When Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten’s engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947, rationing following the Second World War was still being imposed on the British public.
The Royal Family understood that the wedding of the future heir needed to reflect the mood of the country and yet the occasion was also an opportunity to give the public a much-needed relief from the austerity that had been in place for over eight years.
Princess Elizabeth, then a 21-year-old, saved her rationing coupons and was given an extra 200 from the government to buy the materials for her wedding dress. Following the news of her engagement, well-wishers from around the UK also generously sent their own to Elizabeth in the post. Sadly, the young royal wasn’t able to use them as it was illegal to transfer coupons between households and each one was reportedly sent back to its sender with a note of thanks.
Of course, the dress was a triumph, even in worn-torn Britain. Designed by Norman Hartnell and made from ivory silk, duchesse satin and silver thread, the dress featured crystals, 10,000 seed pearls, a fitted bodice, heart-shaped neckline, long sleeves and a 15ft train.
It’s creation had to be a speedy one as Elizabeth and Philip were set to tie the knot at Westminster Abbey just four months later. Hartnell designed the dress within a month of the engagement news and said he wanted it to be ‘the most beautiful dress I had so far made.’
The silk was gathered from China and the 15ft star-patterned train was woven in Braintree in Essex and inspired by the famous Renaissance painting of Primavera by Botticelli, symbolising rebirth and growth after the war.
In just seven weeks, a team of 350 women created the dress. Back in 2016, when the Queen’s wedding dress and Coronation gown went on display at Buckingham Palace as part of her 90th birthday celebrations, one of the dressmakers, Betty Foster, who worked on the wedding dress told The Telegraph, ‘I had forgotten how beautiful it was, with that exquisite train—and how small the Princess was.’
‘On my way home from the wedding celebration, I remember everyone on the train was talking about the dress and I felt so proud to have worked on it.’
Alongside her Norman Hartnell dress, the Princess wore a pair of Edward Rayne-designed satin heels and the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara which was held in place with a silk tulle veil. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, there was a slight mishap with the tiara after she accidentally touched the clasp, not realising it was also a necklace.
Luckily, royal jeweller Garrard was on hand to fix it, with the Queen adding ‘I think he taped up the spring’. The Queen Mother, reportedly, remained calm as ever, saying: ‘We have two hours and there are other tiaras.’
One of the bridesmaids, Lady Pamela Hicks, later told People in an interview that on her wedding day, Princess Elizabeth ‘was a knockout.’
