king charles

FROM her stunning wedding dress to her magnificent coronation gown, Queen Elizabeth II wore incredible, priceless outfits throughout her lifetime.

Now, Buckingham Palace is set to open its doors for a new exhibition showing them off – along with hundreds of other items once worn by the late Queen.

The new exhibit is called Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style and will open in April 2026.

The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace will display hundreds of items from evening dresses to simple accessories.

Caroline de Guitaut, Exhibition Curator and Surveyor of The King’s Works of Art said: “In the year that she would have turned 100 years old, this exhibition will be a celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s uniquely British style and her enduring fashion legacy.”

There will be dresses worn in every decade of her life before she died in 2022 – some of the notable pieces include a bridesmaid dress Queen Elizabeth II wore at age eight.

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Another is her ivory wedding dress which was designed by Norman Hartnell and worn in 1947.

Also starring in the exhibition will be her coronation dress worn in 1953 and the outfit she wore at Princess Margaret’s wedding.

It’s not all formal wear though, in the exhibit will also be her off-duty outfits.

There’s accessories galore too, from jewellery to hats and shoes.

Visitors will be able to see never-before-seen design sketches, fabric samples and handwritten letters.

The exhibition will run from April 10 until October 18, 2026.

Tickets to the exhibition cost £22 for adults, those aged 18-24 can get a ticket for £14.

Children between 5-17 can enter for £11, children under 5 go free. And those on Universal Credit can get £1 tickets.

Often The King’s Gallery has longer exhibition seasons compared to other parts of the palace.

This is because The King’s Gallery not actually part of Buckingham Palace’s main building, instead, it’s is located within the grounds.

It has a separate public entrance and its own ticketed access

Previous exhibitions at the gallery included The Edwardians: Age of Elegance, focusing on Edward VII and George V’s era; Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography, featuring royal photographers.

And Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing, showcasing his master drawings.

As for the rest of the palace, its state rooms will reopen for summer visitors from July 9 to September 27, 2026.

There will be daily access for self-guided tours of the lavish rooms and gardens when King Charles is not in residence.

You can go for an exclusive tour of Buckingham Palace’s East Wing…

Buckingham Palace is continuing to run its East Wing Exclusive Guided Tour.

The wing had undergone a five-year major renovation with every floorboard ripped up, everything rewired and 3,500 works of art removed into storage and conservation before being put back in place.

The tour runs for 90–minutes and allows visitors access to the “principal rooms to discover the spaces beyond the famous façade of Buckingham Palace”.

During this time, guests get to see a glimpse of the Yellow Drawing Room, the 240ft long Principal Corridor with Japanese, Chinese, English and French artwork – and the Centre Room where royals pause before emerging to greet The Mall.

At the moment, you can book a tour of the East Wing from January through March – tickets cost £100 per adult.

For more experiences, here are 30 of the best ones around the world that everyone should do this year.

Plus, here are Britain’s best hidden gems have been named from free museums to brewery tours.

NEW UK passports are being introduced in the UK – with a very different front cover and inside look.

From this month, all new passports issued will have King Charles‘ coat of arms.

This replaces the Queen Elizabeth II coat of arms, which has been on the front for decades.

It is thought as many as 300 have already been issued in the country already.

The pages inside the passport are also getting a new look.

Four of the UK’s most famous landscapes will feature on the pages, from each of the four UK nations.

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Ben Nevis, the Lake District, Three Cliffs Bay and the Giant’s Causeway are all illustrated in watercolour across the inside pages.

But inside the passport will also be a range of new features which will make it the ‘most secure passport in history’.

Each page has a unique passport number using laser marking, while new translucent designs and holographs have also been added.

Migration and citizenship minister Mike Tapp said the redesign is “a new era in the history of the British passport”.

He added: “It also demonstrates our commitment to outstanding public service – celebrating British heritage while ensuring our passports remain among the most secure and trusted in the world for years to come.”

The biggest change to the UK passport came back in 2020 when it reverted back to navy, from burgundy.

This was due to the UK leaving the EU, with the European Union wording also removed from the front.

Burgundy passports are still able to be used until they expire, although there are some rules still catching people out.

Before, up to 10 months could be rolled over from old passports to new ones, making some have as much as 10 years, 10 months on them.

However, new rules no longer allow those extra months, meaning your expiry date may be incorrect.

Thousands of Brits are thought to have been caught out by the confusing rules.

To avoid this, make sure to look at the start date and add on 10 years, to get your real expiry date.

And check the rules of the country you are visiting too – some require as many as six months left to be allowed to enter.

And here is why you should avoid certain stamps in your passport.