Starting Saturday, September 14th, people will be able to see Princess Diana's wedding dress on display at the Putnam Museum in Davenport. "Diana: A Celebration" is a new exhibit showcasing the life of Princess Di from childhood to her royal wedding to her charity work.
The centerpiece of that exhibit is her incredible wedding dress. Today the media was invited to see it taken out of its crate, by the only two people in the world authorized to touch it.
Dress handler Graeme Murton says it was designed with fairy tales in mind. He now guards Princess Diana's wedding dress under the strictest of royal rule. With ten-thousand sequins and more than one hundreds of yards of tulle building skirt, it's an incredibly intricate gown but appears light and delicate in person.
The dress travels in a tall wooden crate, wrapped in a cloth. It's packed away without and accessories, like the 25 foot long train or the jeweled tiara and veil. Those details will be displayed with the dress in a long glass case in the museum. Pictures of her life surround the gown.
The exhibit will be in Davenport through January 5th.
Visitors who sign up for a new Putnam membership or extend a current one will be entered to win a 5 carat sapphire ring designed to look like the one Princess Diana wore that was later given to Duchess Catherine. It was created by Revell Jewelers in the Quad Cities and donated to the Putnam.
The Putnam exhibit is one of the final three exhibits the dress will be a part of. It will then be returned to Prince William and Prince Harry.