Princess Diana's iconic wedding dress, worn for her marriage to Prince Charles in July 1981, has gone on display at Kensington Palace. The gown, loaned by her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, is the centrepiece of a new exhibition titled 'Royal Style in the Making'. The display opened a month before what would have been Diana's 60th birthday.
Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the dress features a 25-foot (7.6-metre) sequin-encrusted train that filled the aisle of St Paul's Cathedral. The bodice is fitted and overlaid with panels of antique Carrickmacross lace that originally belonged to Queen Mary, while the large puffed sleeves, trimmed with bows and deep ruffles of taffeta, reflect early 1980s fashion.
In a video shown at the exhibition, Elizabeth Emanuel recalls Diana phoning to ask her and her then-husband to create the dress. 'It was one of those strange moments where you know your life is never going to be the same again,' she said. Alongside the wedding dress, William and Harry have also loaned their mother's going-away dresses.
The exhibition, held at the Kensington Palace Orangery, explores the process of designing outfits for royal clients and highlights designers who dressed the Queen, Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother. It also features a rare surviving toile for the 1937 gown worn by Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) for King George VI's coronation. The exhibition runs until 2 January, with entry included in palace tour tickets.
