She didn't want the fuss. Honestly, if you look back at the footage of November 14, 1973, Princess Anne looked like she stepped right out of a high-fashion fever dream or maybe a Tudor portrait, and that was entirely the point. While most royal brides lean into the "fairytale" aesthetic—think lace, massive skirts, and endless sparkle—the Princess Royal went the opposite direction. The Princess Anne wedding dress was a sharp, structural, and somewhat daring pivot for a woman who has always preferred horses and hard work over the fluff of public life. It was a 1970s masterpiece.
People usually obsess over Princess Diana’s crumpled silk taffeta or Kate Middleton’s Sarah Burton lace, but Anne’s choice was technically superior in its simplicity. It was designed by Maureen Baker for Susan Small. Baker was Anne’s go-to designer at the time, someone who understood that the Princess didn’t want to be a doll. She wanted to be a presence.
The dress was high-necked. It had those incredible "medieval" trumpet sleeves that felt both ancient and incredibly mod. It was made of pure silk faille. If you aren't a textile nerd, silk faille is a heavy, ribbed fabric that holds its shape like a dream. It doesn't flop. It doesn't wrinkle the second you sit in a carriage. It just stands there, imposing and elegant.
The Architecture of the 1970s Royal Aesthetic
The Princess Anne wedding dress didn't just happen; it was a response to the era. By 1973, the world was moving away from the pillbox hats of the 60s into something more earthy but also more structured. Baker and the Princess looked at the history books for inspiration. Specifically, they looked at the court of Elizabeth I.
You can see it in the "Tudor" style. The high collar wasn't just a modest choice for Westminster Abbey; it was a frame for the face. It made her look taller. It made her look regal in a way that felt armored. There were no heavy embroideries or beads weighing it down. Instead, the detail was in the stitching—pearl-edged piping and a subtle train that followed her like a shadow.
The sleeves are the real talking point, though. They were double-layered. The inner sleeve was narrow and fitted, while the outer sleeve flared out into a massive, dramatic wing. When she moved her arms, it looked like a bird taking flight. It was theater. pure and simple.
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Why Maureen Baker Was the Secret Weapon
Maureen Baker didn't just design for royalty; she designed for the ready-to-wear brand Susan Small. This is a detail people often miss. Anne wasn't going to a stuffy, old-school couturier who only dealt with the aristocracy. She went to someone who understood the modern woman’s wardrobe.
Baker ended up making about 250 outfits for the Princess over their decades-long professional relationship. They had a shorthand. Anne knew what worked for her athletic frame. She has broad shoulders and a lean build, so the high neckline and the emphasis on the vertical line of the dress played to her strengths perfectly.
Breaking Down the Fabric and Fit
- Pure Silk Faille: This was the foundation. It provided the crispness needed for those sharp lines.
- The High Collar: It sat just under the chin, edged with delicate pearls.
- The Train: It was seven feet long. In royal terms, that’s actually quite modest, but because the fabric was so substantial, it looked grander than it was.
- The Veil: She wore a silk tulle veil that was kept simple so as not to distract from the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara.
That tiara, by the way, was "something borrowed." It’s the same one Queen Elizabeth II wore on her own wedding day. It’s a heavy, spiky piece of history that could have easily overwhelmed a softer dress. But because the Princess Anne wedding dress was so minimalist and structural, the tiara looked like it belonged there. It was a balance of power.
The 1992 Second Wedding: A Radical Departure
We have to talk about the second wedding because it tells us so much about Anne’s pragmatism. When she married Sir Timothy Laurence in 1992, she didn't do the big white dress again. Why would she? She was a divorcee marrying in the Church of Scotland because the Church of England wouldn't have it at the time.
She wore a white suit. A simple, knee-length coat over a dress. She wore black shoes. Honestly, it was the most "Anne" thing she could have done. She accessorized with a small spray of white heather in her hair. No tiara. No seven-foot train. Just a woman getting on with her life.
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This contrast highlights why the 1973 Princess Anne wedding dress was so significant. It was her one big "fashion" moment where she fully leaned into the pageantry, but she did it on her own terms—tough, clean, and totally devoid of the "Disney Princess" vibes that would later define the 80s royal weddings.
Common Misconceptions About the 1973 Look
Some fashion historians try to claim the dress was "too plain." They are wrong. In the context of the early 70s, "plain" was a radical statement. Look at the bridesmaids. They were in high-waisted, almost "Little House on the Prairie" style gowns with floral crowns. Anne was the sharp contrast to all that softness.
Another myth is that she didn't care about the dress. While Anne is famous for her "recycling" of clothes—she literally wears outfits from 40 years ago today—she was deeply involved in the design of her first wedding gown. She wanted something that would stand the test of time. If you put that 1973 dress on a runway today, it would still work. You can’t say that about Diana’s dress, which, let’s be real, looks like a very expensive duvet.
The Legacy of the Princess Anne Wedding Dress
The influence of this dress popped up again recently. When Princess Beatrice got married in 2020 (wearing a vintage dress from the Queen’s closet), people started looking back at the "cleaner" royal looks. They realized that the gowns which rely on silhouette rather than surface decoration are the ones that actually age well.
Anne’s dress didn't need 10,000 sequins to be memorable. It needed a good iron and a woman with the posture of an Olympic equestrian to carry it off. It was a dress for a woman who was second in line to the throne at the time of her birth and had no intention of being overshadowed by her clothing.
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What You Can Learn From Anne’s Style
If you're looking at the Princess Anne wedding dress for modern inspiration, there are a few key takeaways that still apply to bridal fashion or high-end styling today:
- Fabric is everything. If you choose a cheap fabric with a complex design, it looks messy. If you choose a high-quality silk with a simple design, it looks like a million bucks.
- The neckline dictates the mood. High necks command respect. They are formal, slightly aloof, and incredibly chic.
- Don't fear the "vintage" reference. Anne’s dress looked back to the 1500s but felt like 1973. Mixing eras is how you create a look that doesn't date.
- Comfort matters. Anne looked comfortable because the dress was built for her body, not a mannequin.
The Princess Anne wedding dress remains a masterclass in royal branding. It told the world she was traditional enough to respect the institution but modern enough to ditch the lace doilies. It was a dress of steel and silk. Even decades later, it stands as one of the most underrated pieces of fashion history in the Windsor archives.
To really appreciate it, you have to look at the photos of her leaving the Abbey. The way the light hits the silk faille, the way the trumpet sleeves catch the wind—it’s a reminder that sometimes, the quietest designs are the loudest. She didn't need to scream for attention. She just walked out there and took it.
The dress currently lives in the Royal Collection, occasionally making appearances in exhibitions. It’s a survivor, much like the woman who wore it. No ruffles, no nonsense, just pure, unadulterated structure.
Next Steps for Fashion History Enthusiasts
To get a better sense of how the Princess Anne wedding dress fits into the broader timeline of British fashion, you should look at the work of Maureen Baker beyond this one gown. Baker’s ability to translate high-fashion concepts into wearable, structural pieces for the Susan Small label changed how British women dressed in the 70s.
You might also want to compare the 1973 gown with the wedding dress of Princess Margaret from 1960. Both opted for a lack of surface ornamentation, favoring the "New Look" silhouette and silk organza/faille respectively. Seeing these two dresses side-by-side reveals a specific "rebel princess" aesthetic that prioritized the cut of the garment over the glitter of the embellishments.
Finally, check out the archival footage from the Associated Press or the British Pathe archives of the 1973 wedding. Seeing the dress in motion is the only way to truly understand the engineering of those sleeves. Static photos don't do justice to the way the silk moves as she climbs into the Glass Coach. It is a lesson in how movement should be part of the design process, not an afterthought.