This is what made Princess Beatrice decide on her wedding dress

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Beatrice’s wedding dress went on display last week at an exhibition at Windsor Castle, and the bride was reunited it with it for the first time since her nuptials to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in July.

She was 'really delighted' to see it, as she walked around the display, chatting about her gown and how she altered it to make it more modern.

Caroline de Guitaut, curator of the exhibition told People that the Princess also revealed that her dress choice came at the last minute, saying, 'The impression she gave, although she didn’t go into specifics, was that it was a bit of a scramble to get the dress ready!'

The Princess also revealed why she chose this particular gown, which was originally designed by royal couturier Sir Norman Hartnell for the Queen, who went on to wear it several times, including the London premiere of Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.

'She said that it just stood out to her when she saw it, that’s how she described it to me — it was the one that she thought would suit the occasion,' De Guitaut revealed.

The last minute request for the gown came after Beatrice decided that a brand new design wouldn't be as appropriate for a pandemic wedding.

De Guitaut explained, 'She talked a lot about the upcycling aspect and how that was really important to her given the situation that we all find ourselves in at the moment, with the pandemic and the compromises being made by everybody.'

We couldn't love Princess Beatrice more. The exhibition continues until 22nd November.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.