There’s no doubt that Princess Diana’s wedding dress is one of the most famous gowns that has ever been created. However, did you know that she had a second wedding dress? If you weren’t aware of that fact, that’s not surprising, because even the bride didn’t know about it.
On top of that, the alternate item ended up disappearing before the public even knew it existed. But, it was eventually recreated so that you can see what it looked like when it was made for the beloved royal.
Diana’s Second Wedding Dress Was a ‘Complete Secret’
When David and Elizabeth Emanuel were asked to make Diana’s wedding dress for the ceremony that took place on July 29, 1981, at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, they not only kept the design for the main gown under wraps, but they also created a second item in secret. Elizabeth later told People, “At the time we wanted to make absolutely sure that the dress was a surprise. Had the secret of the real dress got out it’s possible that Diana would actually have worn this one.”
“We didn’t try it on Diana. We never even discussed it,” Elizabeth noted. “We wanted to make sure that we had something there; it was for our own peace of mind, really.”
Indeed, in a video for People, Elizabeth explained, “I was a bit neurotic at the time of the making of the royal wedding dress and I thought what happens if somebody breaks in and steals the dress or something spills or there’s a fire… I wanted to be prepared for any emergency, and we set about making this other dress.”
Confirming that “Diana never knew” about the second dress, Elizabeth said, “I didn’t want to worry her, so we never showed it to her. We never talked about it. It was [a] complete secret.”
As for what happened to the second dress, Elizabeth told Hello! in 2023 (via WWD), “It just disappeared.”
She also told People, “The original one is just gone because after we realized that we wouldn’t have to use it and the royal wedding dress was there and Diana wore it, it ended up on some sample rail somewhere because it was unfinished … so the replica is the only one that exists.”
That’s right, a replica was made so that we can get a look at what the second wedding dress would have looked like if Diana had worn it on her wedding day.
The Alternate Dress Featured Stunning Details
Just like the wedding dress that Diana wore, the second gown — which the public found out about in 2011, while the sketches were first shown off in 2023 and the full design came later — was made of ivory silk taffeta and boasted “the same ruffles around the neck as the original but without the signature lace,” according to People.
WWD also notes that the dress featured “scalloped details along the hemline and sleeves,” while “[t]iny pearls were also sewn onto the bodice.”
Elizabeth explained to People that “the scallops were really, really important in the creation of this dress because it was a big feature.” She also mentioned that “there’s just 14 meters of this fabric in the world the only place you can see it really is on this spare dress.”
Saying that it took two months to make the dress with the help of a seamstress named Olga, Elizabeth told People, “I am happy with how this turned out. It’s what I had in my head at the time, but now we’ve done everything … So, although it never made it to get on to Diana, this is how it would have looked if it had been totally finished.”
