Inside the Queen’s Balmoral wardrobe and the clothes she wears in her ‘happiest place’

Are you fortunate enough to have a second home? In which case, you’ll doubtlessly have a second wardrobe. For unless said home is in the same town or city as the first, the likelihood is that you bought it specifically to escape the daily grind, and the work you must toil over in order to afford it.

Most people of means buy a country pad as soon as they’ve made bank, but whether you bought yours or inherited, you will be all too familiar with that glorious Friday feeling of shedding your city attire and slipping into something more comfortable: quilted jackets, comfortable trousers and woollies that knit up the ravelled sleeve of care.

When it comes to breathing a sweet sigh of relief, nobody must exhale more deeply than the Queen, a woman whose duties would put even the most hard-working doctor, nurse, lawyer, teacher or banker to shame. Perhaps this is why her countryside style has always seemed so compelling.

We are all accustomed to seeing her more formal side: images of her attire on state visits are constantly beamed across the globe. But there has always been a delicious secrecy to seeing glimpses of her off-duty wardrobe. Away from the eyes of the world, the Queen visibly relaxes, and her clothes reflect this.

A new exhibition, called “Life at Balmoral”, is an apposite reminder of just how stylish the Queen’s countryside wardrobe is. Opening today and running until 2nd August this year, the exhibition, in honour of the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee, includes a collection of the Queen’s clothing, comprised of kilts, coats, hats and dresses. All will be on show in the ballroom of Balmoral Castle, and provide a lovely snapshot of the clothes she wears when she is in one of her favourite places.

The castle, in the heart of Royal Deeside, has been her Scottish holiday home for decades, and she has always cherished her time there. As Princess Eugenie notably said in the 2016 documentary, Our Queen At Ninety, “I think Granny is most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands.”

Images launched before the event opened show assistant curator Sarah Hoare adjusting some of the ensembles, which include a daffodil yellow frock coat and matching hat festooned with flowers. Also pictured is a sleeveless long white evening gown enlivened with gold and silver sequins in a scalloped pattern, which she wore to the Ghillie’s Ball.

Designed by Norman Hartnell, it has a more relaxed feel than the sort of gowns we are used to seeing her in, and further reflects the ease she felt even when attending balls in her favourite Scottish home. “We have five dresses which we’ve been very lucky to have this year,” notes Sarah Hoare, adding that two of these are ball gowns worn in the very room in which the exhibition takes place.

Compelling as these dresses are, it’s surely the tartan exhibits which will provoke the most emotional reactions among visitors. Preview photographs suggest that there are two tartan ensembles in the exhibition. One features a flared calf-length skirt and a black V-neck jumper; the other, a more traditional pleated kilt shown with a grey twinset, a blouse with a red collar peeking from underneath. In the minds of both the Queen and her public, tartan and Balmoral are inextricably linked.

Over the years, many wonderful photographs have been shared of the Queen wearing one of her trustiest off-duty fabrics, most notably a black and white one from 1967, in which she appears in profile, striding through the grass in a knee-length tartan kilt, a tweed jacket and Wellingtons, clutching a walking stick in her gloved hand.

Another photograph from 1972, this time in colour, shows her in a kilt twinned with a striking red jumper. Taken by Lord Lichfield, the photograph captures a tender moment between the monarch and her black Labradors, while a lone corgi looks on dispassionately in the background.

Casting an eye over photographs taken at Balmoral over the decades, it is interesting to note that the colour palette the Queen chooses tends to be more muted and natural than it appears in other rural locations. Bright suits are replaced with softly tailored green ones, while knitwear seems to echo the earthy hues of the surrounding landscape. Fabrics, too, are earthy: tweeds and wools.

The Queen’s headscarves could have a whole exhibition of their own. As a practical way of keeping her hair out of her face while horse riding or walking, they are a judicious choice. But they are also a considered one, sometimes the prints deliberately clashing with those of her suit, at other times echoing the colours of her outfits.

Always in silk and ever stylish, they serve to highlight the Queen’s complexion, which never looks healthier than when she is in Balmoral. It really is her happy place - not just for her, but also for her family.

In the wake of the Duke of Edinburgh’s recent memorial service, few could fail to be moved by photographs of the Queen and her “strength and stay” as they relax in each other’s company in Balmoral’s grounds. As a recipe for happiness, the love of a good man, a good dog and a good selection of tartan is as winning a formula as any.