The Palace is having a purple patch. Birth follows Jubilee follows wedding follows a sustained period where one is enamoured with all things Monarch. Unless you don’t love the monarchy that is, or you’re male.

The latest celebration comes in the form of an exhibition at Buckingham Palace showcasing the dress, robes and uniforms worn by the royal party at the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. If you’ve never been to an exhibition at Buckingham Palace, we urge you to go. Tripping through the deep carpets in the great halls makes you feel – almost – that you’re a guest for the weekend. Or is that our delusions of grandeur? Staff nod as you pass rather than play on their phones and you can peak in to the cordoned-off areas and imagine the Corgis running riot within. And the tea, oh the tea! The Garden Café overlooking the grounds serves afternoon tea and ice-cream in Tiffany-blue cups with crown-shaped chocolate icing on top of your coffee.

Tea, cakes and service aside, the exhibition sounds pretty amazing too. Celebrating the pageantry of a State occasion that has remained unchanged for 1,000 years, it brings together clothing, art and objects for the first time since the Coronation on 2 June 1953.

The Queen’s Coronation Day heralded the dawn of a New Elizabethan era, the recent Royal Wedding signalled a renewed sense of national pride and the gowns share many similarities too.

KATE MIDDLETON'S WEDDING DRESS
Designer: Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen
The design: Influenced by Victorian design (the cinched waist, padded hips, the bustle) and the Arts and Craft movement. Satin gazar with six types of lace incorporating the National emblems of the UK, rose, thistle, shamrock and daffodil.
The train: 3 metres long and fastened at the back and cuffs by tiny buttons
The embroidery: the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court
The timeline: it’s hard to pin down but it took an hour to complete one inch of embroidery, hands were washed every 30 minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, needles were renewed every 3 hours and it was important that the back of the work looked as neat as the front. So it’s safe to say around 6 months.

THE QUEEN'S CORONATION GOWN
Designer: Norman Hartnell
The design: Embroidered national and Commonwealth floral emblems in gold, silver and pastel-coloured silks, encrusted with pearls, crystals and sequins.
The robe: Over 5.5 metres of English purple silk-velvet embroidered with wheat ears and olive branches representing peace and prosperity ending in the Queen’s crowned cypher
The embroidery: the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court 
The timeline: the RSN took 3,500 hours to complete the needlework over 3 months between March and June 1953

Verdict: 5.5 vs. 3 metre train. Elizabeth wins

The Queen’s Coronation 1953 is part of a visit to the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace, 27 July – 29 September 2013.  Advance tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk or +44 (0)20 7766 7300.