For nearly her entire adult life since her coronation at the age of 27, this naturally shy individual had to stand out from the crowd, and cheer on a nation while carefully representing Britain abroad.

“When the queen acceded to the throne, she was a young woman leading a country still recovering from war at a time of great social change so – in terms of the heavy weight of her responsibilities – her wardrobe was the least of her worries as she embarked on navigating this new position,” says Robb Young, the author of Power Dressing: First Ladies, Women Politicians & Fashion (2011).

“Back in the cutthroat 1500s, Elizabeth I’s outfits had to look imposing and invincible when she encountered the many rivals who were bent on ousting or conquering her. But for 20th century Elizabeth II ruling in a world of democratic ideals, pop culture and television, power dressing needed to be a much more nuanced and subtle affair,” says Young.

“As the head of state, the queen still needed to embody the power and influence of an entire nation […] It’s about looking imperial without looking imperious.”

Despite her shyness, the queen always understood the need to stand out. In her early reign, she was often photographed surrounded by politicians, diplomats and captains of industry, almost all of whom were men. In a sea of navy and grey wool suits, she looked undeniably feminine in soft Norman Hartnell evening gowns or tailored suits by Hardy Amies.

“Some of the most striking images of the queen show her with world leaders and she’s the one your eye is instantly drawn to because she’s in a pastel skirt suit or embellished evening gown which is very powerful in itself,” says Bethan Holt, author of The Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Style (2022).

“She often wears pink to underline this – one of my favourite outfits of hers is a fuchsia silk cocktail dress she wore to show [US] President Nixon around Buckingham Palace in 1969.”

As she approached midlife, the monarch began to experiment with bolder hues. As a small woman, she always liked to wear colours for her engagements, rather than black or navy, so that members of the public who came to catch a glimpse of her could easily identify her from a distance. Usually, she stuck to one hue, sometimes with an accent shade in the form of piping or a print.

“Strong colours have become a signature since the death of her mother,” says Dickie Arbiter, a former press spokesman for the queen. “It’s something she always liked, but her mother loved pastels, and she would never do anything against her mother’s wishes. Since her mother died, in 2002, she has taken on the mantle of being Britain’s favourite granny and her clothes have become more experimental colour-wise.”

Elizabeth Holmes, author of HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style (2020), agrees, writing in the Financial Times that, “If she was an older woman on the world stage, just doing her duties in grey or navy or another neutral, you might not feel the way that you feel when she’s in bright pink or a vibrant orange. It automatically grabs the heart, because there’s something very sweet and grandmotherly about it.”

Many of these brighter suits have been made by Parvin, who is as close as it comes to a royal couturier in the 21st century. He was the queen’s dressmaker for nearly 20 years, and in 2016 was awarded a Royal Victorian Order – for the ceremony, the queen even paid him the compliment of wearing one of his dresses.

One notable outfit he and milliner Trevor-Morgan made was for the Trooping the Colour parade for the queen’s 90th birthday.

“On the Buckingham Palace balcony she stood out proudly in this acidic shade which most grown-ups would shy away from but which suited her beautifully,” says Holt. “It showed her awareness of dressing for the occasion and conscious­ness that despite entering her 10th decade, she had to be as visible a beacon of positivity as ever.

“The outfit caught the public’s imagination on social media and #neonat90 was soon trending.”

The queen went on to wear lime for more important events in her 90s, such as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding, making it an unexpected emblem of this chapter in her life.

Jewellery too always played a key role, in particular a three-carat brilliant-cut diamond engagement ring set in platinum, flanked by smaller pavé-set stones, made by London jeweller Philip Antrobus, using diamonds that came from an antique tiara belonging to Prince Philip’s mother.

Then there was her off-duty look: the heavy tweeds, dark green jackets and sturdy outdoor boots she favoured when at Balmoral or Sandringham. As a naturally outdoorsy woman and a passionate rider, the sense is that these were the pieces in which she felt happiest and most comfortable.

Hence Ian Griffiths, of Max Mara, choosing her country style as inspiration for his autumn/winter 2021 collection. “You can understand that this is what she likes to wear, a kilt and a wax jacket. I wanted to channel the feeling of feeling completely at home in your clothes,” Griffiths said at the time.

“How do you inject a drop of approachability into all that and still use your clothes to epitomise an important facet of British identity, and, at the same time, express the individual personality of the woman behind the royal institution?” asks Young.

“Once you do find a template that finally works to achieve all that, you certainly don’t want to tinker with it too much. That’s why her signature style is so extraordinary and so effective.”