Princess Diana’s wedding gown she wore the day of her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles was, and remains one of the most iconic dresses of all time. The wedding dress, designed by former husband-and-wife design duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel featured incredible details and an epic 25-foot train. However, Lady Di also had another wedding dress that never saw the light of day.
Reportedly, the second dress was made in case the original was leaked or damaged. The Emanuels created an exact replica of Diana’s wedding down that was to be displayed at Madame Tussauds and this second gown.
"At the time we wanted to make absolutely sure that the dress was a surprise," David told People, as reported by Hello!. "We wanted to make sure that we had something there; it was for our own peace of mind, really."
Apparently, Diana had no clue it even existed. “We didn’t try it on Diana. We never even discussed it,” David shares. In a 2005 interview with CBS News, Elizabeth said, “Unless I am having a brain seizure, trying on a second dress was the last thing Diana would have done. She was so busy, we had to fit all our fittings around her schedule. There was absolutely no way she could have tried on that dress."
The design of the second dress was reportedly more toned down and much simpler than what she wore for her big day. However, it was made of the same ivory silk taffeta and still featured ruffles around the neckline, also including a deeper V neckline and shorter frilled sleeves. The dress was also never completed. "It was only three-quarters finished — we simply didn’t have time to make it in its entirety, so none of the embroidery or finishing touches were done," Elizabeth told Daily Mail.
Elizabeth also told Daily Mail that it vanished after the wedding took place. "It was hanging up in the studio for a long time, and then it disappeared," she said. I don’t know if we sold it or put it into storage. It was such a busy time. I’m sure it’ll turn up in a bag one day!"
However, it is believed to have been auctioned in 2005, after auction house Cooper Owen claimed it sold a replica of Diana’s wedding gown for $90,000.