Princess Diana’s wedding dress is perhaps the most iconic royal wedding gown of all time, but what many people don’t know is that a backup dress that even Diana didn’t know about once existed—and has since disappeared.
Designer Elizabeth Emanuel, who was part of the husband/wife team who created Diana’s wedding dress, told People that she and ex-husband David secretly stitched a second gown in case the worst happened 45 years ago.
“I was a bit neurotic, and I thought, ‘What happens if somebody breaks in and steals the dress or something spills or there’s a fire or it gets stolen?’” she told the magazine. “So I thought, ‘I’m gonna make a backup dress.’”
Although it was similar to the poofy creation with a 25-foot train that Diana wore to walk down the aisle, the second dress was a more subdued version without the mega train. It also differed from the original gown because the backup was crafted from bright white silk rather than the ivory taffeta of Diana’s actual dress.
Princess Diana never knew that the design duo created the dress, and in fact, they never finished sewing it.
“I just thought, ‘If anything happens, we’ll finish it off and have it ready,’” Emanuel admitted, adding, “Neither of us wanted to worry her. It was a complete secret.”
As for the whereabouts of the mystery dress, Emanuel said she actually has no idea what happened to it. “It likely ended up on some sample rail,” the designer said. “It probably got reused, torn up, thrown out, who knows?”
