Princess Diana's wedding dress designers finally settle dispute in court
The fashion designers who created Princess Diana's wedding dress finally resolved their legal dispute. David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the duo behind one of the most famous wedding gowns of all time, settled a High Court claim over the auctioning of drawings of their designs on Friday.
David brought legal action against his former wife and business partner Elizabeth, as well as a south London auction house, over alleged copyright infringement. The High Court in London was told that the pair designed and produced a number of clothes for the mother of Prince William and Harry, including several evening gowns and a pink crepe blouse worn for her official engagement portrait.
According to court documents, Mr Emanuel previously claimed Ms Emanuel had infringed his copyright by reproducing drawings of the designs they had collaborated on and putting them up for sale without his consent, including the ones of Diana’s wedding dress.
However in a statement issued on Friday, the pair announced they had settled the case “amicably”.
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Ms Emanuel said: “During our time together, David and I created many of the most famous clothes of the 20th century.
“David was instrumental in the success of The Emanuel Partnership and I am glad that we have put our recent differences behind us and can now look forward to continuing our respective careers.”
Mr Emanuel followed on, saying: “Emanuel was at the forefront of haute couture in the 1980s until Elizabeth and I went our separate ways. Our creations were very much in demand from the world’s most famous women throughout that period."
He added: "We had a very distinctive house style and in keeping with that we created some of the most iconic dresses of the 20th century.”
Diana the bride
Speaking to HELLO! earlier this year, David was very modest about how Diana's dress changed bridal fashion in general. He remarked: "Every royal bride's wedding gown has an influence in the bridal market. Since then, we have lived through various silhouettes, namely fishtail, A-line, slim fitted and now in 2024 it has come full circle. At bridal exhibitions around the world, crinolines are now back in fashion. Everything in fashion goes full circle!"
