Queen Elizabeth makes debut at London Fashion Week

21 February 2018

Queen Elizabeth sat front row with Vogue editor Anna Wintour at her first-ever London Fashion Week event.

Queen Elizabeth

The 91-year-old monarch surprised the fashion world with her appearance at the catwalk event at her home, Buckingham Palace, on Tuesday (21.02.18), as she handed young designer Richard Quinn the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

A series of tweets posted on The Royal Family's Twitter read: "Her Majesty The Queen is visiting London Fashion Week today to present the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design ... The Award, initiated in recognition of the role the fashion industry plays in society & diplomacy, will be awarded annually to an emerging British fashion designer who shows talent and originality, whilst demonstrating value to the community and/or sustainable policies (sic)"

A day earlier, Duchess Catherine and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, were joined by fashion royalty as they co-hosted a London Fashion Week event at the palace.

Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Neelam Gill, Wintour and fashion designer Stella McCartney were in attendance at The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, which Catherine and Sophie were put in charge of on behalf of Elizabeth.

The bash was held to celebrate and showcase designs, designers and artisans from across the Commonwealth's 53 countries.

The initiative was launched earlier this month, by Commonwealth Secretary General the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland and Livia Firth - founder of sustainability consultancy Eco-Age - who initiated and produced the ambitious Exchange project.

The reception saw 30 CFE creations displayed in the Palace's State Apartment. From Thursday (22.02.18), the design looks showcased will be displayed at the new exhibition at Australia House on The Strand, before being exhibited during the Commonwealth Summit itself.

The exhibition has been carefully curated by Vogue's International Editor, Hamish Bowles.

A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said previously: "The initiative uses fashion as a common language and platform to help people understand the modern Commonwealth in a different way.

"The reception at Buckingham Palace will showcase the best of Commonwealth contemporary fashion and creativity with an exhibition of some of the bespoke fashion 'looks' which are the result of these exchanges."