Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer has recreated the royal bride’s extraordinary 40-foot veil, 45 years after the original piece was said to have gone “missing”.
Elizabeth Emanuel has made a new version of the late Princess of Wales’s handmade embroidered veil, first designed with her husband David Emmanuel MBE for Diana’s historic wedding to then Prince Charles at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981.
Although Diana’s £9,000 bridal gown has been shown to the public many times over the decades, including at Kensington Palace and Althorp House, the original veil has notably never appeared alongside it.
Ms Emanuel has now revived the lost element of the ensemble after being commissioned by Renae Plant, founder of the Princess Diana Museum, to supervise the ambitious recreation.
On Instagram, the designer marked the project by sharing previously unseen photographs from 1981, showing seamstresses and embroiderers working on Diana’s original wedding gown inside her small Mayfair studio.
“Hard to believe it’s been 45 years since the Royal Wedding!,” she wrote. “The behind the scenes photos bring back so many memories.”
Speaking to People about the painstaking project, Ms Emanuel said restoring the veil to Diana’s bridal look was essential to preserving the “whole magic” of the moment.
“That’s why I call it the Veil of Light,” she explained. “You can see the twinkle, and it radiates. The dress isn’t as complete without the veil.”
Elizabeth Emanuel (pictured) has recreated the late Princess of Wales’s handmade embroidered veil, which she originally designed with her husband David Emmanuel MBE, for the spectacular event at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981
Pictured: Elizabeth and her husband David with Princess Diana. Now, Ms Emmanuel has recreated a replica of her historic 40-foot veil – 45 years after the original item went ‘missing’
In the years since her Royal Wedding, Diana’s famous gown has frequently been displayed to members of the public at Kensington Palace and Althorp House, yet the original veil has always been absent
She added that once the veil is added to the look, the wedding dress ‘looks lighter, and has this airy, delicate feel to it which you don’t necessarily appreciate when you see the dress without all of that. It is an integral part of the design.’
To ensure the recreation is as accurate as possible, Ms Emanuel worked alongside London-based embroidery house Hand & Lock, who produced the original veil, and has also unearthed the initial measurements they used back in 1981.
In line with the preparations for Diana’s wedding day, Hand & Lock have worked entirely by hand to replicate the veil, with Ms Emanuel providing them with ‘an original piece of the fabric and a piece from the same loom to help them’.
Given the sheer size of the veil, the artisans at Hand & Lock crafted the creation in intermittent stages.
Now, Ms Plant is set to take the collection on tour in Autumn, allowing members of the public to catch a rare glimpse of the recreated piece for the first time.
Lady Diana Spencer, aged 20, married Prince Charles, then 32, at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981, in front of 3,500 guests.
Hailed as the ‘wedding of the century’, a record-breaking 750 million people in 74 countries across the globe tuned in to watch the event on television.
‘I remember being so in love with my husband that I couldn’t take my eyes off him,’ Diana told writer Andrew Morton. ‘I just absolutely thought I was the luckiest girl in the world. He was going to look after me.’
Taking to Instagram, Ms Emanuel shared some unseen photographs of seamstresses and embroiders working on the dress in her small studio in Mayfair back in 1981
‘Hard to believe it’s been 45 years since the Royal Wedding !,’ she wrote. ‘The behind the scenes photos bring back so many memories’
Lady Diana Spencer, aged 20, married Prince Charles, then 32, at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981, in front of 3,500 guests. Hailed as the ‘wedding of the century’, a record-breaking 750 million people in 74 countries across the globe tuned in to watch the event on television
The jubilant occasion marked the first time that a British citizen had married an heir to the throne in 300 years.
Charles and Diana had announced their engagement five months prior to the wedding, on February 24, 1981, with an exclusive interview.
The Prince told the BBC that he was ‘delighted and frankly amazed’ that Diana was ‘prepared’ to take him on.
However, he upset his future wife when he was asked if they were in love. Diana replied, ‘Of course,’ while Charles quipped, ‘Whatever in love means’ – a comment she was believed to find ‘traumatising.’
During the discussion, Diana debuted her £47,000 engagement ring from luxury jeweller Garrard.
It was a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire, surrounded by 14 diamonds, set in 18-carat white gold.
The breathtaking design, inspired by the brooch that Queen Victoria wore on her wedding day, was considered an unusual choice for royalty since it was not custom-made.
The lavish ceremony was held at St Paul’s Cathedral, rather than Westminster Abbey, due to its larger capacity.
Lady Diana was the picture of elegance as she arrived at the venue with her father, Earl Spencer.
He had suffered a serious stroke in 1978 and then endured a long recovery, so his presence held significant importance to Diana.
Months earlier, Buckingham Palace announced that Elizabeth and David Emanuel – who had previously worked with Diana – had been commissioned to create the royal wedding dress.
The recent fashion school graduates, in their late 20s, crafted her iconic gown from lustrous ivory silk taffeta and incorporated a huge petticoat made from 90 metres of tulle.
Attention to detail was key: ruffles and bows were placed at the neckline and cuffs, while 10,000 pearls and sequins provided a glimmering finish.
Diana’s bridal look featured the longest train in royal history, measuring 25 feet.
To ensure it was the perfect width, Elizabeth and David secretly measured the aisle of St Paul’s with a tape measure.
The designers also created a spare petticoat and a silk skirt, which could be fitted over the original in case of emergency.
Eschewing royal tradition, Princess Diana chose to wear a tiara belonging to her father, John Spencer.
Dating back to 1919, the Spencer tiara was crafted using a variety of diamonds from the family collection.
