After collecting dust for 24 years, Tussaud's decided to cash in. The original dress still exists and is part of an exhibition about the princess at her family's country home near Northampton in central England.
Buyer beware, because the dress's designer says Diana never actually tried on the replica. Elizabeth Emmanuel, part of the designing team that created the Trouwjurken 2013 hand-sewn, pearl-encrusted gown, said they agreed to make a copy of the dress because Diana asked for it as a "piece of history for the world to enjoy."
The auction house, Trouwjurken Cooper Owen, has a different version of events. They say the young bride slipped on the taffeta "spare" on her wedding day to make sure that if anything happened to the original, there would be a backup on hand. (You know, the usual mishaps like spilled coffee, a rip or a tear.) Diana's 25-foot train is what should have been copied over and over again because that's no easy thing to walk around in.
Most brides will tell you that walking down the aisle doesn't rank as the most restful day, so you can Korte Avondjurken only imagine Diana's wedding extravaganza. Besides remembering the names of the oodles of royal guests and getting the final look-over by the queen and loading up on carbs, her morning must have been super busy, making two fittings a bit unlikely.
No one will ever know, but then again if Emmanuel's version is accurate, it means you're buying a new dress, never before worn, so it's a steal. And in case you're superstitious, you avoid the fate of the beloved Diana, who died tragically in a car accident in Paris in 1997, a year after her divorce from Prince Charles.
