A rare glimpse into Queen Elizabeth II’s childhood reveals her inner resolve. During a dull French lesson at home, the young Princess Elizabeth inverted an ornamental silver ink pot over her head, letting ink drip through her golden curls onto her face. This act of defiance, noted by her governess Marion Crawford, stands out against her typically orderly nature—she even straightened her shoes before bed.
Signs of Steel Beneath the Crown
Author Justine Picardie highlights this incident in her book Fashioning the Crown, suggesting it exposed the constraints of her sheltered life before her uncle King Edward VIII’s abdication thrust her toward the throne. Such open rebellion vanished, but subtler frustrations emerged later, like the palace’s “recollections may vary” after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s allegations, or her 1992 “annus horribilis” speech.
Prince Andrew’s Ongoing Scandal
Recent developments echo that 1936 crisis. Documents link Prince Andrew deeply to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, prompting King Charles III to strip his brother’s princely title and evict him from Royal Lodge. On February 19, British police arrested Andrew on suspicion of misconduct in public office; the probe continues. Though he denies wrongdoing, public opinion has judged harshly.
“The Queen would have been appalled,” Picardie states. Andrew now bears only the Mountbatten-Windsor surname, adopted at his birth as a nod to Prince Philip’s wishes amid royal naming traditions shaped by wartime optics.
Was Andrew Her Favorite?
Commentators often call Andrew, a former Navy pilot and war hero, the Queen’s favorite son. Picardie challenges this, drawing from her late husband Philip Astor, Prince Philip’s godson and Andrew’s contemporary. Astor attended palace dancing classes with Andrew and observed no favoritism.
Awareness Within the Palace
Royal biographer Christopher Wilson argues the Queen knew little of Andrew’s conduct. In the palace hierarchy, staff avoided bad news about him. “She was almost a godlike figure,” Wilson explains. “Nobody wanted to be the bearer of bad news.”
Family remained sacred; she dismissed tabloid reports skeptically. Still, she guided Andrew’s 2019 retreat from duties post-Newsnight interview and stripped his patronages in 2022 amid Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit. The Queen reportedly funded millions for his settlement, denying wrongdoing, likely to shield the monarchy—though doubts linger on her full knowledge.
Fashion Exhibition Honors Her Century
To mark what would have been her 100th birthday, Buckingham Palace opens its largest showcase of Queen Elizabeth II’s wardrobe, spanning all 10 decades of her life. Curator Caroline de Guitaut, overseeing the King’s Works of Art, proposed the exhibit two years ago after cataloging items sent six months post her 2022 death.
The display features 200 pieces—clothing, jewelry, hats, shoes—plus sketches, fabrics, and her handwritten notes revealing design processes. “It’s incredibly rare to have the sketch, fabric swatch, embroidery sample, finished garment, and correspondence,” de Guitaut notes.
Highlights include gold lamé dresses by Jeanne Lanvin for Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, lengthened for the 12-year-old princess’s love of them. Picardie, accessing archives during cataloging, prizes her WWII Auxiliary Territorial Service uniform. At 18, Elizabeth joined the “Cinderella” of women’s services, learning mechanics and driving.
“She loved it,” Picardie says. Elizabeth wore it on Buckingham Palace’s balcony for VE Day 1945, matching her father King George VI’s uniform as heir, and for rare anonymous nights out mingling incognito.
Designers’ Insights
Stewart Parvin designed for the Queen from the late 1990s until her death, starting via her dresser Angela Kelly. He found her “utterly charming” in fittings. “She understood the power of clothes,” Parvin reflects. The exhibit reveals her sharp style, countering views of disinterest.
Picardie ties her dedication to post-abdication training amid fascism’s rise and WWII lessons, like viewing King Charles I’s bloodied shirt at Windsor Castle—a reminder of monarchy’s fragility.
Parvin recalls her final Platinum Jubilee outfit: vibrant green. “There’s never going to be anyone like her,” he says, underscoring her unmatched duty from youth to end.
