Everything you need to know about The Edwardians: Age of Elegance
- Dates: 11 April to 23 November 2025.
- Opening times: 10am to 4.15pm Thursday to Monday. Also open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 July to 31 August 2025.
- Location: The King’s Gallery (SW1A 1AA).
- Tickets: Entry is included in the standard ticket.
Think grand balls, glittering gowns and plenty of elaborate jewellery. With Edwardian splendour at the very heart of the collection, join us as we explore a new exhibition uncovering the dazzling lives behind the Edwardian royals.
What is The Edwardians: Age of Elegance about?
The first ever Royal Collection Trust exhibition to delve into the Edwardian era, the highly-anticipated Age of Elegance explores the lives and tastes of two of Britain’s most fashionable royal couples – King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary.
From their family lives and personal collections to their glittering social circles and spectacular royal events, get the chance to see more than 300 fascinating objects from the Royal Collection – with almost half on display for the very first time.
What will I see at the exhibition?
Held at Buckingham Palace’s King’s Gallery, the exhibition begins in the green room where opulent displays filled with decorative and personal objects mirror the dense and eclectic interiors of the royal couples’ private residences.
The exhibition’s lead creator, Kathryn Jones, explains that there wasn’t a blank surface to be seen. Small works of art, souvenirs, dense arrangements of plants, family photographs – framed, unframed and falling out – would be spilling across every surface.
“Clutter I think is the key word here. They definitely filled every surface, every cabinet – it was just an eclectic lifestyle. We tried to evoke that in the first gallery to give a sense of that eclecticism and that denseness of collection.”
Many of the photographs on display are taken by Queen Alexandra herself, who was given one of the first Kodak portable cameras and captured many moments of daily life in the royal family. With photography playing an enormously strong role during this period, the collection also includes images by pioneering female photographers Mary Steen and Alice Hughes.
There’s plenty to see as you wander through the gallery, and your eye will immediately be drawn to the glitzy red room. Described by the audio guide as showing the public face of the monarchy, the room bursts with depictions of public commissions, grand events, marriages and coronations during the last decades of the 19th century.
Downtown Abbey fans: Make sure to pick up a free multimedia guide narrated by Hugh Bonneville himself!
Kathryn describes Alexandra’s gold coronation dress in the very centre of the room as one of the highlights of the exhibition, with the trailblazing gown – on display for the first time in more than 30 years – encapsulating her incredible sense of style.
“This was the first coronation in which she was in society and she wanted to create a moment of pure drama,” Kathryn says. “So when the light was turned on in the Abbey she would appear in a halo of golden light – you can see this captured in the two images [on display].”
Directing my eye to the grand portraits of Alexandra by Samuel Luke Fildes and Laurits Tuxen, you can just imagine how the thousands of tiny gold spangles sewn into the dress sparkled in the majestic setting of Westminster Abbey. Chosen by Alexandra herself, she opted away from a traditional plain white or cream gown and instead opted for a dramatic gold dress with an embroidered rose, thistle and shamrock – the first royal outfit to include the national emblems of Britain.
Admiring dazzling jewellery around the room and the many paintings of Alexandra’s outfits that went on to be imitated around the world, one of Kathryn’s comments sticks in my mind: “She didn’t set out to be a fashion icon but she certainly became one”. The Edwardians really did know how to impress.
The realm of Britain is left in the red room as the third gallery enters into the wider world. Here, art, objects, gifts and photographs capturing memories of the two couples’ travels line the walls of the blue gallery.
Having travelled further than any royals before them, vibrant items from their expeditions across five continents light up the room, including an Egyptian scarab brooch given to Alexandra by Edward after his tour of the Middle East in 1863.
What unique items should I look out for?
Among a collection of lavish items by some of the period’s most celebrated names, Kathryn is particularly drawn to the artwork personally collected by the royal pair, including a striking image of a lion’s head in the first room that “almost springs off the wall towards you”. This was a surprise to be found in the Royal Collection as Edward and Alexandra were not known to be collecting works by French animal painter Rosa Bonheur.
Other notable items include a Cartier crystal pencil case set with diamonds and rubies – exhibited for the first time – alongside a personally inscribed copy of Oscar Wilde’s Poems and an early edition of the first book printed by William Morris’s Kelmscott Press.
“You get a real sense that this is very much reflecting their own tastes and passions,” Kathryn explains. Alexandra’s love of drawing is shown through a set of collected drawings, one being a previously unseen study of Sleeping Beauty by Edward Burne-Jones.
What does the exhibition tell us about the Edwardian royals?
Spanning the period from Edward and Alexandra's wedding in 1863 up to the start of the First World War, the collection covers many powerful examples of Edward and Alexandra’s attempts to balance tradition and modernity as they stood on the cusp of the 20th century – a shining moment of glamour before the world was at war.
“I think at this point the monarchy has adapted strongly the sense of ceremonial acts as a reassuring, stabilising moment,” Kathryn says, with images of Alexandra circulating in tens of thousands during this period.
“One of the things that struck me when putting the objects together was that they were taking a way of direction, they’re keen to support British artists during their lifetime,” Kathryn continues, adding that the royal pair influenced a strong sense of charitable purpose, seen through their support towards female bookbinders and photographers.
How can I get tickets to The Edwardians: Age of Elegance?
Entry to the exhibition is included within the standard ticket price for The King’s Gallery. Ticket prices start at £19 for adults.
Book your King’s Gallery entry ticket now.
When is the exhibition at The King’s Gallery?
The exhibition runs from 11 April until 23 November 2025.
Discover more Buckingham Palace events
If you’re looking to explore the magnificent Buckingham Palace, book ahead and enjoy a self-guided tour of Buckingham Palace and see the lavishly furnished State Rooms from 10 July, where you’ll find more of the Royal Collection's greatest treasures.
In the meantime, pay a visit to the Royal Mews, where you’ll find the royal family’s state vehicles, horse-drawn carriages and motor cars. Or discover more royal things to do in London including an expert-led Royal Walking Tour.