Lady Di’s wedding dress is considered one of the most iconic dresses in history. But the two designers were horrified when Princess Diana stepped in front of the altar in it.
LONDON – The world held its breath when Princess Diana (36, † 1997) walked up to her future husband Charles (now 74), then Prince of Wales, on June 29, 1981 in St. Paul’s Cathedral. The designers Elizabeth (69) and David Emanuel (70) also gasped for air at the time – but not with enthusiasm.
Designer on seeing Lady Di in a wedding dress: “I was really horrified”
For Princess Diana’s wedding dress was before the wedding with today King Charles III the highest level of secrecy. That’s why Diana didn’t wear the original at the dress rehearsal, but a dress made of different fabrics. “At the time, we really wanted to make sure the dress was a surprise,” explains David Emanuel aloud people.com. “We didn’t try it on Diana. We didn’t even talk about it.”
What the designers apparently hadn’t thought of was the way to the church. Princess Diana covered it in a carriage – sitting, of course. “We knew there was going to be a bit of a crease, but when I saw them arrive at St. Pauls and we saw the creases, I actually felt faint.”reveals Elizabeth Emanuel in an interview with itv. “I was really horrified because there were quite a lot of wrinkles. It was a lot more than we thought.”
Princess Diana’s wedding dress
Princess Diana’s wedding dress was made of ivory silk taffeta. The legendary robe was covered with sequins, beads and embroidery. The veil was 1.40 meters long, the train measured a proud 7.62 meters. Lady Di’s wedding dress is said to have had a value of just over 80,000 euros. After Diana’s death, the dress passed into the possession of her brother Charles Spencer (58), the robe was shown in the exhibition “Diana: A Celebration” until 2014, the proceeds of which benefited Lady Di’s charity foundation. The wedding dress has been owned by her sons Prince William (40) and Prince Harry (38) since 2014.
Despite wrinkles: Princess Diana loved her wedding dress
Despite the wrinkles, Princess Diana’s wedding dress became the absolute cult dress of the eighties, and in 2018 it was crowned Timesmagazine Diana’s wedding dress even the most influential wedding dress of the British royals. And Diana herself is said to have been more than enthusiastic about her outfit on her wedding day. David Emanuel remembers in an interview with the Hellomagazine that the Princess of Wales called him after the ceremony.
“She said, ‘I just wanted to say thank you so much for the dress. I love it. Prince Charles loves it. The whole family loved it,'” Emanuel said of Lady Di’s call on her wedding day. “The fact that she took the time before going on her honeymoon, that’s real kindness.” But it wasn’t just her wedding dress that made Princess Diana a style icon, the Princess of Wales also caused excitement with other gowns. One of Princess Diana’s favorite dresses recently became auctioned for a record sum. Sources used: mirror.co.uk, people.com, hellomagazine.com
