The Crown: Emma Corrin says it took 'ten people' to get her into replica of Diana's wedding dress

Original gown was created by The Emanuels

The Crown’s Emma Corrin has revealed it took 10 people to help her get into the replica wedding dress made for her portrayal of Princess Diana in the Netflix series. 

The ivory dress went down in history as one of the most recognisable gowns ever worn by a royal bride when she married Prince Charles in 1981. 

In recent months, Netflix has been teasing fans of The Crown with on-set photos showing Corrin as the people’s princess in season four, including one trailer that featured a shot of the future Princess of Wales swamped by the pearl-encrusted grown.

Set to premiere on 15 November, the short clip from season four featured a dramatic shot of the dress filmed from the back, giving viewers a sneak peek at its dramatic 25 foot train as Corrin walked through Lancaster House.

But, just how did the show’s design team recreate the iconic dress?

In an interview with British Vogue, Corrin explained that the show painstakingly recreated the dress by working with the designers of the original, David and Elizabeth Emanuel.

“The Emanuels, who designed the original, gave us the patterns, and then it was made for me,” Corrin told the publication, adding that ten people were needed to help her put on the recreated gown, as it was “massive.”

The original dress is estimated to have cost £90,000 and was made using ivory silk taffeta, with the neckline and mutton sleeves designed with lace flounces.

The Princess of Wales seated in her bridal gown at Buckingham Palace after her marriage to Prince Charles at St. Paul's Cathedral ((PA/PA Archive/PA Images))

It also featured 10,000 pearls, mother of pearl sequins and embroidery. The dress was paired with the Spencer tiara and a 153 yard veil – with hidden details including an 18 carat gold horseshoe charm for good luck.

In 2016, David Emanuel told Woman’s Own that Princess Diana called up the fashion designers to make an appointment for her wedding dress “like anybody else”, having previously had “three or four gowns made for formal occasions”.

Elizabeth Emanuel added that the process of designing the dress “didn’t take that long”, but the process of creating the garment “took forever”, one of the reasons being that Diana lost weight during her engagement, so the garment had to be resized.

The original gown used to be on display at Althorp House, the estate belonging to the Spencer family, but since 2014 it has been privately owned by Prince Harry and Prince William.

The Crown season 4 will premiere on 15 November on Netflix.