By Danielle Broadway
(Reuters) – A new exhibition that celebrates the life of the late Princess Diana opens in Las Vegas on Friday, days after the 25th anniversary of her death in a car crash in Paris.
“Princess Diana: A Tribute Exhibition” features over 700 original royal artifacts, including evening gowns and other personal items at The Shops at Crystals adjacent to the Aria Resort & Casino.
One of the main attractions is a replica of Diana’s wedding dress, which was created by Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave. Visitors can walk across the 25-foot-long train that’s protected under glass.
David Corelli, curator and producer of the exhibition, said the wedding area of the exhibit inspired the creators to offer guests packages for their own nuptials inside the “Wedding of the Century” room, which includes a full ceremony and a private dinner amongst regal memorabilia.
“Vegas is the wedding capital of the world. There are 120,000 weddings that happen in the city every year, so here we have this amazing room celebrating the most famous wedding of all time with unbelievable artifacts surrounding you,” Corelli said.
With an “intricate recreation of Diana’s wedding dress to a tee in an art piece,” he said, “we thought ‘why not create one of those you can only get it in Las Vegas-type moments?’”
The exhibit does not just showcase Diana. There are artifacts that connect to several royal family members, including Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and even items connected to Queen Victoria from the 1800s.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by David Gregorio)
