The semiotics of clothes, especially royal ones, can be fascinating, sending out powerful messages. Think of the jewel-studded, pearl-strewn portraits of Queen Elizabeth I or Princess Diana’s revenge-chic black dress. As a fashion queen herself (Justine Picardie was editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar for more than seven years and has an acclaimed book on Chanel under her belt), no one is better placed to unpick the subtleties of royal public couture. So, judging by this book’s title, I was expecting a shrewd analysis of diplomacy dressing, with perhaps some behind-the-scenes vignettes. What happens if a royal lady unexpectedly gets a run in her tights at a crucial moment? Is there a color code if three of them are out together? How do hats stay on in a gale? And what happens to all the numerous garments that each wears in her lifetime? In fact, everything a fashion insider might know.            

But most of these pages are devoted to a résumé of the events of the first half of the 20th century, covering everything from the late Queen’s childhood to her coronation, where the book ends. There is the wedding of her parents, the Abdication, the rise of Hitler, Kristallnacht, George VI’s speech therapy and so on, with copious quotes from Cecil Beaton and the memoirs of various royal couturiers. Everything is impeccably researched, with sources given – but haven’t we read much of it before?

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The book starts promisingly: a history of the House of Windsor is threaded through with accounts of Picardie’s own meetings with royalty, at Balmoral and Windsor........

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