Diana’s glorious gown to go on show in Kensington
DIANA, Princess of Wales’ famous wedding dress is to go on show at Kensington Palace for the first time in more than 25 years.
The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex have agreed to lend their mother’s romantic full silk taffeta bridal gown to Historic Royal Palaces for a temporary exhibition.
Royal Style In The Making will open in the orangery of the princess’ former London home on June 3, and Diana’s dress will be the showcase attraction. It will be displayed with its
25ft (7.6m) sequinencrusted train – the longest in royal history.
The gown, designed by Bridgend-born David Emanuel, inset above, and his former wife, Elizabeth, for Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1981, features a fitted bodice overlaid at the centre, both front and back, with panels of antique Carrickmacross lace which originally belonged to Queen
Mary – Charles’ great-grandmother. Its gently scooped neckline and large puffed sleeves are trimmed with bows and deep ruffles of taffeta, a style popularised by the princess in the early 1980s, while the full skirt is supported on a mountain of stiff net petticoats to create its famous silhouette.
The bride’s ivory silk tulle featured 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins. Royal Style In The Making will examine the relationship between fashion designers and their royal clients, and feature a number of never-before-seen items including the rare surviving toile for the 1937 coronation dress of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The toile is a full-size working pattern of the completed gown, created by London-based court designer Madame Handley-Seymour. Tickets can be bought at https:// www.hrp.org.uk/Kensington-Palace/ whats-on/royal-style-in-themaking/£gs. z59c2u