Lady Diana's Wedding Dress on Display After 25 Years

Lady Diana's iconic wedding dress, designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel for her marriage to Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, will be publicly exhibited for the first time in 25 years at Kensington Palace. The dress, made of ivory silk taffeta, features 230 meters of tulle, 10,000 pearls and mother-of-pearl sequins, oversized puffed sleeves, a meringue-like skirt, and a 7-meter train—the longest in royal wedding history. It is part of the exhibition "Royal Style in the Making," running from June 3, 2021, to January 2, 2022, in the recently restored Orangerie of Kensington Palace. The show explores bespoke garments created for three generations of British royals, including original sketches, fabric samples, and unpublished photographs from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. Curator Matthew Storey stated the exhibition highlights the work of British couturiers who shaped the royal family's visual identity throughout the 20th century. After Diana's death in 1997, the dress was held by the Spencer family and later by Princes William and Harry, who authorized the loan.