Deborah Chan
Princess Diana's wedding dress is one of the most iconic bridal looks of all time. The ivory silk taffeta gown with a 25-foot train and 153-yard tulle veil was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The dress was so famous that it was chosen by Time as one of the most influential wedding dresses of all time. The Crown features a replica of the dress, designed with input from the Emanuels, and is worn by actor Emma Corrin, who plays Diana.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Designer | David and Elizabeth Emanuel |
| Fabric | Silk taffeta and antique lace |
| Color | Ivory |
| Train | 25-foot-long |
| Veil | 153-yard tulle |
| Value | £9,000 (equivalent to $43,573 in 2023) |
| Good luck charm | 18-carat gold horseshoe trinket studded with white diamonds |
| Something blue | A blue bow inside the bodice |
| Tiara | Spencer Tiara, a Spencer family heirloom |
| Recreated in The Crown | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
The Crown recreated Diana's wedding dress
Princess Diana's wedding gown is considered one of the most iconic bridal looks of all time. The ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil, was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The dress was so famous that it was displayed at the Spencer family's estate, Althorp House, for 17 years. In 2014, the dress was taken into the private possession of Diana's sons, Prince Harry and Prince William.
The Crown, a Netflix show about the British royal family, introduced Princess Diana as a character in its fourth season. The show recreated Princess Diana's wedding dress with the help of the original designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel. Actor Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in the show, said that the dress was a "spot-on replica" of the original. Corrin also mentioned that about 10 people had to help her put on the dress because of its size.
The Crown's recreation of Princess Diana's wedding dress received a lot of attention, with many fans looking forward to seeing a replica of the famous aerial shot of the train following Diana into St. Paul's Cathedral. However, the show only provided a brief glimpse of the dress in season 4, episode 3, titled "Fairytale."
The dress designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel, shared that they had to make adjustments to the original dress due to Princess Diana's rapid weight loss before the wedding. They also created a spare wedding dress, which would have been used if the design of the original dress had been leaked to the press.
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The original dress was designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel
Princess Diana's wedding dress is one of the most famous dresses in the world and was considered one of the most closely guarded secrets in fashion history. The original dress was designed by British designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel, who described it as a dress that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved".
The Emanuels first met at the Harrow School of Art in 1974 and married two years later in 1976. They launched their label the next year, in 1977, and became a favourite designer of Lady Diana Spencer before her marriage. In 1981, the Emanuels were chosen to design the wedding dress worn by Diana. The dress was made of ivory silk, pure taffeta, and antique lace, with 10,000 pearls and sequins, and had a 25-foot train. The grand train broke records as the longest in royal wedding history.
The Emanuels also designed a backup wedding dress for Princess Diana in case the design of the original dress was leaked prior to the wedding. The alternate dress was also an ivory silk taffeta gown with the same ruffles around the neck as the original but without the signature lace. Luckily, the backup dress was never needed and was never finished.
The dress designed by the Emanuels became a defining moment in their career. Their profile soared and they became household names. They experienced global fame as a result of the dress and dressed some of the world's most famous women.
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It featured antique lace from Queen Mary
Princess Diana's wedding dress is considered one of the most famous dresses in the world. It was a voluminous ivory silk taffeta ball gown with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil, valued at $43,573 in 2023. The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who described it as a dress that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved".
The dress featured antique lace from Queen Mary as Princess Diana's "something old". It also included an 18-carat gold horseshoe trinket studded with white diamonds as a sign of good fortune, and a blue bow inside the bodice as the bride's "something blue".
The dress was kept a closely guarded secret before the wedding, and an alternate dress was constructed in case the design was leaked. The alternate dress was also an ivory silk taffeta gown with ruffles around the neck, but it lacked the signature lace and was never finished.
In The Crown, we only get a brief glimpse of Princess Diana's wedding dress in season 4, episode 3, titled "Fairytale". The dress in the show is a replica of the real thing, but it still had a powerful effect on the actress Emma Corrin, who plays Diana.
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$19.99
The dress had a 25-foot train and 153-yard veil
Princess Diana's wedding dress is one of the most iconic bridal looks of all time. The ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown featured a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. The 25-foot train broke records as the longest in royal wedding history. The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who described it as a dress that "had to be something that was going to go down in history, but also something that Diana loved". The dress was valued at £9,000 at the time, which is equivalent to $43,573 in 2023.
The Emanuels intentionally designed the dress's 25-foot train to break the previous record of 20 feet set by another royal bride. The train was so long that the design team couldn't fully show Diana the dress until the final fitting at Buckingham Palace, where they had enough space to unroll the train.
The veil was also a standout feature of the ensemble, with tiny mother-of-pearl sequins scattered on the tulle, creating a fairy dust effect. The same sequins were used on the gown itself, adding to the dramatic impact of the look.
The Crown featured a replica of Princess Diana's wedding dress, created in collaboration with the original designers, David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The replica dress had a powerful effect on Emma Corrin, the actress who played Diana in the show. She described the experience of wearing the dress and how it felt like an extension of the late princess.
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The dress was displayed at Althorp House for 17 years
Princess Diana's wedding dress was displayed at Althorp House, her childhood home, for 17 years. The Grade I-listed stately home has been the primary residence of the Spencer family for over 500 years. It is located in the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, England, and has been owned by Diana's younger brother, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, since 1992. The estate spans 13,000 acres and includes 28 listed buildings and structures.
Althorp House holds a significant place in Princess Diana's history, as it was not only her childhood home but also the place where she first met her future husband, Prince Charles, in the 1970s. After her untimely death in 1997, Princess Diana was interred on a small island in the middle of the ornamental Round Oval lake on the Althorp estate.
The wedding dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, is considered one of the most iconic bridal gowns of all time. It is described as an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, featuring a dramatic 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. The dress was chosen by Time magazine in 2018 as one of the "Most Influential British Royal Wedding Dresses of All Time."
The dress was displayed at Althorp House as part of the "Diana: A Celebration" exhibition. In 2014, ownership of the dress was transferred from Diana's brother to her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, as per her request that her belongings be returned to them when they turned 30. While the dress is no longer on display at Althorp House, it continues to capture the public's imagination, with many seeking a recreation of the famous aerial shot of the train following Diana into St. Paul's Cathedral on her wedding day.
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Frequently asked questions
No, The Crown used a replica of Princess Diana's wedding dress. The Crown introduced Princess Diana as a character in season 4, which premiered on November 15, 2020.
Actress Emma Corrin, who plays Princess Diana in The Crown, said that the show recreated the dress by working with the dress's designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel. The Emanuels provided the patterns for the replica.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown with a 25-foot train and a 153-yard tulle veil. The dress was valued at £9,000 at the time of her wedding in 1981.
Yes, Princess Diana had a spare wedding dress designed by the Emanuels in case the design of the original was leaked to the press before the wedding. The backup dress was made of "pale ivory silk taffeta with embroidered scalloped details on the hem and sleeves."
Princess Diana's wedding dress was on display at Althorp House, the Spencer family estate, for 17 years. In 2014, ownership of the dress was transferred to her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and it is now in their private possession.
