Princess Diana reportedly used a pseudonym during the making of her iconic wedding dress, new documentary reveals

Princess Diana has often been considered a fashion icon. Decades later, netizens and fashionistas still reflect on her style and appreciate her simple yet statement-making looks.

One of her most iconic appearances was in her dreamy white wedding dress. According to a People report, the behind-the-scenes process of designing the royal gown for her special day was kept hidden from the world.

A new documentary reflects on the wedding dress and confirms that a pseudonym was used to protect privacy and avoid the risk of information being leaked to the public.

Everything we know about Princess Diana using a codename for her wedding gown

Elizabeth Emanuel is one of the designers behind the late royal family member’s wedding attire. In an upcoming documentary titled Secrets of Diana’s Wedding Dress, Elizabeth details the gown’s history, the use of a codename, and other never-before-heard details.

Recounting the process of designing the exquisite white piece, she shared, as People cited:

"When we started to see Diana, we were just very aware of security, so we decided to call her Deborah. We called her Deborah Cornwall. Isn’t that strange?"

They chose to continue their conversations using “Deborah Cornwall” instead of “Diana” for privacy, secrecy, and several obvious reasons.

While chatting over the phone or discussing her gown, the team of designers and every artist involved referred to Princess Diana as Deborah Cornwall.

According to the outlet, she might have been inspired to add “Cornwall” to her fake name due to her marriage to King Charles and becoming the Duchess of Cornwall.

Expressing her excitement to design and create for Princess Diana, Elizabeth chimed in,

"I can’t believe we managed to create the dress in that attic space."

Lady Diana Spencer married the future king on July 29, 1981. Princess Diana and her would-be husband were very particular about maintaining privacy and keeping all information about the wedding dress under wraps. Every step taken to keep details a secret was meant to respect their confidentiality and ensure their anonymity was protected.

Unfortunately, all these pre-planned actions and precautions did not stop journalists from interfering and trying to uncover details about the royal wedding gown. As a result, King Charles III and Princess Diana hired Bert and Jim, two security guards. Their primary responsibility was to prevent any information about the creation from leaking.

The media even tried bribing the artists making the gown to reveal sensational headlines or information about Princess Diana’s dress.

Interestingly, they often threw swatches and pieces of fabric into the dustbins in an attempt to stop reporters from leaking confidential updates.

In an exclusive interview with People in April 2024, Emanuel recounted feeling stressed about her client and their privacy. Revealing how she dealt with the tension, she shared:

"I was a bit neurotic, and I thought, 'What happens if somebody breaks in and steals the dress or something spills or there’s a fire or it gets stolen?' So I thought, 'I'm gonna make a backup dress.'"

Major steps were taken to prevent the real design from being revealed. The royal family agreed to go ahead with a second backup wedding gown in case news about the first one got out to the public. The extra piece was also made to avoid any last-minute concerns.

Secrets of Diana’s Wedding Dress will release on June 28, 2025.

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