Almost 40 years ago, the 1981 royal wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana brought the world to a standstill. And while their matrimony was the talk-of-the-town, so was Diana’s iconic wedding gown that stole the show.
Designed by husband and wife duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the intricate ivory taffeta gown become the must-have for brides-to-be all around the globe. And with its elaborate embroidery and show-stopping train, the ornate nature of the garment is still unmatched.
Aside from its face value, there was a myriad of work that went into the gown behind-the-scenes that many may not know about.
And as we patiently await the latest instalment of The Crown—and its take on the royal wedding itself—there’s no better time to take a trip down memory lane.
Below, we’ve rounded up 11 of the most fascinating facts about Princess Diana’s wedding gown that you may or may not know.
The lace on her dress dated back to Queen Mary
A special square of Carrickmacross lace was sewn into her dress, and while its exact origins are unknown, the fabric dated all the way back to Queen Mary and was her ‘something old’ for the big day.
There was a tiny horseshoe charm hidden on the inside of the dress
Despite it not being visible to the eye, dressmakers David and Elizabeth Emanuel attached an 18-carat gold trinket studded with white diamonds to the label of the dress. And apparently, another token spent some time on the dress as Elizabeth apparently left a safety pin on the dress and didn’t remember until the day after.
There was also a small blue bow sewn into the dress
Chosen as her ‘something blue’, Diana had a tiny blue bow sewn into the waistband of her dress. But that wasn’t the only tradition she followed. Along with the antique lace and blue bow, her ‘something new’ was fabric made especially for Diana from a British silk farm and the Spencer family tiara was her ‘something borrowed’.
The veil of the dress was significantly longer than the train
According to the married duo who designed Princess Diana’s wedding dress, Diana insisted that the train be made longer. Considering the impressive length of the train, this was no mean feat. With the train measuring in at 7.6 metres in length, the veil was made from 139 metre of tulle—the longest in royal history—and was held in place by her tiara.
It was adorned with 10,000 mother of pearl sequins and pearl embellishments
The intricate ivory taffeta gown featured elaborate embroidery and consisted of 10,000 pearls and pearl embellishments, making sure that no one could ever come close to replicating the stunning bridal look.
Princess Diana was sewn into the dress on the day
Leading up to the bid day, Princess Diana shed five inches from her waistline. The design team ended up making five different bodices for her wedding dress to accommodate her changing figure. And on the day, they sewed her into the final version to ensure a perfect fit.
The dress contained a small perfume stain which she tried to hide
There was a back-up dress made that has mysteriously disappeared
While Elizabeth Emanuel is adamant that they never made a duplicate version of the dress, she has admitted that they made an alternative version in case the original design was leaked to the press ahead of the wedding. Said back-up dress sported a much deeper neckline and didn’t come with any of the lace detailing. In a strange turn of events, the garment vanished from the studio and was never seen again.
The original wedding dress cost upwards of $198,000 to make
Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, Princess Diana’s ivory silk taffeta and lace gown was not only opulent but it was also one of the most expensive royal wedding dresses on record. Coming in third place to Queen Elizabeth’s and Grace Kelly’s, the gown cost an estimated $150,000 ($198,000 AU).
And her matching shoes included hers and Charles’ initials
She also had a matching umbrella in case the weather turned
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