below, Jill, Lindsey, Chris and Myself pose for some other tourists while we wait for the event to begin.

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