Royals 7 Decades of Queen Elizabeth's Rainbow Style: See Her Most Colorful Outfits Through the Years Britain's longest-reigning monarch wore every color in the rainbow. A look back at Queen Elizabeth's boldest, most colorful outfits of the past 70 years By Andrea Wurzburger and Lauren Lieberman Lauren Lieberman Lauren Lieberman is the Senior Photo Editor of PEOPLE.com and EW.com. She has been with PEOPLE for more than a decade managing the online photo team, creating red carpet galleries, and producing signature online content. She graduated from NYU with a Bachelors in Communications. People Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 8, 2022 02:39 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 55 Getty (6) Over the course of her 70-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II took to wearing brightly-hued ensembles. The monarch wore every color in the rainbow — and it was for a good reason. In the documentary, The Queen at 90, the Queen's daughter-in-law, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, said: "She needs to stand out for people to be able to say 'I saw the Queen.' Don't forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen's hat as she went past." Check out the Queen's colorful collection of clothes through the years. 02 of 55 1999 Queen Elizabeth. Anwar Hussein/Getty Red-y or not, here comes Queen Elizabeth! She sported this bold hue while taking a tea break with hospital staff during her visit to Manchester Royal Infirmary. 03 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Image While visiting HMS Queen Elizabeth at Her Majesty's Naval Base, the monarch sported a red ensemble with a black collar, and accessorized with a ruby brooch and floral hat. 04 of 55 2014 Leon Neal-WPA Pool/Getty Queen Elizabeth sported this deep red ensemble with sharing a laugh with her late husband, Prince Philip. 05 of 55 2010 Queen Elizabeth. Dan Kitwood /WPA Pool /Getty Queen Elizabeth wore this gorgeous, deep red tweed number while greeting the Emir of Qatar in Windsor. 06 of 55 2020 Queen Elizabeth. GLYN KIRK/POOL/AFP via Getty The Queen wore this festive, red coat and matching hat while thanking local volunteers and essential workers for their work amid the COVID-19 pandemic and over the Christmas holiday. 07 of 55 1982 Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Next to Prince Philip in his whites, the queen stood out in her red patterned look while arriving in Kiribati during a tour of the South Pacific. 08 of 55 1980 Getty Orange you glad that the monarch wasn't afraid to wear a bold, orange hue after Christmas Service at Windsor Castle in 1980? 09 of 55 1985 Getty She wore a similar, burnt orange hue while attending a polo match in Windsor, this time accessorizing with a scarf. 10 of 55 1977 Getty Queen Elizabeth matched her pillbox hat to her coat while out in London in 1977. 11 of 55 1989 Getty The Queen made a statement in a bold, sparkly evening gown while aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia for a banquet in Singapore. 12 of 55 1979 Getty Queen Elizabeth wore a more muted orange ensemble alongside her sister, Princess Margaret, at the Epsom Derby in 1979. 13 of 55 2015 Getty The Queen wore a smile almost as bright as her outfit while attending the QIPCO British Champions Day racing meet at Ascot Racecourse. 14 of 55 1989 Getty The monarch wore a gingham dress and matching hat while attending the recommissioning ceremony for HMS Invincible, adding a light orange coat to complete the look. 15 of 55 2018 Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty She added pops of blue to her yellow outfit while attending the Royal Ascot in 2018. 16 of 55 1990 Erin Combs/Toronto Star via Getty Images Queen Elizabeth looked cheery in a bold yellow ensemble while visiting Canada in 1990. 17 of 55 1997 Getty Queen Elizabeth visited Pakistan in 1997, wearing a sunny, yellow, polka dot number (and going without shoes) while visiting the Shah Faisal Mosque. 18 of 55 1975 Serge Lemoine/Hulton Archive/Getty It wasn't the first time that the Queen wore yellow polka dots: she wore a similar outfit in Mexico in 1975. 19 of 55 1977 Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty She wore the pattern again, this time in a slight muted tone, while in Brisbane, Australia, on her Jubilee Tour. 20 of 55 2021 OLI SCARFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Her Majesty the Queen looked lovely in a green and pink floral outfit while attending a luncheon alongside the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge. 21 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. Steve REIGATE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by STEVE REIGATE/POOL/AFP via Getty The Queen ushered in the arrival of spring in March 2021 when she wore this pastel green outfit, adding yellow lilies to her hat. 22 of 55 2018 Meghan Markle and Queen Elizabeth. Karwai Tang/WireImage For her first solo outing with daughter-in-law Meghan Markle, the Queen chose a lime green suit dress and matching hat. 23 of 55 1973 Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty The Queen matched her green dress with a bold hat by Simone Mirman, adding white accessories to complete the look while arriving at a polo match in Windsor. 24 of 55 1977 Anwar Hussein/Getty While visiting Barbados in 1977, Queen Elizabeth wore a green, patterned dress with pearl embellishments on the shoulder. 25 of 55 1980s Queen Elizabeth. Anwar Hussein/Getty While posing for a photo with her many dogs at Sandringham, the Queen wore an emerald green suit dress. 26 of 55 1952 Getty The Queen wore a classic skirt-suit while at Balmoral Castle in 1952. 27 of 55 1995 Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher. Corbis via Getty She wore this elegant, sequined, forest green gown to celebrate Margaret Thatcher's 70th birthday. 28 of 55 1954 Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty In 1954, Queen Elizabeth donned a stunning green evening gown while visiting Melbourne, Australia, making us green with envy. 29 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. Andrew Milligan/Pool/Getty She wore a similar hue while opening of the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament in 2021 in Edinburgh, Scotland. 30 of 55 1987 Queen Elizabeth. Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Queen Elizabeth donned a festive green ensemble while attending Christmas services in 1987. 31 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. Scott Heppell - WPA Pool/Getty The Queen wore a feather in her cap and a turquoise outfit while visiting the set of the long-running TV series Coronation Street. 32 of 55 1990 Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty While celebrating the Queen Mother's birthday in 1990, Queen Elizabeth wore a flashy, floral print dress outside Clarence House. 33 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty The Queen smiled in 2021 as she donned a robin egg blue ensemble while attending the Royal Ascot in London. 34 of 55 2008 Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Samir Hussein/WireImage The monarch stood out during the Trooping the Colour in 2008, as she posed on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with her grandson, Prince Harry, daughter Princess Anne, son, Prince Edward, and husband Prince Philip. 35 of 55 2002 PA Images via Getty Images While celebrating her Golden Jubilee in 2002, Queen Elizabeth chose a light blue that nicely complemented her eyes. 36 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. Samir Hussein - Pool/WireImage In 2021, Queen Elizabeth wore a sky-blue ensemble while inspecting members of the armed forces at the Ceremony of the Keys in Edinburgh, Scotland. 37 of 55 1985 Major Hugh Lindsay and Queen Elizabeth. Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty While on her tour of Portugal in 1985, Queen Elizabeth wore a solid blue coat that matched her patterned hat. 38 of 55 1997 Colin Davey/Getty She's got her something blue! The Queen wore this blue outfit on her 50th wedding anniversary celebration to Prince Philip in 1997. 39 of 55 1986 Queen Elizabeth during a walkabout after a church service. Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty The particular shade of blue is a popular one for the British monarch — they don't call it royal blue for nothing! 40 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Queen Elizabeth wore royal blue again while attending a service of Thanksgiving to mark the centenary of The Royal British Legion at Westminster Abbey alongside her daughter, Princess Anne, who wore a bright purple ensemble. 41 of 55 1970 Queen Elizabeth and her dog. Getty Why so blue!? While on a tour of New Zealand in 1970, Queen Elizabeth wore a royal blue, patterned dress while smiling alongside one of her corgis. 42 of 55 2017 Chris Jackson- WPA Pool/Getty While visiting the naval base in Portsmouth in 2017, Queen Elizabeth stood out in a brilliant purple outfit. 43 of 55 2006 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images In 2006, she attended the annual Trooping the Colour in a deep purple outfit. 44 of 55 2015 Samir Hussein/WireImage Pretty in pink! This bright magenta outfit, complete with hot pink feathers in the cap, made a statement while the Queen visited the HMS Ocean in 2015. 45 of 55 1990 John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty While riding in a carriage with her mother in 1990, the Queen wore a lovely lavender outfit. 46 of 55 2012 Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles at the 2012 Braemar Highland Gathering. Indigo/Getty While at the Braemar Highland Gathering, Queen Elizabeth shared a laugh with her son, Prince Charles, while wearing a light lavender outfit, matching the ribbon on her hat to her ensemble. 47 of 55 1951 Hulton Archive/Getty While visiting Malta with Prince Philip in 1951, the monarch wore a pale purple, beaded gown and fur stole, accessorizing with elbow-length white gloves and plenty of diamonds. 48 of 55 Undated Getty The Queen looked pretty in pale pink when she wore this one-shouldered gown with her family's orders and orders of her kingdom. 49 of 55 2018 Richard Pohl/WPA Pool/Getty Images The Queen blended in with the flowers in a soft pink sweater while looking at a display of roses at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. 50 of 55 2021 First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Queen Elizabeth and President Joe Biden. STEVE PARSONS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images The Queen posed with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle in 2021, looking ready for tea time in her floral dress and bubblegum pink hat. 51 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth II. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Queen Elizabeth chose this dusty rose color for her trip to Cardiff, Wales, in 2021. 52 of 55 1975 Serge Lemoine/Getty While visiting Mexico in 1975, Queen Elizabeth wore a tropical-print, short-sleeve dress. 53 of 55 1989 Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty The queen wore a magenta suit dress while visiting Wales (and accepting a birthday cake!) in 1989. 54 of 55 2016 Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty The Queen marked 500 years of the Royal Mail delivery service with this vivid pink look in 2016. 55 of 55 2021 Queen Elizabeth. Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Queen Elizabeth wore a bright pink coat over a floral dress, accenting her look with brightly colored flowers in her hat in 2021 while arriving at Balmoral Castle.