The outfits worn by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra for their coronation in 1902 are among more than 150 works of art from the Royal Collection which go on display on Friday in the King’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.
Alexandra’s gown was decorated with thousands of tiny gold spangles and was designed to glitter during the coronation, which was the first to take place at London’s Westminster Abbey under electric light.
Newspaper articles at the time described the queen as appearing in an “extraordinary blaze of golden light”, thanks to the electric lighting.
The outfit, designed by Parisian fashion house Morin Blossier, included a mauve velvet mantle while the gown was gold in colour rather than the traditional white.
More than half of the items, including the dress, are going on show in Scotland for the first time.
Kathryn Jones, curator of the exhibition, said: “Alexandra’s choice of a shimmering gold fabric would have been incredibly novel.
“While the dress may have darkened over time, descriptions in contemporary newspapers described the new queen as appearing in an extraordinary blaze of golden light thanks to the new electric lighting.
“It’s the first time the dress has been displayed outside of London, and is one of many powerful examples of how Edward and Alexandra, followed by George and Mary, held on to tradition but were not afraid to do it in their own way.
“We hope that visitors to the exhibition will come away with a renewed appreciation for this fascinating period, as Britain stood on the cusp of the 20th century, before the upheaval of the First World War.”
The exhibition covers the period from Edward and Alexandra’s wedding in 1863 to the end of the First World War in 1918 and explores the couple’s “ritzy” lifestyle, travels and personal interests along with the “glamour” of the Edwardian era.
Visitors can listen to a free multimedia guide narrated by Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville.
Edward and Alexandra were widely travelled and also embraced burgeoning artistic movements.
Other items on show in the exhibition include a book by William Morris, purchased for the Royal Library in 1906, and a copy of Poems by Oscar Wilde, presented to Edward as a manifesto of aestheticism.
Highlights from the couple’s private collections of paintings, including works by Frederic, Lord Leighton and Lawrence Alma-Tadema will also be on show, as will items from their households designed by the likes of Faberge, Wedgwood and Tiffany & Co.
A Mary, Queen of Scots costume that was worn by Alexandra in 1871 when she was Princess of Wales will be on display inside the Palace of Holyroodhouse where it is on show for the first time in Scotland.
It requires a separate ticket, however a discounted ticket is available for visiting both the Palace and The King’s Gallery.
Alexandra wore it at a fancy-dress ball marking the centenary of the birth of writer Sir Walter Scott, in aid of the Scott Monument in Edinburgh.
The Edwardians: Age Of Elegance will run from Friday to December 6.