Queen Elizabeth II's Wedding Dress

By Caroline de Guitaut, Surveyor of The King's Works of Art

Reading time: 3 minutes

Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten — later known as Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh — on Thursday, 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey in London. It was one of the most significant royal events after the end of the Second World War. 

Designing the Dress

In the summer of 1947, Norman Hartnell was asked by Queen Elizabeth, Princess Elizabeth's mother, to submit sketches for her daughter's wedding dress. This would be his most important royal commission he had received for her to date. In August, less than three months before the wedding, he was informed that one of his 11 designs had been approved.
 

Inspiration

Hartnell visualised a bridal gown of fine pearl embroidery in a floral design, citing as his inspiration Botticelli’s famous painting of Primavera, to be embroidered with trails and garlands of flowers. The idea of Spring embodying rebirth and renewal was felt to be appropriate in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. 

Clothes rationing was still in force, and the Princess was granted 200 additional clothing coupons for the creation of the dress.

Materials

The dress has a simple princess-line cut, which reflected the fashion of the day, with a fitted bodice, long sleeves, a heart-shaped neckline, low V-pointed waist and floor-length panelled skirt. 

The dress is made from duchesse satin, ordered from the Scottish firm of Winterthur. The rich ivory of the satin contrasts with the white seed pearls (imported from America), silver thread, sparkling crystal and transparent appliqué tulle embroidery. Appliqué is a sewing technique by which a smaller piece of fabric is attached to a larger one to create a design.
 

The magnificent 13-foot silk tulle full court train, attached to the dress at the shoulders, is embroidered in pearl, crystal and appliqué duchesse satin. The silk for the appliqués was produced at Lullingstone Castle in Kent at the request of Queen Elizabeth and woven by Warner & Sons. 

Embroidery

Hartnell first drew out the embroidery design with his head embroiderer, Miss Flora Ballard, on tracing paper. He described how:

the motifs had to be assembled in a design proportioned like a florist’s bouquet.

 

The embroidered motifs or patterns include wheat ears for prosperity, garlands of York roses, star flowers, jasmine and orange blossom, which symbolises purity and fertility. The outfit was completed by a silk tulle veil, similarly embroidered, and ivory duchesse satin high-heeled sandals, trimmed with silver and seed-pearl buckles, made by Edward Rayne to Hartnell’s design.

Public Interest 

The public fascination with Princess Elizabeth’s wedding dress and accessories reached such a fever pitch that Hartnell was forced to cover the workroom windows of his premises so no one could see inside.

Just before the wedding, he received permission from Buckingham Palace to show his design to a select group of fashion writers, who were sworn to secrecy until the wedding day. The dress was considered a triumph of timeless design and exceptional craftsmanship.