QEH was founded as a result of a gift of £100,000 given by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer to the University of Oxford.[2] The donation was for the development of colonial studies and the establishment of an associated colonial centre. A further gift of £50,000 was given by the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund of the British government.
QEH was constituted by Royal Charter in 1954 to provide a residential centre which people concerned with the study of Commonwealth affairs could visit to make contacts and exchange ideas.
In the 1980s there was a drive to reshape QEH as a centre for international studies, rather than purely for study concerning the Commonwealth. In 1986 it was merged with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and the Oxford University Institute of Agricultural Economics to create the International Development Centre, a department of the University within the Social Studies Faculty.
From 1958 to 2005 QEH was located at 20-21 St Giles. In 2006, the department moved to the former School of Geography building in Mansfield Road and became known as the Oxford Department of International Development.[3] In 2011 the Palace authorised the use of the name Queen Elizabeth House for the buildings at 3 Mansfield Road.