Here's How Princess Beatrice Altered One of the Queen's Favorite Dresses for Her Wedding

Princess Beatrice got married in a vintage Norman Hartnell dress worn by the Queen on multiple occasions, but made some key alterations to the gown.

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:

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

(Image credit: PA 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.

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(Image credit: Getty Images + Shutterstock)
Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.