Since the earliest years of its operation, the French fashion house of Christian Dior has enjoyed the patronage of the female (and one prominent male) members of the British royal family.
Christian Dior, the designer, was born in 1905 and rose through the ranks of various Paris fashion houses to found his own establishment under his name in 1946.
Dior's first haute couture collection was shown in February 1947, named "Corolle," it is more widely known today for the nickname given by Harpers Bazaar fashion editor, Carmel Snow, who dubbed it the "New Look."
An early royal fan of the designer who took great inspiration from the architecture and natural beauty of the botanical world was Queen Elizabeth II's sister, Princess Margaret.
The ultra-fashionable princess visited Dior's Paris salon and ordered a number of dresses from the house throughout her life.
After Margaret, each successive generation of the House of Windsor has found a Christian Dior fan among their ranks. Most recently, Queen Camilla debuted a new Dior couture ensemble for her state visit to France with King Charles.
As Dior has seen a royal resurgence in recent years, here, Newsweek looks at some of the fashion house's best creations for the members of the House of Windsor.
Princess Margaret - 21st Birthday Dress - 1951
One of Princess Margaret's earliest Dior dresses was worn in 1951 for the official portrait sitting to mark her 21st birthday with society photographer Cecil Beaton.
The romantic gown featured a close-fitting bodice with a tight belted waist flowing into voluminous skirts with golden embroidery.
The embroidery was formed of a clever trick to the eye. Instead of gold wires, straw raffia was appliqued onto the skirts and bodice giving a rich illusion. While the princess was fond of the dress, Beaton was not, noting that the raffia was reminiscent of potato peelings.
Margaret donated the dress to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London before her death in 2002, and the institution displayed the gown in their Dior retrospective exhibition in 2019.
Princess Diana - Met Gala - 1996
In the next generation of the royal family, Princess Diana took over from Princess Margaret as a fan of Christian Dior fashions.
In 1996, the princess made her first and only appearance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute fundraiser (known as the "Met Gala") where the exhibition of the year was a retrospective of Christian Dior's work.
For the occasion, Diana paid tribute to the evening by wearing a couture Dior gown in midnight blue silk with daring lace straps.
The dress was designed by Dior's then-creative director, John Galliano.
To accessorize, Diana carried a style of Dior handbag she had first been given a prototype of as a gift in 1995. The small bag became a favorite of the princess, so much so that Dior renamed it the "Lady Dior" in her honor (after her maiden name of Lady Diana Spencer) following her death.
Meghan Markle - RAF 100 - 2018
Among the current royals who have a passion for a Dior creation is Meghan Markle.
The Duchess of Sussex first started wearing the house's designs in 2018, following her marriage to Prince Harry.
The royal made a striking debut at the centenary celebrations for the Royal Air Force in London in July 2018 wearing an elegant dark navy silk cocktail dress with princess seam details and matching covered belt.
Meghan Markle - Platinum Jubilee - 2022
Another key Dior look worn by Meghan debuted at the national service of thanksgiving for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee at St Paul's Cathedral in June 2022.
The duchess wore a pale-colored coat dress which took inspiration from traditional English men's tailoring with a matching hat, gloves and shoes.
Prince Harry - Coronation - 2023
Prince Harry surprised fashion critics at the time of his father's coronation when it was revealed by Dior that they had been responsible for dressing the prince for his appearance at the Westminster Abbey ceremony in May.
Harry attended the historic event wearing a traditional morning suit with matching double-breasted waistcoat and light silk tie.
Dior launched its first menswear line in 1970 and is currently under the creative direction of English designer Kim Jones.
Queen Camilla - State Visit to France - 2023
The most recent royal Christian Dior fashion appearance was made by Queen Camilla during her state visit to France with King Charles III in September.
The queen wore a regal midnight blue dress and flowing lined cape for the state banquet held at the Palace of Versailles in Paris for the couple by President Emmanuel Macron.
Camilla's choice of Dior paid tribute to the host country, as well as the royal having an already established relationship with the house.
In 2013 during her first official solo visit to Paris, the then-Duchess of Cornwall factored in a tour of Dior's couture workrooms into her schedule.
Over the years, Camilla has worn a number of Dior looks, including a cream coat dress ensemble worn during Royal Ascot in June.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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