LONDON (AP) — The dress Princess Diana wore at her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles went on public display Thursday at the late princess’s former home in London.
The taffeta-ruffled white dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, with its 25 foot (8 meter) sequin-encrusted train, helped seal the fairytale image of the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and the heir to the British throne.
Reality soon intruded. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, with both acknowledging extramarital affairs. Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 at the age of 36.
Her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have loaned their mother’s wedding dress for the exhibition “Royal Style in the Making.” The exhibit also features sketches, photographs and gowns designed for three generations of royal women, including Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother. It runs until Jan. 2, 2022.
A staff member poses for photographers next to the wedding dress of Britain’s Princess Diana during a media preview for the “Royal Style in the Making” exhibition at Kensington Palace in London, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The exhibition, which opens to visitors on Thursday and runs until January 2, 2022, explores the intimate relationship between fashion designer and royal client. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 
A staff member poses for photographers next to the wedding dress of Britain’s Princess Diana during a media preview for the “Royal Style in the Making” exhibition at Kensington Palace in London, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The exhibition, which opens to visitors on Thursday and runs until January 2, 2022, explores the intimate relationship between fashion designer and royal client. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 
The wedding dress of Britain’s Princess Diana is displayed during a media preview for the “Royal Style in the Making” exhibition at Kensington Palace in London, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The exhibition, which opens to visitors on Thursday and runs until January 2, 2022, explores the intimate relationship between fashion designer and royal client. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 
The wedding dress of Britain’s Princess Diana is displayed during a media preview for the “Royal Style in the Making” exhibition at Kensington Palace in London, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The exhibition, which opens to visitors on Thursday and runs until January 2, 2022, explores the intimate relationship between fashion designer and royal client. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
