Princess Beatrice wears face mask to see her wedding dress on display at Windsor Castle
The gown is available to see until 22 November 2020
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Princess Beatrice has been reunited with her wedding gown, which is currently on public display at Windsor Castle.
On Wednesday, the royal bride paid a visit to the venue to see her vintage dress up close again, having not seen it in-person since her low-key nuptials to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi two months ago.
For the visit, Beatrice wore a blue floral midi dress designed by The Vampire's Wife, which is currently sold out online, and teamed it with a contrasting face mask and black suede stilettos by Aquazzura.
The royal family shared a photo on Twitter showing the princess as she toured the display, writing: “This afternoon HRH Princess Beatrice visited the special display of her wedding dress in the State Dining Room at #WindsorCastle, in advance of its opening to visitors tomorrow.”
Alongside Beatrice’s dress, the display also includes her wedding shoes and a replica of her bridal bouquet made from artificial flowers.
Caroline de Guitaut, curator of the exhibition who hosted the visit, said: “It was a really lovely moment for her to be reunited with her dress and to be able to see it as part of the display in the state dining room.
“She seemed really, really happy and we talked about the history of the dress and its wearing by the Queen and the alternations that were made to turn it into a wedding dress.”
Beatrice wore the vintage dress, which was loaned to her by the queen, for her wedding at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor on 17 July.
The couple had originally planned on tying the knot in May but were forced to postpone the ceremony in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Made from peau de soie taffeta, the garment was originally worn by the monarch in 1961 for a state dinner at the British Embassy in Rome.
Her Majesty also wore the dress again to the London premiere of the film Lawrence of Arabia in 1962 and the State Opening of Parliament in 1966.
The gown, designed by Sir Norman Hartnell, is embellished with hand-embroidered crystals and diamantes, with ivory duchesse satin on the trim of the skirt.
Some elements of the gown were altered for Beatrice under the direction of Angela Kelly, personal advisor, dresser and curator to the Queen, and the British fashion designer Stewart Parvin.
“The full-skirted silhouette was softened to give a more contemporary, simplified shape, and the underskirt and petticoats were recreated and bound with silk tulle,” The Royal Collection Trust states.
”Short sleeves of triple organza were added to the straps and embroidered with vintage diamantés to match the original Hartnell embroidery design. Each alteration made to the dress is reversible.“
The display of Princess Beatrice's wedding dress is part of a visit to Windsor Castle from 24 September to 22 November 2020. Tickets for Windsor Castle must be pre-booked in advance. You can book by visiting www.rct.uk or calling +44 (0)303 123 7304.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments