In 1947, Princess Elizabeth married Philip Mountbatten in a post-war glimmer of hope for the British public, as their future Queen walked down the aisle in a champagne silk wedding gown. The bridal gown was designed by Norman Hartnell, the go-to designer of the mid-20th century, and featured a dramatic train, tulle veil, and matching silk satin shoes. While Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s marriage endured for all time, it seems her historic wedding gown may not. The Royal Collection Trust’s textile conservator Cecilia Oliver reveals exclusively to Marie Claire that the 79-year-old dress is “breaking down at an epic rate.”
In the words of the great poet Taylor Swift, even statues crumble if they’re made to wait. The delicate silk satin has been cared for with the greatest diligence over the years, but the gown is showing significant signs of age. “If I do my job right, I can’t stop it but I can slow it,” Oliver says of the breakdown process of these historic garments. While the late Queen’s wedding gown shows signs of decay, Oliver and the Royal Collection Trust team are using the most advanced preservation techniques to “try to slow that down as much as possible.”
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip walking down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, November 1947.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Curators for The Royal Collection Trust admire the late Queen’s wedding gown.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“When it gets to the point that it can’t be displayed anymore, I can make sure it’s secure in a box,” says Cecilia Oliver, assuring me that the dress will be kept safe for historical preservation. “This will probably be one of the last times it can be displayed like this,” she reveals, remarking that the placement of the gown on a mannequin adds significant stress to the fabric. The late Queen’s wedding gown is on display at The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace, with the gown, tiara, and shoes displayed alongside embroidery samples from the gown’s intricate design process.
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The Royal Collection Trust is the charity that cares for the Royal Collection and the King’s private collection of artifacts, from artwork to china and Queen Elizabeth’s expansive fashion collection. According to the RCT, “Norman Hartnell submitted a selection of designs for Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress, one of which was approved in mid-August, less than three months before the wedding.” The gown was envisioned by the designer as “a bridal gown of fine pearl embroidery in a floral design” inspired by “Botticelli’s painting of Primavera.”
An original sketch of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown is on display at Buckingham Palace, alongside the veil, shoes, and tiara she wore in 1947.
(Image credit: Christine Ross)
While the iconic, historic wedding gown shows signs of wear after 79 years, it is still a magnificent piece of fashion history. Currently, the gown is on display at Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style at The King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, and it may be the last time to see it modeled just as the 21-year-old Princess Elizabeth wore it. Cecilia Oliver shares an ominous truth that the gown can’t be admired forever. “Maybe in the future it can be displayed flat, but at some point we have to say ‘actually, it can’t be displayed anymore’.”
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