Queen makes surprise appearance at London Fashion Week

Monarch shown laughing with Anna Wintour before presenting design award

Queen and Anna Wintour
The Queen shares a joke with Anna Wintor at London Fashion Week 2018
(Image credit: Yui Mok/AFP/Getty Images))

The Queen stunned attendees at London Fashion Week with an unannounced front row debut yesterday.

Amid a sea of models and fashionistas, she was unmistakable in an eggshell-blue variation on her trademark dress and jacket combination as she was ushered into British designer Richard Quinn’s catwalk show on Tuesday afternoon.

See more

After a lifetime in the global spotlight, it should come as no surprise that Her Majesty felt at home in the “FROW”, the coveted catwalk-side seats where fashion VIPs rub shoulders with Hollywood A-listers.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The Queen sat next to Vogue editor Anna Wintour - a senior member of fashion’s royal family if there ever was one.

See more

The unlikely pair appeared to get along like a house on fire, with the usually straight-faced monarch looking in high spirits during their animated conversation.

See more
See more

But it was not the Queen’s interest in next season’s wardrobe that brought her to London Fashion Week.

The monarch was there to present Quinn with a new award for British design named in her honour. The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design will be given annually to an emerging designer who demonstrates “exceptional talent and originality”, the BBC reports.

“Our fashion industry has been renowned for outstanding craftsmanship for many years, and continues to produce world-class textiles and cutting-edge, practical designs,” the Queen said as she bestowed the award on Quinn, who accepted the accolade in a flannel shirt and baseball cap.

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us