A collection of the Queen‘s outfits are set to go on display at Balmoral Castle as part of an exhibition to mark the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee.
The clothing, which includes kilts as well as coats, hats, and dresses, will feature in the Life at Balmoral exhibition, which will be on show in the castle ballroom between 1st April 1 and 2nd August this year.
Images launched ahead of the event show assistant curator Sarah Hoare adjusting some of the ensembles give a sneak peek of what will be on view, revealing that one of the Queen’s trademark looks – a brightly coloured yellow frock coat and hat – will feature.
The canary outfit was worn by the monarch in 2017, as she attended the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse.
A selection of Her Majesty’s outfits will be on view during an exhibition at Balmoral Castle that opens on April 1st, and marks the monarch’s 70 years on the throne. Here she is pictured wearing one of the outfits at Epsom Racecourse in June 2017
One of the Queen’s trademark brightly coloured frock coats and hat ensembles (far right) will be on show, alongside kilts and other outfits
In addition to the clothing display, it will also feature a contemporary art installation – marking the first time modern art has been shown at the Castle.
The installation, Salmon School, created by artist Joseph Rossano, consists of 250 mirrored glass forms, suspended in the air to look like a school of wild salmon.
It aims to highlight the plight of wild salmon and the importance of salmon conversation, as climate change and biodiversity loss threaten their existence in the wild.
Mr Rossano said: ‘The Salmon School is an international collaborative performance project that contextualises the finality of a seemingly infinite resource.
‘A synthesis of art and science, the Salmon School fosters environmental awareness, bringing together diverse communities for a greater good – cold, clean water.
‘Embracing art’s ability to disarm, to make something beautiful – a sculpture mimicking an ideal, a restored ecosystem – the project achieves measurable change through its actions and initiatives.’
Assistant curator Sarah Hoare prepares the outfits ahead of the ‘Life At Balmoral’ exhibition, which will run from April 1st to August 2nd this year
Final tweaks: assistant curator Sarah Hoare puts the last minute touches to one of the outfits on show at the event
Balmoral Castle (pictured) in Aberdeenshire, and its 50,000 acre country estate, is much-beloved by the Queen who spends her Summers there
First conceived and shown in the Pacific Northwest in the US, Salmon School was then shown at Cop26, the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November 2021.
Salmon conservation work has been supported by the Queen, the Royal Family and the Balmoral Estate on the River Dee over the last 170 years.
The Balmoral Estate works closely with the River Dee Trust to deliver practical salmon restoration to help protect the endangered fish.
Most recently, across Deeside, the River Dee Trust and Dee District Salmon Fishery Board have introduced a One Million Trees campaign to plant riverbank trees, to help restore the Dee and save its salmon.
The Castle Bathroom will host the Life at Balmoral exhibition, celebrating the Platinum Jubilee. A modern installation ‘The Salmon School’ (pictured) is part of the show
First time: the exhibition marks the first time contemporary art, in the form of The Salmon School (pictured) created by artists Joseph Rossano (pictured) has been shown at Balmoral
The artwork (pictured) aims to highlight the plight of wild salmon and the importance of salmon conversation
Trees are said to have multiple benefits in helping wild salmon to thrive, including providing shade over the water, nourishment through leaves and insects, and helping to stabilise the riverbanks to prevent erosion.
In the last five years, the Balmoral Estate has planted 300,000 trees along the River Dee.
The work to protect wild salmon also includes using windblown trees to create large wooden structures in the rivers on the estate, to offer a variety of salmon habitats, which in turn give shelter from bad weather and trap nutrients.
Small wooden dams have also been created in the estate’s smaller streams to help river flows in times of flood and drought.