Princess Diana’s Iconic Wedding Dress: For Viewing At Kensington Palace From June 2021
Historic Royal Palaces curators have this week announced that the late Princess Diana’s iconic wedding dress will be displayed at Kensington Palace—of which she once called home—later this summer, after having gotten permission from both Prince William and Prince Harry.
The well-known wedding gown and the accompanying 25-foot train will be part of the Royal Style in the Making exhibit, set in the historic Orangery starting on June 3. The exhibition will take visitors through the relationship between designers and their royal clients—and will also include other starring pieces from the likes of Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother.
“Our summer exhibition at Kensington Palace will shine a spotlight on some of the greatest talents of British design, whose work has been instrumental in shaping the visual identity of the royal family across the twentieth century,” Matthew Storey, exhibition curator at Historic Royal Palaces, shared in a statement.
“We'll be exploring how the partnership between each designer and client worked and revealing the process behind the creation of a number of the most important couture commissions in royal history. While one of the highlights will undoubtedly be Diana, Princess of Wales's show-stopping Emanuel designed wedding dress, which goes on show at the palace for the first time in 25 years—we've got some real surprises up our sleeve for fashion fans!” Storey continued.
Elizabeth Emanuel, one of the designers behind Princess Diana’s dress, told People that viewing the dress will be like “seeing an old friend after all these years. I was looking at the images again today and I can't believe how many sequins we sewed on to the dress. This is going to be a wonderful exhibition.”
The wedding dress display will mark the beginning of a celebration period at the palace put in place to honour the late princess. To commemorate her would-be sixtieth birthday this year, Prince William and Prince Harry will also unveil a statue of their mother on the palace grounds this July.
Interested in learning more about the wedding dress or the upcoming Royal Style in the Making exhibit? Be sure to visit the official Historic Royal Palaces website for details on viewings or to purchase tickets.