Gieves & Hawkes are proud to have served Her Majesty the Queen throughout Her long reign.
The Company has held Royal Warrants of Appointment since 1789 and is one of only 14 Companies that currently hold warrants for H.M. the Queen, the late Duke of Edinburgh and H.R.H. the Prince of Wales.
In 1953 the Admiralty commissioned from Messrs. Gieves, who at that time were at 27 Old Bond Street, a Boat Cloak for H.M. The Queen and which was, in the Admiralty’s own words, to be a ‘fitting testimony in her coronation year to Her Majesty’s interest in the Royal Navy’. The cape was to be based on the Royal Naval officer’s boat cloak in most respects although, in the case of Her Majesty, a velvet collar was also specified.
Her Majesty has been painted and photographed several times in her Boat Cloak, most notably perhaps by Cecil Beaton in 1968.
Since the accession of Elizabeth II, both Gieves and Hawkes separately and jointly have been appointed by the Sovereign, the late Prince Philip and the current Prince of Wales variously as Makers of Livery Hats, Livery & Military Tailors, Livery Tailors & Hatters, Naval Tailors & Outfitters, Tiemakers, Tailors & Outfitters, in other words comprising naval, military and civilian clothing. From 1975 the royal warrants were held jointly by Gieves & Hawkes who have also made uniforms for The Princess Royal, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge as well as civilian dress for both Prince William and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.