Bitter row over Diana's 'spare' wedding dress

Last updated at 11:28 17 November 2005

A row has broken out over the authenticity of a "spare" wedding dress made for Diana, Princess of Wales, which is up for sale at auction.

A copy of the ivory silk taffeta dress was given to Madame Tussauds after the 1981 royal wedding where it was placed on display.

Auctioneer Cooper Owen claims the dress was tried on by Lady Diana Spencer on the morning of her wedding and believes it sell for at least £50,000.

A spokesman for the auction house said the second dress was made in "case of any hiccup or disaster".

But designer Elizabeth Emmanuel - who, with her husband David, created Diana's iconic dress - insisted the alternative gown had never been worn by the princess.

"Diana never tried the dress on, it was never a back-up dress," she said. "David and I were there, we didn't let anybody else see the dress.

"Unless I am having a brain seizure, trying on a second dress was the last thing Diana would have done.

"She was so busy, we had to fit all our fittings around her schedule - there was absolutely no way she could have tried on that dress.

"It was made particularly for Madame Tussauds."

Story contested

Today the auction house insisted its version of events was the right one, according to Christina Bennett who was a curator for Madame Tussauds in 1981.

She said: "This dress was worn by the then Lady Diana Spencer during fittings for her wedding dress.

"This dress was kept until the last minute in case the original was damaged or stained during the day's proceedings and Diana needed to change."

Emmanuel said the second dress was made because Diana's office asked if they could make a copy, because it would be of interest to the public.

"It was the last thing we really wanted to do because we had our hands full," she said.

"We only did it because the request came from Diana's office and we would have done anything for Diana."

The copy was made, based on the figure of a waxwork and a different size to that worn by Diana.

The original was adorned with antique Queen Mary lace, which could not be replicated for the second dress.

Emmanuel said the only "spare" part of the dress made for Diana was an overskirt in case coffee or something was spilled.

But, she added, the overskirt was still in her possession.

The designer couple also planned a totally different dress just in case the secret of the first design was leaked.

But that gown never got beyond the basic stage.

Emmanuel said the copy dress had been made for a small amount of money, because it was part of history.

"We made it as part of a historical thing," she said. "Why would Madame Tussauds be selling it anyway? They really should not."

More than 500million TV viewers around the world watched Diana marry the heir to the throne on July 29 1981.

The original taffeta gown is kept at an exhibition dedicated to the princess at her childhood home Althorp.