It’s one of the most famous dresses in the world and is now on display to the public for the first time in over two decades.
Fashion fans and Royalists can finally get a close-up look at Princess Diana’s iconic wedding dress which is on show at Kensington Palace this month.
Over 750 million people from 74 countries around the world watched the late princess walk down the aisle to marry Prince Charles back in 1981, wearing the spectacular frock.
It was famed for having an exceptionally long train, but what Royal fans may not have known is that the dress actually had a stain on it and contained an 18-carat gold and diamond horseshoe for luck, which was sewn into the embroidery.
Other interesting facts about the dress was that it was “the most closely guarded secret in fashion history”, according to The Press Courtier.
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Its details were kept so successfully hidden from the media that details were only released “in sealed envelopes”, to be opened the moment Diana stepped into the glass coach at Clarence House.
The designers also had to make three dresses for Diana, just in case word did get out about the chosen dress.
The ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, which featured a record-breaking 25-foot train that filled the aisle of St Paul’s Cathedral where the wedding took place, and a 153-yard tulle veil, was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel.
The fashion designer couple, now divorced, were chosen personally by Diana, who called their office herself, at a time when they were busy and flustered at work.
Elizabeth told British Vogue: “I ran upstairs in annoyance and must have sounded a tad impatient before realising it was Diana. I was in shock!
“My poor half-dressed client downstairs must have heard so much thumping as David and I celebrated the decision that ultimately changed our lives.”
The dress featured and a staggering 10,000 mother of pearl sequins and pearls. Not only this, but a piece of antique Carrickmacross lace was attached to it that once belonged to Prince Charles’s great-grandmother, Queen Mary.
Unsurprisingly, the iconic full skirt and imposing puffed sleeves began a trend for wedding dresses in the 1980s, reports Metro.
"It was all about drama and making Diana a fairytale princess," Elizabeth added.
"The gown was typical of early 80s style – overblown, romantic, flouncy – but we had to get it right because we knew it would go down in history."
Because of the vast train and huge amount of fabric on the gown, Diana struggled to fit into her carriage on the way to St. Paul's Cathedral and the Emanuels had to fold the fabric over the princess, which caused wrinkles.
"We had prepared for this, but for a millisecond, I was worried about smoothing them out," Elizabeth told Vogue.
Most people also don’t know that there was actually a stain on the dress on Diana’s big day.
According to her make-up artist, Barbara Daly, the princess spilled some of her favourite Quelques Fleurs perfume on the precious gown on the morning of the wedding and tucked in the front of the dress to hide it.
Luckily, she also had a large, cascading bouquet to hold as she walked down the aisle to cover the stain.
The shoes matching the gown had to have low heels so Diana, at 5ft 10in, wouldn’t appear taller than Prince Charles.
The silk slippers were covered in 542 sequins and 132 pearls and had a “C” and “D” with a love heart in between painted on the shoes’ arches.
According to reports, at the time of the princess’s 1981 wedding, the dress cost £9,000 to make, but would be valued anywhere between £151,000 and £200,000 today, given its historic significance.
It has been on display from June 3 at Kensington Palace as part of an exhibition called Royal Style in the Making.
It also features a rare toile from a gown worn in 1937 by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother to the coronation of her husband, King George VI.
The display includes never-before-seen items from the archives of some of the most celebrated royal couturiers of the 20th century too, alongside examples of the stunning gowns and stylish tailoring created for three generations of royal women.
The exhibition runs until January 2 2022, and tickets cost £23 for adults and £11.50 for children aged five to 15. It’s free for children under the age of five.
Tickets must be booked in advance and include access to all public areas of Kensington Palace, including the gardens.
You can book online here.
