How pleased was I to see the fabulously floral, frilled fashion statement worn by Princess Anne to the Royal Wedding of Charles and Diana brought to life in all its gaudy glory for the new season of The Crown? Very, that’s how much, for not only is the outfit worn by actress Erin Doherty for the dramatic retelling of the most famous royal wedding of them all a pretty accurate recreation, it’s also a homage to an unsung royal style classic that is still going strong.
I was only little when Charles and Diana got married but the outfit worn by Anne stuck in my mind. How could it not? There was the orange and yellow hat with the froth of netting on top and so many brightly coloured blooms scattered across the dress with its wraparound flounces that I’m surprised I looked at the bride at all.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe dress was designed by Maureen Baker who also helped create Anne’s wedding dress for her first marriage, to Captain Mark Phillips, in 1973. The white dress ,with gold and orange floral print, features a wraparound top and frilled trims on the sleeves and skirt. Anne, who had given birth to her daughter Zara just ten weeks earlier, matched it with a spectacular hat created by John Boyd and white shoes.
The dress is still going strong and became something of a royal wedding go to for the Princess Royal who also wore it to the marriage of Lady Rose Windsor in 2008 with the same hat. In fact the only nod to the almost three decades that had passed since its first outing was the slightly lower heel on her shoes, second time around.
Embed from Getty ImagesNow, it takes a starring role in Season Four of The Crown which follows the Windsors as they head into the brave new world of the 1980s. It was a decade when Anne’s practical side really came to the fore as she consolidated her reputation for hard work and practicality, often wearing the same outfit numerous times as her focus fell away from fashion.
Almost forty years later, this famous frock remains an all time classic style statement.
