The Queen once revealed to Anna Wintour that she appeared in a fashion show before she became the UK's monarch

• Queen Elizabeth once told Anna Wintour she was in a fashion show before becoming monarch.
• The pair went to London Fashion Week together in 2018.

Before she became queen at 25 years old, Queen Elizabeth II was once in a fashion show, Anna Wintour has revealed.

Writing for Vogue, Wintour recalled sitting at designer Richard Quinn's show just before she presented him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.

The Queen was "so delighted to be there, telling me how she had appeared in a fashion show long before she became queen," Wintour wrote in a tribute.

She continued: "She said it with joy and humor that bounded around the room, lighting it up: An everyday occurrence for Her Majesty, an unforgettable one for the rest of us."

Queen Elizabeth died at her residence in Balmoral at the age of 96 Thursday. Her son, Charles, was immediately instated as King.

"For 70 years, Her Majesty was a beacon of continuity and a perfect example of someone who lived by a clearly defined set of values," Wintour continued.

"We hear so much about the end of an era, but Her Majesty's passing, after so many decades of dedicated service, is undoubtedly that," Wintour said, adding that "the admiration and respect I felt for her has never diminished."

The 2018 appearance at Fashion Week with Wintour was the Queen's first, but she was a fashion icon in her own right, sporting an array of colored suits and — of course — hats throughout her unprecedented 70-year reign.

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