The latest arrivals to Heathrow and Windsor are telling us more and more about the details we can expect on Meghan and Harry's wedding day this weekend. Angelina Jolie just arrived to Heathrow, and Catherine and her children were spotted in Windsor. But, yet another familiar face at Windsor Castle has us speculating whether we were wrong all along about who would be designing Meghan Markle's wedding dress.
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David Emanuel, co-designer of Elizabeth Emanuel, was spotted today at Windsor Castle looking happy as ever. The designer, along with his ex-wife, was behind Princess Diana's jaw-droppingly dramatic wedding gown in 1981, and his pre-royal wedding glow could be a sign that he's about to experience an encore. While Emanuel and his co-designer, Elizabeth Emanuel, have since separated, the designer continues to stay in the bridal mix in the United Kingdom. The designer can be frequently seen on Say Yes to the Dress UK and has kept the doors of his namesake atelier, which he launched after parting from Elizabeth, open.
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Could Meghan's subtle odes to her late future mother-in-law cap off with her walking down the aisle in a gown created by the duo that designed Diana's epic wedding dress? Were the rumors of Ralph & Russo, Christopher Bailey for Burberry, Erdem and more all a rouse to cover up Markle's turn to a past royal favorite? While Emanuel's affinity for volume and drama is a far cry from Markle's personal style, this creative collaboration would be a modern-day feather in his cap, and one of the most sentimental ways for Meghan to pay homage to Diana on her wedding day outside of the couple's decision to include the Spencer family in their ceremony.
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Quite unlike a candidate to design the royal wedding gown, Emanuel has been outspoken regarding what he would dress Markle in for her walk down the aisle this coming Saturday. According to Marie Claire UK, the designer appeared in the FOX special, Meghan Markle: An American Princess, saying, "‘What would I put Meghan in? Something sleek and clean, quite bodied with a long train, and I’d put her in a clinging silk crepe,’ the designer explained. ‘But, you know, she can’t be the sex bomb on her wedding day. She can look smoldering and wonderful, but it’s got to be regal.’"
Perhaps Emanuel's visit to Windsor is due to his relationship with Diana; he may have remained close to the Royal Family over the years and scored an invitation to the wedding. Or, maybe he's simply as obsessed with royal weddings as we are and is hoping to catch a piece of the weekend's action–especially after getting to see one of the world's most iconic ones from behind the scenes. No matter his reasoning for enjoying Windsor, we're tentatively placing Emanuel on our list of contenders for Meghan Markle's royal wedding dress designer.
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Should all this be true, Emanuel would likely not be able to reference his sketch of Diana's gown for anyone, even Markle. The designer told reporters in 2016 that while it would be worth loads of money at auction today, he ripped up his sketch of Diana's wedding gown after showing it to her because "he didn't want it floating around." He could, however, reference the pattern of the gown. The dress was displayed at museum exhibitions throughout the world, but has since been returned to the Royal Family.
Carrie Goldberg is HarpersBAZAAR.com’s Weddings & Travel Director. She oversees the site’s BAZAAR Bride channel, travel & dining content, and styles fashion and bridal editorials for BAZAAR.com. When she’s not traveling, she spends her free time in her hometown–New York City–where there is no shortage of new places to shop, eat, drink, see and explore.
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