Princess Anne’s wedding gown, which she wore on November 14, 1973, to marry Captain Mark Phillips at Westminster Abbey, was created by Maureen Baker, the head designer for the ready-to-wear company Susan Small. The garment was high-collared, featured mediaeval-looking sleeves and had an embroidered Tudor style. Because of its “Tudor” style, the dress was seen as being very similar to Queen Elizabeth I’s fashion.
Lock’s Embroiderers made the train specifically for the royal. Several components of the outfit were reportedly created by Princess Anne herself.
It was highlighted as being simplistic and similar to current wedding trends from the 1970s when compared to prior royal wedding gowns.
Specialists at Steven Stone Jewellers spoke to Express.co.uk about Princess Anne’s wedding dress and how it differed from her 1992 wedding gown to Timothy Laurence.
They said: “Princess Anne was the first of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh’s children to get married. She was also the first to have a second marriage.
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“For both ceremonies, she chose beautiful outfits which made royal wedding history in their own, unique ways.”
The experts claimed that Princess Anne’s first bridal gown took inspiration from a previous monarch, but not her mother.
They added: “When she married Captain Mark Phillips on November 14, 1973, Princess Anne opted for a Tudor style dress made by the designer Maureen Baker, who took inspiration from the court dresses of Elizabeth I.
“The dress featured a fitted bodice with a high neck and flared skirt that led to a seven-foot-long train.”
The experts noted: “The dress was made from pure white silk, whilst a white tulle veil was held in place by the same fringe tiara that Queen Elizabeth II had worn for her wedding in 1947 and which Princess Beatrice would use for her marriage in 2020.”
Princess Anne and Timothy Laurence began dating in 1989 and married at the end of 1992, the same year her divorce from Mark was finalised.
The wedding had to take place in the Church of Scotland because they allowed remarriage after divorce, unlike the Church of England at the time.
All senior members of the Royal Family, except the late Princess Diana, were in attendance, including the late Queen.
The style experts commented on Princess Anne’s more “low-key” wedding outfit to Timothy.
They said: “For her second marriage, to Timothy Laurence on December 12, 1992, at Crathie Kirk, Anne kept her outfit very low key.
“She chose a cream suit with a high-necked jacket over a knee-length dress.
“Her only accessories were a small spray of blossoms worn in her hair and a simple bouquet of white heather.”
