Organised to mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth in 1926, Her Life in Style follows her wardrobe from childhood and her years as Princess Elizabeth through seven decades as monarch. Formal gowns sit alongside off-duty clothing, accessories, hats and jewellery, allowing visitors to see how radically different situations demanded different versions of the same highly controlled public identity.

But this isn't simply a parade of royal clothes. Behind the finished outfits are previously unseen design drawings, samples and correspondence documenting the collaboration between the Queen, designers and craftspeople. Clothing emerges as a sophisticated visual language: colour could make her identifiable in a crowd, embroidery could acknowledge the country she was visiting, while silhouettes and accessories created extraordinary consistency across decades.

The result is also a history of 20th-century British fashion and craftsmanship. The Queen’s personal fashion archive is now part of the Royal Collection and represents one of the most substantial surviving collections of British fashion from the period.

Even if you're not particularly interested in royal history, this is a significant exhibition of fashion, design and image-making. More than 300 objects reveal how one woman and her designers constructed perhaps the most recognisable public image of the 20th century.

And its extraordinary popularity matters: Royal Collection Trust says it is on course to become the most visited exhibition in its history.