Behind the SEAMS

ELIZABETH EMANUEL on designing Princess Diana's famous wedding dress, and its legacy

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SECRETS OF DIANA'S WEDDING DRESS NEW SATURDAY, 9PM, 5 FACTUAL

Crafted from pale ivory silk taffeta with a fitted bodice incorporating antique Carrickmacross lace originally belonging to Queen Mary, the elaborate bridal gown Lady Diana Spencer wore when she married the then Prince Charles on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral in London remains one of the most iconic garments of all time.

Now, in new 5 documentary Secrets of Diana's Wedding Dress, British fashion designer Elizabeth Emanuel and her former husband David Emanuel will chart the behind-the-seams story of how they made the fairy-tale frock, which broke royal records with its 25ft train. As well as tales of Diana's secret visits to their studio with the code name 'Deborah' and how a safe was installed to keep the designs and fabric swatches secure, Elizabeth will also share drawings and unseen personal photographs of how the dress went from a dream to reality. Here, in an exclusive interview, Elizabeth, 71, tells TV Times about her first impressions of Diana and why she thinks the gown is still such a source of fascination...

Diana was just 19 when she hand-picked you to design her wedding dress. What was she like back then?

She was very young and very naive, but we immediately got on. She was absolutely lovely and she had a wicked sense of humour. David and I had only left college a year earlier, so when Diana chose us to design her dress, we went from being young students to the most famous designers in the world. That formed a bond between Diana and us. In a way, we were all new to the game.

How did the process of creating the garment begin?