Embroidered with the floral symbols of the United Kingdom, the Princess’s dress will be remembered as one of the most important of her life
The Princess of Wales arrived at Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning for the Coronation of King Charles III wearing a spectacular Alexander McQueen gown embroidered with the floral symbols of the United Kingdom.
After extensive speculation about what the dress of a key player at a British coronation in the 21st century might look like, the Princess of Wales has blended the long-held tradition of women wearing ivory with a distinctly modern feel thanks to the design’s contemporary silhouette.
At the request of the King and Queen, both the Princess and her husband, the Prince of Wales, are wearing formal robes and mantels to the Coronation ceremony, a decision which underscores their status as the next in line to the throne and sets them apart from the rest of the congregation who are wearing day dress. At coronations past, all female attendees would have worn robes, ivory dresses and coronets or tiaras.
Like generations of royal women before her, including Elizabeth II, the Princess of Wales chose to incorporate rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock motifs representing England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland respectively into the design of her gown. These were included by the Alexander McQueen atelier using silver bullion and thread work embroidery.
In a break with coronation custom, the Princess of Wales wore a headpiece instead of a tiara. Created by milliner Jess Collett in collaboration with Alexander McQueen, the Princess’s headpiece is made with silver bullion, crystal and silver thread work three-dimensional leaf embroidery. This simple, rather than bejewelled, choice of headwear alludes to the flower crowns worn by Queen Elizabeth’s maids of honour at her 1953 coronation.
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Princess Charlotte wore Alexander McQueen for the first time at her grandfather’s coronation ceremony. Her ivory silk crepe dress and cape also includes rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock embroidery. The eight-year-old also wore a headpiece similar to that seen on her mother.
The Princess of Wales’s jewellery choices were a sentimental nod to the past and female figures whose influence is no doubt important to her. The dazzling George VI Festoon Necklace was made in 1950, commissioned by King George VI for his daughter the then Princess Elizabeth. Her pearl and diamond earrings belonged to Princess Diana who made the Princess of Wales title which Princess Catherine now holds into a globally recognised name.