How Princess Beatrice Altered the Queen's Dress for Her Wedding

published 20 July 2020

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi got married in a private ceremony at All Saints Chapel in Windsor Great Park Friday morning.
Beatrice wore a vintage Norman Hartnell dress worn by the Queen on multiple occasions, as well as the tiara the Queen wore for her wedding to Prince Philip.
The gown was tailored to Beatrice for her wedding.

By now, you're almost certainly aware that Princess Beatrice married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a secret ceremony in Windsor Friday morning. And you've probably heard, too, that Beatrice wore two special items on loan from her grandmother, the Queen. She borrowed the tiara the monarch wore for her wedding to Prince Philip in 1947, as well as a vintage dress designed by Norman Hartnell, which the Queen wore on numerous public occasions—including a 1961 state dinner in Rome, a 1962 special viewing of Lawrence of Arabia, and the 1966 State Opening of Parliament, according to the Telegraph.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said, "The dress is made from Peau De Soie taffeta in shades of ivory, trimmed with ivory Duchess satin, with organza sleeves. It is encrusted with diamanté and has a geometric checkered bodice. It was remodelled and fitted by Miss Angela Kelly and Mr Stewart Parvin." See Beatrice's wedding photos, and the Queen attending the Lawrence of Arabia viewing, below:

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)
A photo posted by on

queen elizabeth ii arriving at the odeon, leicester square, london for the world charity premiere of the film lawrence of arabia photo by pa images via getty images

So how did Angela Kelly and Stewart Parvin rework the dress for Beatrice? The most obvious addition: the organza puff sleeves, which transformed the dress from a strappy, sleeveless gown into a short-sleeved one.

Less obvious? Unless you look at full-length photos of the Queen in the gown, like the one above, you might not notice how the skirt was remodeled. The original gown had a significant amount of volume in the skirt, while the hem trailed the floor, covering the Queen's shoes entirely.

Beatrice's version, however, was significantly less full below the waist, indicating that any underskirts or petticoats were stripped out. What's more, the gown allowed for a little peek of Beatrice's shoes, suggesting the skirt was shortened. Indeed, Kelly and Parvin appear to have added a silk or satin panel along the skirt's hem.

The end result: a dress for a modern bride, with all its vintage appeal intact.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter (subscribe here).