Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer praises Emma Corrin’s performance in The Crown

Elizabeth Emanuel - who co-designed Princess Diana’s wedding dress with her husband David - has branded Netflix’s The Crown’s depiction of the wedding as “poignant and moving”.

With series four of Netflix hit series, The Crown, airing on November 15, Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer, Elizabeth Emanue,l has weighed in on the show’s depiction of the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and the Prince of Wales.

Elizabeth, along with her then-husband David, designed the wedding gown with its “dramatically puffed sleeves, bow adornments and extravagant 25ft train”. 

She told the Telegraph her “ears pricked up” when she heard The Crown were recreating Princess Diana’s dress. And insisted she did not help the wardrobe department with their designs, despite reports that she lent them the original patterns.

The fashion designer said, “We’d never have done that. But they did a very good interpretation.”

Having worked so closely with the late Princess - who tragically died in 1997 - Elizabeth said Emma Corrin portrays Diana perfectly.

“It’s just like we remembered her, she gets across that innocence. It was very poignant and moving, it didn’t happen like that from our point of view, but it reflected things that we weren’t aware of at the time.”

Making Diana’s wedding dress was a dream come true for Elizabeth, and she knew “our lives would never be the same” after receiving the call.

Revealing their inspiration behind the dress, she explained, “Everything was frills, lace and ruffles. Diana really liked the kinds of looks that we did. We wanted to do something that really resonated with the time.

“It was like doing our own catwalk show with the most famous woman on the planet. We wanted Diana to love it, but for everyone else we wanted them to see a fairytale dress, like a Disney movie.”

Who plays Princess Diana in The Crown?

London-born actress, Emma Corrin plays the Princess of Wales in series four of The Crown. On joining the cast, Emma, 24, said, “There was an immense pressure because she was so adored and because there is this sense from everyone, almost of ownership, like they knew her."

When can I watch series four of The Crown?

The Crown will be released on Netflix on November 15.

How old would Princess Diana be today?

Princess Diana would have turned 59 on July 1, 2020. She was 36 when she died. 

Why was Diana a princess but Catherine is not?

Diana was married to Charles - Prince of Wales -  who was first in line to the throne and therefore she became a Princess. Catherine is married to William - Duke of Cambridge -  who is second in line to the throne and therefore she is a Duchess.

Can you visit Princess Diana’s grave? 

No. Diana’s grave is on an island in the lake, known as the Round Oval, at her childhood home. It is private and cannot be visited. Visitors can, however, pay their respects to the Princess at the lakeside Temple which is dedicated to her memory.