Uniform/ Buttons

The Windsor uniform is a type of dress worn by male members of the House of Windsor. The uniform was introduced by George III in 1779. more...

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For the uniform worn by people other than senior members of the Royal Family see Court Uniform and Dress.

The first Court Uniform was the Windsor Coat or Uniform, dating from c.1778. This is now an evening tail coat of dark blue cloth, lapelled, with scarlet collar and cuffs. There are three buttons on each front two at the back of the waist, and two at the end of each tail, and also two on each cuff and one above. The gilt buttons bear a design of a Garter star within a Garter, surmounted by the imperial crown. It is worn with a white single-breasted waistcoat with three small gilt buttons of the same pattern, and with plain black evening-dress trousers. When the court is in mourning a black waistcoat and black armband are worn.

The full-dress, which had a good deal of gold braid about it, did not survive for long and it is the undress form which is worn today. Since the reign of King Edward VII it has been worn only as evening dress. The Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales have dinner-jacket versions which they wear at Windsor and elsewhere, and after 1977 the Prince of Wales wore the Windsor Coat while hunting.

The undress version of the Windsor uniform is a dark blue jacket with red at the collar and cuffs.

It is a reversal of the well known livery colours for The House of Windsor, red jacket with dark blue at the collar and cuffs.

In 1820 King George IV introduced a Court Uniform based on the Windsor Uniform, modified by the dress of the French Marshals. It had a blue tail coat (or "coatee"), lined with black silk , faced and laced scarlet, gilt buttons, waistcoat , breeches or trousers. Soon only the Royal Household wore scarlet cloth facings, and all others had black velvet facings , collar and cuffs. Later the facings, collar and cuffs became blue velvet.

From 1898 a Household Evening Dress Coat was described. This comprised dark blue cloth evening dress coat (tails), black velvet collar and lapels, three flat gilt buttons engraved with the royal cypher and crown, on each side, two at back, two at bottom of tails, three on cuffs. In 1908 this was worn with a double-breasted white marcella waistcoat (changed to single-breasted 1912), with same buttons but smaller in size, without long pointed fronts, plain black evening dress trousers or black evening dress or stockinet breeches. With breeches court shoes with bows and black silk stockings, and with trousers boots or plain court shoes with bows. White necktie, winged collar, gloves 1908 only, completed the suit. No crape band when in mourning. Members of the Households of the Queen and the royal dukes have special buttons.

The appearance is very similar to that of the Windsor Uniform. The later only differs in having lapels, scarlet cuffs and collar, and a crape band when in mourning. Gentlemen of the Lord Chamberlain's Office and the Master of the Household's Department wear similar suits.

Read more at Wikipedia.org