ABSTRACT

In 2016, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom is said to have remarked, ‘I have to be seen to be believed.’ 2 Her maxim is apt for describing royals throughout history, whose appearance has been paramount in the projection, maintenance and diminution of their authority. The issue of what royalty wears has long been a source of popular comment. Sustained scholarly interest in royal clothing, however, is more recent. Much of the academic writing about royal dress has been in conjunction with museums. Exhibition catalogues have provided in-depth analysis of the clothing and dress accessories worn by royalty between the fourth and twentieth centuries. 3 Books on Chinese imperial dress and European ceremonial clothing, which follow a recognizable catalogue format, have also been published. 4 The work of specialist curators, these volumes are valuable for their visual and technical insights, but they can be difficult to incorporate into wider historical studies because they provide limited contextualization. A singular focus on rulers’ wardrobes, which emphasize the role of garments in defining social and political hierarchies, is also out of step with recent clothing studies that emphasize multiple motivations and different methodologies for the creation and consumption of dress. 5 This chapter re-engages with the topic of what rulers wore by considering changing attitudes to royal dress and appearance between the Middle Ages and modernity in western Europe.