ANTIQUES Roadshow has revealed the mind-boggling truth behind Queen Elizabeth’s wedding dress in a royal special.
The BBC show aired a special episode dedicated to the late Monarch following her death at 96 on Thursday, September 8.
It focused on key moments in the Queen’s life, including her childhood and her marriage to Prince Philip in 1947.
However, viewers may not have expected horticulturist Tom Hart Dyke to bring in a dead moth while discussing the Queen’s wedding gown.
Speaking to expert Hilary Kay, Tom explained how his grandmother worked with silk and her relationship with sericulture, which is the the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk.
He said: “This is fantastic Hilary! Granny really was in the world of sericulture, in the world of silk.
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“And this is the original silk moth here Bombyx mori. These and the eggs around it were responsible for the Queen’s wedding dress!”
The Queen’s wedding dress was made from ivory silk satin and was embroidered with star lilies and orange blossoms.
It was also adorned with 10,000 seed pearls and cost a reported £30,000 at the time and took seven weeks to make.
It was designed by royal couturier Norman Hartnell and one of the Queen’s bridesmaids, Lady Pamela Hicks, previously said of the dress: “With her bridal dress and tiara on her wedding day, she was a knockout.”
Antiques Roadshow viewers enjoyed the special episode, which was filmed on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
One wrote on Twitter: “Currently enjoying tonight’s Commemorative/Royal Yacht Britannia edition of #antiquesroadshow.”
Another added: “We had a lovely visit to the Royal Yacht Brittania for a significant birthday. It just happens to be the same date as her Accession to the throne. I told one of the guides about the connection.”
A third tweeted: “Antiques Roadshow is worth a watch now, some heart-warming stories of the Queen.”
Meanwhile a fourth shared: “I’m loving today’s #antiquesroadshow special onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia!”
Antiques Roadshow is available on BBC iPlayer.
