I was asked not too long ago about the Windsor Uniform, a form of dress for male members of the royal family. It in fact has a fascinating history, having been worn in one form or another since the reign of George III and in one of his lesser-known books, “Windsor Revisited”, the Duke of Windsor discusses how the Uniform has been adapted since it’s inception to suit the changing times.
The Windsor Uniform is an innovation of King George III who sought to create a standard form of dress for male members of the Royal Family including the King himself, as well as very senior members of the court to distinguish them from his subjects in both formal and informal settings. It consists of a dark blue tail coat with red collar and cuffs. The original dress version, introduced in 1777 but abolished in 1936 as considered too lavish for the modern era, included plenty of gold braid and embellishment while the more paired-back undress version that continues to be worn to this day was introduced in 1798.
George III was a sensible man, and unlike most monarchs he was somewhat frugal by nature and hardly known for an interest in fashion. He favoured the simple domesticity of Kew and Windsor over more formal settings and he preferred plain dress to outward extravagance. Lady Northumberland remembered that “the moment the Drawing Room was over, the King used to strip into his frock”. However he never shied away from the pomp and splendour that his position demanded. In order to improve the ease and efficiency of dressing for various royal functions, a costly and time-consuming process at the time, he would wear the Windsor Uniform - the undress version in more relaxed settings and the dress version for formal events (for example, the King could be found wearing the undress version in the morning while receiving visitors before changing into the dress version later that same evening for a State reception) and he insisted that male members of his family and high-level courtiers in his immediate entourage wore it as well. As the Duke of Windsor explains, it is “essentially simple in character. It marked a contrast to the extravagant costumes of earlier periods and was appropriate to the greater severity of the later Hanoverians” (here the Duke is referring to the reigns of the flamboyant late Stuarts and early Hanoverians, whose costumes were often bejewelled and full of frilly lace) … “In its undress form, the Windsor coat was also a hunt coat. There are paintings of the King, hunting with the Buck Hounds in the Great Park, dressed in this blue coat with red collar and cuffs”.
As the name suggests, the Uniform was primarily intended for wear at Windsor Castle, the King’s main residence at the time, but throughout the years, the King and members of the royal family could be seen wearing the Uniform at other royal residences. The Duke of Windsor elaborates: “Though primarily intended for wear at Windsor after George III had made the castle his home, the Uniform was sometimes worn elsewhere. Once at Kew, during the King’s insanity, he was heard to remark, during a lucid moment, that it was so nice to see everyone wearing the Windsor Uniform. It made him feel at home, “the place I like best in the world”. George IV wore the Uniform at Brighton, William IV discontinued it altogether. Then Queen Victoria revived it for her family. I remember it’s being worn on formal occasions at Windsor, in the daytime. The Queen’s equerries, meeting distinguished guests at Windsor Station, used to wear it with dark, or even pepper-and-salt trousers and top hat. But after the First World War my father confined its use to evening wear, with knee breeches. Now I understand that even these have been discarded in favour of trousers.”
Throughout the years, the basic elements of the tail coat and red facings have remained the same while the style of coat and the cut of the trousers have changed to reflect the fashion of the times. The Duke of Windsor gives an example: “In the Long Gallery at Windsor, the Duke of Wellington, as painted by Winterhalter at a State function at the Castle, wears a version of the Uniform not far removed in style from the standard evening dress of today. He wears, moreover, trousers… The first monarch to be painted in them was William IV in his portrait by Shee”. He further explains how "The Windsor Uniform, adapting itself to the sartorial changes of its time may be regarded as a prototype of the more formal male fashions of two generations. In nineteenth century portraits, the “frogs” have disappeared from the coat, giving place to gilt buttons, the neckline is lowered, by means of longer lapels; the coat is cut away, and the waistcoat has risen from the knee to the waistline, where it more properly belongs.”
The Uniform is still a mainstay in the wardrobe of male members of the Royal Family, however its use is restricted to formal evening functions. The late Duke of Edinburgh wore it often for receptions at Windsor Castle and like his son, King Charles III, he wore two versions: the tail coat version referenced above as well as the more modern dinner jacket variation. Two notable recent appearances - King Charles famously wore the Windsor Uniform as Prince of Wales in 2005 for the celebration at Windsor Castle following his engagement to Camilla Parker-Bowles. As well, Prince Philip and Prince William wore their Windsor Uniforms for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebration in 2016. I hope we will continue to see this distinguished costume at special events in the future as our King’s reign progresses as well as during the reign of his son and heir, Prince William.
Comments