Elizabeth Emanuel opens up about ’embarrassing public spat’ with ex David over Diana’s wedding dress design and recalls ‘life-changing’ conversation with ‘shy’ princess

Princess Diana’s dress designer has questioned why her ex-husband “started a public fight” over the royal family’s wedding dress designs.

Elizabeth Emanuel has spoken of her “unfortunate” high-profile legal battle with ex-partner David, from whom she split in 1990, over the auctioning of drawings of their designs and alleged copyright infringement almost four years ago.

The designer also admitted she knew a phone call from “sweet and shy” Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 about designing her wedding dress would “change her life.”

Talking to TelegraphShe said: “She radiated this energy and warmth. We made a few things for her, and then we got a call: “Would you do me the honor of making my wedding dress?”

“I always thought to myself, ‘it would be wonderful (if she chose us)’, but I never thought she would. The moment I answered the phone, I knew it had changed my life.”

Elsewhere, Elizabeth spoke about the heartache she felt after her ex-husband and ex-business partner David sued her.

She said she was “not warned” about the case, which left her “deeply upset” and would like to see the matter settled out of court.

She said: “Why would he start something like that? Nobody wants to fight in public. I was just trying to save my studio and raise some money. I was just trying to survive like everyone else.”

The designer said she was “frustrated” that she had no choice but to defend herself and was angry at her ex-partner’s decision to sue her.

David alleged that she reproduced sketches of their designs for Diana, including the dress she wore when she married Prince Charles in 1981, and put them up for sale without his consent.

However, on October 18, the couple announced that they had “amicably” settled the case in the High Court.

As a result of the settlement, Elizabeth now owns all of the Emanuel Partnership’s intellectual property rights. She admitted that it was “important” to her to be able to claim authorship of her work.

David and Elizabeth, who divorced in 1990, worked together to create a number of iconic outfits for Princess Diana.

These included the ruffled chiffon blouse with a satin collar that Diana wore in her official engagement photograph, and the black evening dress she wore to her first royal engagement to Charles in 1981.

The husband and wife duo were commissioned to design Diana’s wedding dress when they were in their 20s and fresh out of fashion school.

Buckingham Palace shocked the world by announcing its decision, but Lady Diana Spencer had worked with the Emanuels several times before and was a fan of their work.

The dress had a record-breaking 25-foot sequin-encrusted train, and to make sure it would fit at the altar, Elizabeth and David Emanuel secretly measured St. Paul’s Cathedral with a tape measure.

The stunning ivory wedding dress cost around £9,000 in 1981 and is considered one of the most influential wedding dresses in history.

However, Elizabeth previously spoke of how she was “horrified” and “felt weak” when she saw 20-year-old Diana walking into St Paul’s Cathedral on TV.

The British designer said she was shocked to see how wrinkled the dress was.

Speaking to ITV during the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, Elizabeth said: “We knew it would wrinkle a little bit, but when I saw her arrive at St Paul’s Cathedral and we saw the folds, I really felt weak. .

“I was actually terrified because there were quite a few folds. It was a lot more than we thought.”

The dress reportedly had six different fabrics and a total of over 10,000 stitches.

For the veil, the designers used 25 yards of silk taffeta, 100 yards of tulle crinoline and 150 yards of mesh. Also attached was a long 25-foot hand-embroidered silk train.

To prevent the dress from getting wrinkled before the ceremony itself, a different dress was used during the rehearsal. In case of an emergency, a couple of designers created a spare dress.

David told People: “At the time, we wanted to be absolutely sure that the dress would be a surprise. We haven’t tried this on Diana. We never even discussed it. We wanted to make sure we had something there; True, it was for our own peace of mind.”

After the ceremony, Diana personally called the designers to thank them for their work on the dress.

David said: “After all the photos they went to the wedding breakfast and I went back to my studio in Mayfair. All my employees were there and we drank a glass of champagne.

“We were having a little party and just as I was about to lock myself in, the phone rang. I thought, who’s calling? It was Diana! She said, “I just wanted to say thank you so much for the dress.” I liked it. Prince Charles liked it. The whole family loved it.”

He added: “It couldn’t have been more special to hear from a client. When designing for a bride, you want her to be happy.

This came to light after Diana’s makeup artist Barbara Daly revealed that she accidentally spilled Houbigant Paris Quelques Fleurs perfume all over her dress.

Despite all attempts to wipe off the perfume left a large stain. As a result, Diana had to hold the stained area of ​​her dress to give the impression that she was simply trying not to step on the long silk.

David and Elizabeth met at Harrow School of Art in 1974, when he was 22 and she was 21.

They married just two years later and became the first married couple to be admitted to the Royal College of Art.

After graduating in 1977, they founded their own fashion brand and opened a studio opposite Claridge’s.

Diana first worked with the Emanuels when she was looking for a dress for her first official engagement to Prince Charles, choosing a strapless black dress for a fundraising event at Goldsmiths Hall.