Oldest surviving royal wedding gown – dating back to 1816 – to go on show

The earliest surviving British royal wedding dress is to go on show at Buckingham Palace.

The silver embroidered silk bridal gown belonged to George IV’s daughter, Princess Charlotte of Wales.

It dates back to 1816 and is the only surviving royal wedding dress from the Georgian period.

The wedding dress of George IV’s daughter Princess Charlotte of Wales (Royal Collection Trust/HM King Charles III/PA)

It will be on display at The Queen’s Gallery at the Palace in London from Friday as part of a new Style & Society: Dressing The Georgians exhibition.

Charlotte’s wedding to Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, later the first King of Belgium, was considered one of the most important royal marriage celebrations of the era.

She embraced the tradition of European royal brides wearing silver, despite white wedding dresses already being popular by the end of the 18th century.

Princess Charlotte’s wedding dress (Royal Collection Trust/HM King Charles III/PA)

The headstrong princess was George IV’s only legitimate child, but she tragically died when she was just 21 after giving birth to a stillborn son the year after her wedding.

Had she survived, she would have eventually become Queen.

The modern-day Princess Charlotte of Wales, the seven-year-old daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, shares her name with her ancestor.

The current Princess Charlotte with her brothers (Toby Melville/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Toby Melville

The Royal Collection Trust said the dress appears to have been significantly altered from its original form, in keeping with the Georgian practice of repurposing and recycling clothing.

It has a silk satin high-waisted bodice with short puffed sleeves and dipping neckline, underskirt, overskirt, train and apron, and metallic embroidery.

Also being exhibited are more than 200 works from the Royal Collection, including magnificent gowns.

A Georgian gown (Royal Fashion Museum Bath/PA)

Items include a bracelet with nine lockets, six containing locks of hair and one with a miniature of the left eye of Princess Charlotte.

The exhibition also explores the hair, cosmetics and grooming tools used by Georgian men and women to achieve their elaborate styles.

On show for the first time is a silver-gilt travelling toilet service, acquired by the future George IV as a gift for his private secretary at a cost of £300, the equivalent of more than £20,000 today.

The travelling service (Royal Collection Trust/HM King Charles III/PA)

The toilet service gives an insight into a Georgian gentleman’s grooming routine.

It contains more than 100 objects, including razors, combs, ear spoons and tongue scrapers – as well as tools for cleaning guns and making hot chocolate.

Anna Reynolds, curator of Style & Society, said: “Dress is so much more than just what we see on the surface and it’s fascinating what we can learn about a period when looking at it through a fashion history lens.

Bracelet with nine lockets, one with a miniature of Princess Charlotte’s left eye (Royal Collection Trust/HM King Charles III/PA)

“Visitors might be surprised to learn how much the Georgian period has in common with the fashion landscape we know today, from influencers and fashion magazines to ideas about the value of clothes and how they can be recycled and repurposed.”

– Style & Society: Dressing The Georgians is at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from April 21 to October 8 2023.