BUCKINGHAM Palace is to mark the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II with the largest exhibition of her evening gowns and jewelry, officials say.

Eighty dresses dating from the 1940s to the present will be shown together to the public for the first time when the palace opens to visitors as usual this summer.

The outfits, which have been carefully preserved by the Royal Collection, were worn by the queen for both official engagements and private family events; among them are creations by couturiers Norman Hartnell and Hardy Amies, who both worked for the queen for many years.

"It's spectacular. The gowns have never been shown in public together like this before and there will be 30 pieces of personal jewelry," said a spokesman for the Royal Collection, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the collection's policy.

Clothing on display includes a gold one-shouldered gown overlaid with fine lace that was made by Hartnell for the queen's tour of Commonwealth countries in 1953-54.

One of the earliest creations on show will be an elegant tiny-waisted black velvet and duchesse satin Hartnell evening dress from the late 1940s.

Jewelry on display will include the diamond and emerald Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara -- purchased from an aunt of Tsar Nicholas II -- and brooches set with stones from the famous Cullinan Diamond.

Also on show will be a pair of Cartier aquamarine and diamond brooches given to the then Princess Elizabeth by her father, King George VI, for her 18th birthday.

Other personal gifts include a gold, sapphire, diamond and ruby bracelet made by Boucheron to a design by the queen's husband, Prince Philip, for their fifth wedding anniversary and incorporating the interlaced initials "E" and "P".

As part of the birthday celebrations, Windsor Castle will stage an exhibition of photographs tracing the queen's public and private life over the past 80 years.

They include pictures by Cecil Beaton, Lord Lichfield and the queen's second son, Prince Andrew.

Buckingham Palace will be open this summer from July 26 through Sept. 24.

The photographic exhibition at Windsor, west of London, will run from April 3 through March 11, 2007.

Profile:

Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth was born in London on April 21, 1926, first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, subsequently King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Five weeks later she was christened in the chapel of Buckingham Palace and was given the name Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor. She ascended the throne on February 6, 1952 upon the death of her father.

She married Philip Mountbatten, a distant cousin, in 1947; the pair have four children: Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Andrew and Edward.

Monarchy, as an institution in Europe, all but disappeared during the two World Wars: a scant 10 monarchs remain today, seven of which have familial ties to England. Elizabeth is, by far, the best known of these, and is the most widely traveled Head of State in the world. She is always greeted with enthusiasm and love.

Elizabeth has managed to maintain a division between her public and private life. She is the first monarch to send her children to boarding schools in order to remove them from the ever-probing media.

Editor: Wing