The Queen's Bitter Disagreement That Nearly Ruined Diana's Wedding Comes Out

Princess Diana seemed universally beloved, but the truth is that she was constantly having to prove herself to the royal family and the British people. There was no bigger day of her life than her wedding on July 29th, 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral. The Princess-to-be and her designers put an incredible amount of thought into her gown, but they couldn't account for everything. When one flaw showed up, it was already too late.

Wedding bells

Diana was checking off all the boxes leading up to her nuptials. She had met the parents, the friends, and the rest of the extended royal family. She had made plans about what she wanted to accomplish in her new royal position. But one thing that never left Diana's mind was her stunning dress.

In control

Most of the royals depend on other people to do their dirty work for them, but not Princess Diana. Instead of sending an assistant to pick out her dress, she picked up the phone and started researching designers herself. She picked out two young designers she admired, David and Elizabeth Emanuel. But were these relative unknowns ready for such a massive occasion?

People are talking

The team kept their planning under wraps. For a while, it started to feel like Princess Diana's dress was more important than the wedding! "It sounds a bit over-the-top, but it really did seem like people would go to any lengths to find out what the dress looked like," Elizabeth Emmanuel said.

Endless measurements

The Emanuels prepared for Diana’s big day with several dress rehearsals. They took several measurements and sizings. They probably even consulted with other royals to make sure everything was up to par. But amidst all the planning and commotion, they neglected to take into account the dress's measurements, which would cause more problems in the near future...

The world watching

The pressure was on. It's one thing for a typical bride to make a mistake in front of her wedding party. But for Lady Diana and her designing duo, the entire world was watching. And they were watching very closely.

Felt faint

July 29th was a beautiful day, full of kisses and positive energy. But Princess Diana’s wedding dress designers worried about the taffeta material. “When I saw her arrive at St. Paul’s," Elizabeth said in a later 2018 interview, "I actually felt faint." They poured so much attention into the dress, but one tiny matter had slipped through the cracks...

25 feet long

The fabric wasn't the only delicate matter of Diana's dress. Most wedding gowns have this or that impressive embellishment. Be it jewelry or a classic bodice, there's always that one feature that makes it pop. For Princess Diana, it was her dress' train — at 25 feet, the gown was so long that it had to be captured aerially!

Expensive too

It wasn't just the gown's train that got people talking. It was also the symbolic and literal weight of the dang thing! The dress was truly a sight to see, though it was rather unwieldy to wear, thanks to its adornment of 10,000 pearls.

Honoring tradition

Granted, there were some clever features that made the dress so memorable. Tradition matters, especially to the royal family. That's why, when Queen Elizabeth saw that Princess Diana's dress had lace that belonged to Queen Mary, she appreciated that respect was being paid to the family history. But something else would make her wince!

A hefty price

Diana spared no expense in her wedding ensemble. On top of being decorated with pearls and family heirlooms, the dress was made of only the finest materials. At the time, in 1981, it cost $115,000. If you adjust the price for inflation, that's $342,800 today!

Coach problems

As you might imagine, no royal wedding would be complete without a royal coach ride. That would help Diana transform into a real-life Cinderella. One thing the dress designers forgot to keep in mind, however, was how the dress would fit in the buggy.

Cramped but fitting

Of course, the buggy ended up being the most classic model available: small, cramped, and filled with classic details fit for a princess. There were serious worries about whether the passengers and their garments would fit, but it ended up being just right. Or so they thought at first!

Precious cargo

The size of the coach that would carry the soon-to-be Princess of Wales to church wasn't fully equipped for a train that long, and to top things off, Princess Diana would have her father Earl Spencer traveling inside the carriage with her. Can you say precious cargo?

The rehearsal oversight

“We’d done a rehearsal, but not with her father Earl Spencer in the car, too, and he was quite a large man,” Elizabeth told the Daily Mail. Diana’s dress also had a 25-foot long wedding dress train, a lot of fabric to maneuver in such a small space. And that wasn't the only complicating factor.

Nervous habit

The young 20-year-old Diana was anxious about the huge day, and the dress took the brunt of her nervous mindset. Her designers recalled, “It was a hot day, there was so much volume in the net and she was nervous, so she kept grabbing hold of it in her hands.”

Crumpled everywhere

Because the dress effectively had to be shoved into the carriage, it took some damage along the journey. The royals worried who would see, but it was too late to fix the problem. You can't un-wrinkle something so delicate. “In the tiny carriage, it had crumpled far more than we’d anticipated."

Horrified

“I was horrified, really," Elizabeth continued, "because it was quite a lot of creasing. It was a lot more than we thought. The British fashion designer was far from the most royally dressed in her personal life, after all, check out that hairstyle! But since the occasion was special and royal, she began to worry. 

Others notice

When the royal family in attendance noticed the crumpled fabric, there were a few frowns. This was not the ideal way Lady Diana should introduce herself to the Windsors and the rest of the world. But there was nothing to be done. She'd have to count on her natural grace to make up for the faux pas!

Not all bad

Luckily, the crushed train wasn't visibly ugly the whole time. Especially when Princess Diana had the opportunity to stretch out and have her attendants assist her, it ended up looking pretty beautiful, just as she and the designers had imagined in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Only time would tell what the legacy of her gown would be.

Designer stars

For the designers, they were suddenly on top of the fashion world. David and Elizabeth eventually split — both as spouses and partners — but enjoyed successful careers. David became a television personality while Elizabeth worked with other huge brands and celebrities. In 2012, she raised millions to revamp her fashion house!

A real princess

And for Diana? We all know her marriage would fall apart, but that special ceremony was largely remembered as the day that a fairytale came true. The Princess was a pro and put the wardrobe malfunction behind her, especially since she'd already braved a much worse public mishap.

Princess Diana prepares

It was 1981 when Princess Diana prepared herself for her very first Trooping the Color ceremony. Nervous as she was to stroll through such enthusiastic fans, she knew people thought fondly of her.

Drawn to her demeanor

One of the reasons people were drawn to her demeanor was because she was different from other royals. She seemed more laid back and less prone to the royal family's rigid way of life. She would be an interesting contrast to the event.

The majestic royal palace

As was tradition, this Trooping ceremony would take place at Buckingham Palace, which is the kind of place you can't help but stop and stare at when you pass by. All eyes would be on the princess.

Trooping the color

Few events are as intricately organized and historically important as Trooping the Color. The tradition started way back with King George II, who merged his birthday celebration with a massive military procession during the summer season.

People flock from all over

People flock from all over the world for a chance to see this epic scene unfold up and down the streets near Buckingham Palace. And, as you can imagine, at the forefront of the entire procession is the Queen.

Presence of the Queen

Back in her heyday, the Queen came out on horseback after a thorough inspection of all of the 1,000 soldiers ready to march. But, it's not just soldiers on foot that join in the event.

Royal Air Force display

The Royal Air Force even flies overhead and performs a dazzling display of aircraft finesse, and a 41-gun salute indicates the celebration is over. It's truly a spectacle, but few processions were as talked about as Princess Diana's first trooping ceremony.

Coupled with Prince Charles

At the time of the Diana's first time attending, she was coupled with Prince Charles. Because the prince held a role as a senior officer in the military's Household Division, he marched separately from Diana. For some, this raised eyebrows.

Throwing people for a loop

And at first, it might seem strange for Diana and Charles not to travel together during the parade, but because of his status it was required. However, there was something else that threw people for a loop.

"No ring, no bring"

At the time of the ceremony, Diana and Charles were only engaged. This went against tradition, seeing as up until that point, the event had a strict "no ring, no bring" policy. Still, there was more going on that careful observers noticed.

Controversy swirls

The relationship, now fully in the public eye, was downright odd. At the time, they couldn't get over another big point of controversy: Charles and Diana hit it off at a shooting party when she was only 16 years old. But that wasn't all.

Not a good look

To boot, he was actually romantically involved with Diana's sister at the time! Not a good look, Charles! He said of Diana at the time, "I remember thinking what a very jolly and amusing and attractive 16-year-old she was." Yikes.

Where did Charles' heart lie?

There was also the very prevalent question of whether or not the Prince's heart even belonged to Diana. Speculation swirled that he was still in love with a woman named Camilla Shand he briefly dated before Diana.

"Whatever ‘in love’ means,"

During a post-engagement interview, a reporter asked Charles if he was in love with his new beau. His response was weak to say the least. "Whatever ‘in love’ means," he oddly replied.

Making waves early on

The odd relationship Diana had with Charles certainly had people talking. But, even before Diana's first Trooping the Color she was already making waves, and not the kind that impressed the Queen.

Uncomfortable first appearance

The very first time the couple appeared after they announced their engagement was at a concert at London's Goldsmith Hall, and Diana's attire turned heads. She wore a dress that, according to her, was "two sizes too small."

Swooping in for the rescue

Luckily, Princess Grace of Monaco — a former Hollywood actress — swooped in to the rescue and explained to Diana the royal protocol when it came to garb. Later in life, however, Diana was known for her savvy fashion sense.

A beloved royal member

Needless to say, there were several reasons Princess Diana's 1981 appearance at Trooping the Color was shrouded in controversy. Luckily, she powered through and eventually became one of the most beloved members of the family worldwide.