Princess Diana’s famous wedding dress will soon have a missing piece of its history restored. The veil is the piece that was a crucial part of the ensemble for Diana’s wedding in 1981, and 45 years later, designer Elizabeth Emanuel has recreated it.
The new piece is meant to recreate the entirety of one of the most memorable royal fashion moments. The recreated veil could appear with the dress during future exhibitions.
Princess Diana’s wedding veil was recreated to honor one of the most iconic royal fashion moments
On July 29, 1981, Diana was married to King Charles in the dramatic gown created by Elizabeth and David Emanuel. The dress became famous for its 25-foot train, while the original veil stretched 40 feet from Diana’s head. She completed the royal outfit with her Spencer family tiara. However, the dress has appeared at exhibitions without the original veil since Diana died in 1997.
Emanuel told PEOPLE that the dress did not feel complete without the veil. “It needs that veil. That’s the whole magic. That’s why I call it the Veil of Light,” she said. She added that the recreated piece brings back the “twinkle” and helps the dress shine again. Emanuel believes the original veil either got damaged or got lost over the years.
Diana’s wedding dress was designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel in 1981 in their Mayfair studio in London with a small group of seamstresses and embroiderers. The designers carefully crafted every detail of the iconic gown and veil and worked closely to make Diana’s big day perfect.
Renae Plant of The Princess Diana Museum later asked Emanuel to recreate the missing veil for the collection’s first-ever tour. Plant said preserving these pieces with Emanuel’s help protects an important part of royal history.
Emanuel turned to Hand & Lock in London, the same company that made the original veil, for the recreation. The team used the same process and applied handmade, numerous little sequins throughout the fabric.
Emanuel used original measurements and fabric samples to make the new veil as close as possible to the first one. She said Hand & Lock had to create the veil in stages because it was larger than the room where they worked.
Emanuel explained that the veil “defuses the color” and creates the airy look she imagined when designing the gown. The recreated veil remains in London and may join the wedding dress in a future exhibition. “It would be ‘amazing’ to see the entire piece again, and it’s really important to show how it looked on Diana’s wedding day,” Emanuel said.
TELL US – CAN THE NEW VEIL BRING BACK THE MAGIC OF DIANA’S ROYAL WEDDING MOMENT?
