Crafted from pale ivory silk taffeta with a fitted bodice incorporating antique Carrickmacross lace originally belonging to Queen Mary, the elaborate bridal gown Lady Diana Spencer wore when she married the then Prince Charles on 29 July 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral in London remains one of the most iconic garments of all time.
Now, in new 5 documentary Secrets of Diana’s Wedding Dress, British fashion designer Elizabeth Emanuel and her former husband David Emanuel will chart the behind-the-seams story of how they made the fairy-tale frock, which broke royal records with its 25ft train.
As well as tales of Diana’s secret visits to their studio with the code name ‘Deborah’ and how a safe was installed to keep the designs and fabric swatches secure, Elizabeth will also share drawings and unseen personal photographs of how the dress went from a dream to reality.
Here, in an exclusive interview, Elizabeth, 71, tells us about her first impressions of Diana and why she thinks the gown is still such a source of fascination…
Diana was just 19 when she hand-picked you to design her wedding dress. What was she like back then?
"She was very young and very naive, but we immediately got on. She was absolutely lovely and she had a wicked sense of humour. David and I had only left college a year earlier, so when Diana chose us to design her dress, we went from being young students to the most famous designers in the world. That formed a bond between Diana and us. In a way, we were all new to the game."
How did the process of creating the garment begin?
"Our whole collection was already all ruffles, antique lace and silk chiffon. That was the look, and Diana just loved it. So we went through the designs together and she tried on all the dresses in our sample range. Everyone agreed she looked absolutely stunning in one particular style – and she just went for it! I knew it had to be big, it had to be dramatic, and I knew there had to be a long train. We said to Diana, ‘We’ve done some research and we think the longest train is about 23ft. So how about we make yours 25ft?’ And she loved the idea. She was very much in favour of making something very splendid and memorable: the ultimate fairy-tale princess dress."
What was it like in your studio when Diana visited for fittings?
"The atmosphere was very relaxed because we wanted to make it an oasis of peace and quiet for her. At that time, she was being pursued by the paparazzi, so we wanted her to feel she had a safe haven in the studio.
"Working with her was a dream. She used to stand for hours and she never complained. She also trusted us completely. We didn’t even have a confidentiality agreement! We stayed clear of asking about her private life and focused on the clothes, and she really loved that.
"The final fitting took place in a corridor in Buckingham Palace because it was the only place big enough to see the dress with the train fully extended. It was quite funny because we put all our bags and coats in Princess Anne’s bedroom, which was on the same corridor. We just stuck them on the bed!"
How difficult was it to keep the gown under wraps before the big day?
"We were under huge pressure from journalists and some of our team were offered vast amounts of money to share their secrets. We were also being spied on by the press, who were going through our bins, so we’d leave false trails of different coloured swatches to put them off the scent. Not even Charles or the late Queen Elizabeth II knew any of the details. But it was very stressful trying to keep it a secret and making sure nothing slipped out."
You were invited to the wedding. Was it exciting seeing the dress you’d designed in all its glory?
"It didn’t sink in until we were in St Paul’s Cathedral just how big a thing it was! Around 750 million were watching worldwide on the day. So I was a little bit stressed, and I took along smelling salts and sugar tablets in case Diana felt faint. I also made a spare skirt in case she spilled something down the front.
"But Diana was very calm, and it was a wonderful day. When she emerged from the royal carriage, she was like a beautiful butterfly emerging from a chrysalis!"
The 16ft-long veil Meghan Markle chose when she and Prince Harry tied the knot in 2018 is believed to be a nod to Diana’s 25ft train. What did you make of Meghan’s gown, and the dress Kate Middleton wore for her wedding to Prince William in 2011?
"I could see the statement Meghan was trying to make with her dress [designed by Clare Waight Keller under the Givenchy label], which was to have a very simple, plain white gown. But I wasn’t 100% keen on it.
"I loved Kate’s dress [designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen], though. It was very beautiful and very royal, and it didn’t take over. The dress didn’t wear her, she wore the dress."
It’s 44 years since the world got its first glimpse of Diana’s dress. Did you ever imagine that people would still be so fascinated by it today?
"No, I honestly don’t think anyone knew that it would become as big as it was. But I suppose the reason people still remember it, and talk about it, is because Diana was so famous and so iconic that the dress became iconic as well.
"Every designer on the planet wanted to make her wedding dress, and I still feel so lucky that Diana chose us. It literally changed my life."
Secrets of Diana's Wedding Dress airs on Saturday, June 28 at 9pm on 5
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