The designer of Princess Diana’s famous wedding dress was so worried the gown would be leaked to the public before the big day she secretly designed a second gown, details of which have been revealed for the first time.
Elizabeth Emmanuel was thrilled when the young Lady Diana Spencer commissioned her to create a gown for her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles.
The dress Elizabeth made for Diana became one of the most famous wedding gowns of all time, but the designer has now revealed it wasn’t the only frock made for the occasion.
In pictures: The most amazing royal wedding dresses
Elizabeth ordered a second dress made in secret so Diana would have another option if information about her first choice was published in the media.
“At the time we wanted to make absolutely sure that the dress was a surprise,” Elizabeth told People magazine. “Had the secret of the real dress got out it’s possible that Diana would actually have worn this one.”
The back-up gown is made from the same ivory silk taffeta as the dress Diana did wear on the day and features the same voluminous ruffles around the neck, but without the antique lace.
Elizabeth designed it “in case of emergency” and had her seamstresses secretly make it, but never ordered the finishing touches — such as beading and embroidery around the skirt — to be completed.
Diana was never told about the stand-by gown because Elizabeth didn’t want to unnecessarily worry her.
“We didn’t try it on Diana. We never even discussed it,” Elizabeth said. “We wanted to make sure that we had something there; it was for our own peace of mind, really.”
Elizabeth said she didn’t envy the designer chosen to create the gown for the upcoming wedding of Diana’s son Prince William to Kate Middleton. Elizabeth didn’t know who is working on Kate’s dress, but said she has no idea how they plan to keep it a secret.
“They’re keeping quiet on the designer this time, probably to avoid all the hassle that we had,” Elizabeth said. “It was really difficult and we didn’t have to contend with cameras in phones etc, like you have today. How do you keep something secret like that? I have no idea.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton are due to marry in London’s Westminster Abbey on April 29. William celebrated his stag night last weekend, inviting 22 friends to a private party at a country estate outside London.
All guests were sworn to secrecy and have refused to reveal what occurred during the evening.
Related: Princess Diana’s Britain
St James’s Palace has confirmed the party took place, but did not release any further details.
“I can confirm that Prince William’s stag party happened this weekend,” a spokesman told the UK’s Daily Telegraph. “It was an entirely private event and we don’t intend to make any further comment.”
Your say: Do you think Prince William should have had a wilder stag party?
Video: Has Kate Middleton chosen Alexander McQueen to design her wedding dress?
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