Unveiling Princess Charlotte's Stunning Wedding Gown | Royal Wedding dresses

"Princess Charlotte's wedding dress was made of a white and silver base layer, adorned with a layer of sheer silk net decorated with silver shells and flowers. The sleeves featured elegant Brussels lace, and a six-foot train attached like a cloak with a diamond clasp flowed behind her. The dress, costing about £10,000 (around £575,000 today), was crafted by London dressmaker Mrs. Triaud.

The gown is now kept as part of the Historic Royal Palaces collection and is the oldest item there. Due to its age, it is extremely delicate. Charlotte's headdress on her wedding day was a band of sparkling rose buds and leaves. Her wedding jewelry was equally luxurious, including a diamond necklace, large matching earrings, and a valuable diamond belt. The Morning Chronicle described her outfit as surpassing all expectations in its dazzling and rich appearance, which is fitting considering its high cost.
Her bridal collection also featured a stunning array of jewelry, reported by several newspapers to include a pearl necklace, diamond-clasped bracelets, and various other jewel-encrusted items. Prince Leopold's wedding gift to her was a luxurious diamond armlet.
The couple married in the intimate setting of the Crimson Drawing Room at Carlton House in London, with only a few guests present.
Traditionally, royal brides in Europe often wore silver, maintaining a longstanding tradition, even though wearing a white wedding dress only became popular towards the end of the 18th century. Most women simply wore their finest dresses, which were not necessarily white.


Princess Charlotte's wedding dress was silver, similar to the ones her mother and grandmother wore. It mixed traditional elements, like layered sleeves and a train typical of older court dresses, with the style of neo-classical gowns from around 1816. The gown had a high waistline, positioned just below the bust, and featured a slimmer silhouette. Unlike earlier dresses, the bodice was not rigid but was meant to be worn over a corset.
The dress shone brightly because it was made using a lot of silver lamé, a special type of embroidery that uses strips of silver or gold on a net base.
At the time, people described the dress as having silver lamé on a net over a silver slip, decorated with silver shells and flowers at the bottom. Princess Charlotte styled her blonde hair simply and wore a sparkling wreath of rosebuds, along with valuable diamond earrings and an armlet.


Upon examining the dress closely, it's clear that it has undergone significant modifications from its original design. An illustration in the magazine La Belle Assemblée a month after the wedding shows how the dress looked originally.
The shell-decorated edges of the sleeves seem to be part of the original design, as mentioned in Princess Charlotte's wedding trousseau. A trousseau includes all the items a bride brings to her marriage. It's likely that these original parts were later merged with another court gown from her collection.
During that era, textiles were very expensive and labor-intensive to make. Even the wealthy often remodeled and reused clothing. This was a common practice, explaining why very few garments have survived in their original form. The precious metal thread used in this dress would have been especially costly.

The survival of this dress is largely due to the tragic events following Princess Charlotte’s marriage. In 1817, she died in childbirth at the age of 21, shortly after giving birth to a stillborn son. Her sudden death sent shockwaves through the royal family, as she was George III's only legitimate grandchild at that time, and it triggered a succession crisis.
Her death prompted her uncles, the Dukes of Clarence and Kent, to leave their mistresses and seek legitimate heirs urgently. The Duke of Clarence initially succeeded, becoming King William IV in 1831, but the Duke of Kent's legacy lasted longer; his daughter with Princess Victoire (Prince Leopold's sister) became Queen Victoria.
A heartbroken Prince Leopold, who had spent his brief married life with Charlotte at Claremont House—a wedding gift to them—made efforts to preserve her belongings. This preservation work is why more of Charlotte's wardrobe survives today than that of any other family member from that time."