The Queen was once quoted as saying “If I wore beige nobody would know who I am.”

And throughout her 70-year reign, she made head-to-toe colour her signature look - ensuring that she always stood out in a crowd, making a statement in a palette of brights and pastels.

Back at the start of the 2000s, I was a news reporter covering West Norfolk, which would include joining the crowds of well-wishers who would gather to greet the Queen when she attended church services while in residence at Sandringham.

One detail we were always looking out for was what colour the Queen had chosen to wear that day.

I remember one Christmas morning, once the Queen and her family were inside St Mary Magdalene Church, debating with other members of the press whether to describe the shade of purple that the Queen was wearing as plum or aubergine – we went for the latter, as I recall.

“The Queen was an icon indeed and over the years grew to become a leading style guru, a snappy power dresser, no doubt. A perfect example of someone who wore clothes, and not the other way around,” says Hannah Springham, who runs the pre-loved designer boutique Vegas Vintage at the Dial House in Reepham.

“Her style evolved throughout the decades of her reign. From fabulously chic 50s frocks to 80s frills and from there on to powerful block colour suits, with bags and shoes on point.”

Hannah’s favourite stand-out looks include the sequins, diamonds and fur wrap “customised regally, of course, with a glitzy tiara...effortlessly upstaging all the Hollywood glitterati” at the premiere of Doctor Doolittle in 1967.

“In 1973, she shone brightly in a heavily jewel embellished gown to a West End premiere. What a bold and brave look, leading the nation in visible confidence once again.

“But the ultimate for me was the frankly, pretty controversial, sequin clad harlequin gown she showcased at the Royal Variety Performance in 1999,” says Hannah.

“In many ways she paved the way for freedom of expression through our own clothes. Always ensuring she dressed appropriately and said the right thing, but always with a sequin on her shoulder and a sparkle in her eye.

“Over the years she grew to understand that a meeting with or even sighting of Her Majesty would stay etched in the memory of that person for their rest of their lives and so with that responsibility resting on her perfectly padded shoulders, she decided to make each sighting count.

“For each public attendance, she dressed from a wardrobe of rainbows and helped each of us pause that moment in time, in vibrant but chic Technicolor.

“We will remember her fondly as our light, our rainbow in our darkest days.”

Sir Norman Hartnell was responsible for some of the Queen's most famous royal looks, including the dresses she wore for her wedding in 1947 and coronation in 1953.

In 2002, Angela Kelly became the Queen’s personal assistant and senior dresser, with the job of precisely thinking out every last detail, from her hat and shoes to her brooch to her handbag – usually a trusty top-handle Launer.

Norwich-based stylist Karen James Welton, AKA the Fabulous Miss K, admires and is inspired by how the Queen developed her own sense of style over the course of her reign and her support for British designers.

In 2018, the Queen made a surprise appearance at London Fashion Week, sitting on the ‘frow’ next to Vogue’s Dame Anna Wintour and presented designer Richard Quinn with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

“As a young woman the Queen was always elegant, but as she grew older, she came into her own and embraced colour,” says Karen.

“Her love for bold shades, I think, reflected her passion for life and fashion. She was never a lady to fade into the background as many women of her age feel they should do.

“In this respect she was an inspiration to an older generation of women. She was a great supporter of British design and designers.

“And her casual style was so quintessentially English, so admired by the fashion industry, that many designers borrowed her look for their collections.

“A true fashion icon.”