Sun 16 May 2021 02.15 EDT
For David Emanuel, the memories are always close to the surface. Straightening the veil, smoothing ruffles of ivory silk taffeta, whispering âa few sweet thingsâ to Diana Spencer before she walked down the aisle in St Paulâs Cathedral and became the Princess of Wales.
âIt was a long time ago, darling,â he says, of creating what is probably still the worldâs most famous wedding dress, with his ex-wife Elizabeth in 1981, âbut when we talk about it it comes back in a flash, like it was yesterday. It was magical.â
Next month, the gown will be the centrepiece of Royal Style in the Making, an exhibition at the Kensington Palace Orangery that explores the relationship between couturiers and royals. Other exhibits include a piece of toile made for the Queen Mother at the 1937 coronation of King George VI, and pieces by Bellville Sassoon and Norman Hartnell. The Diana dress, which hasnât been publicly displayed since princes William and Harry inherited it in 2014 after both had turned 30, will steal the spotlight, with its 10,000 mother-of-pearl sequins and 25ft train.