- Queen Elizabeth once told Anna Wintour that she was in a fashion show before she became monarch.
- The pair attended London Fashion Week together in 2018.
- “She was so happy to be there, telling me how she had appeared in a fashion show long before she was queen,” Wintour said.
Before she became queen at the age of 25, Queen Elizabeth II was once in a fashion show, Anna Wintour has revealed.
Writing for Vogue, Wintour recalled sitting in designer Richard Quinn’s show shortly before she presented him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
The Queen was “so happy to be there, telling me how she had appeared in a fashion show long before she became Queen,” Wintour wrote in a tribute.
She continued: “She said it with gaiety and humor that bordered the room, lighting it up: An everyday occurrence for her Majesty, an unforgettable one for the rest of us.”
Queen Elizabeth died on Thursday at her Balmoral residence aged 96. Her son, Charles, was immediately named King.
“For 70 years, Her Majesty was a beacon of continuity and a perfect example of someone who lived by a clearly defined set of values,” Wintour continued.
“We hear so much about the end of an era, but Her Majesty’s death, after so many decades of dedicated service, is definitely that,” Wintour said, adding that “the admiration and respect I felt for her has never diminished.”
2018’s Fashion Week appearance with Wintour was the Queen’s first, but she’s been a fashion icon in her own right, sporting an array of colorful outfits and — of course — hats during her unprecedented 70-year reign.
