DR SALLY TUCKETT: Our clothes say a lot about us, but they say even more about the society in which we live in. We dress to suit the environment or for the weather. We choose outfits for special occasions like weddings. Some of us are made to wear certain types of clothing like school uniform, and most of us like to think that our clothing expresses our individuality and personal style.

The clothing of British Royalty is no different. Historic royal fashion could be practical and functional. It can also be decorative, and frivolous, and anything in between. And by studying their clothes, we can learn a lot about the monarchs of the past and about their subjects.

I’m Dr. Sally Tuckett, lecturer in dress and textile histories at the University of Glasgow. And along with colleagues at Glasgow and curators at Historic Royal Palaces, this free online course is going to take you behind the scenes of the royal wardrobes of the kings and queens of Britain.

History of Royal Fashion has a range of activities and materials that are designed to give you the chance to engage with other learners and to encourage you to think about the links between princely costumes of the past and our own clothing choices today. We’re not as different as you might think. We will look at the fashion successes, eccentricities, and failures of a different royal dynasty each week. From a sumptuous court of the tudors at Hampton Court Palace to the sleek and elegant Windsors at Kensington, join us to explore how royals use fashion and clothing to control, to entertain, and to impress.