Princess Diana’s Wedding Shoes Carried a Hidden Message
It’s hard to believe it has been 20 years this month since Princess Diana‘s tragic death, and her family and friends are honoring the anniversary by sharing sweet memories of her. The designers behind Diana’s incredible wedding dress are opening up about the hidden message in her wedding shoes.
Though the shoes were mostly hidden beneath the Elizabeth and David Emanuel gown that’s been dubbed the “dress of the century,” the Daily Mail reports that the princess’s shoes created by celebrity cobbler Clive Shilton carried a lovely tribute to her soon-to-be husband that few were lucky enough to see.
“She was a very shy, sweet, smiley-eyed young girl,” Shilton recalls. “Her main concern was that she wouldn’t appear taller than Prince Charles, and because she was very tall — 5’10” — the shoes would have to have a low heel.” Aside from ensuring she wouldn’t appear taller than Charles, the pair were also covered in 542 sequins and 132 pearls. On the tops, William and Harry’s mom chose an elegant heart-shaped design.
On the arches of the suede soles (suede to keep Diana from tripping on TV!), the princess had a small “C and D” painted right under the heel, with a heart between. The design process for her shoes took six months, with the princess adding her input every step of the way. Shilton says, “No one even saw the bottom of the shoes, but it was important to us that they looked fantastic. You would have seen much more of them if she’d tripped!”
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(Photos via Express Newspapers/Getty Images, William Thomas Cain / Stringer)