Emotional moment Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill is presented with the painstakingly restored dress she wore as Queen's maid of honour at the 1953 Coronation

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The Queen's former aide became tearful as she was presented with the dress she wore at the Coronation after it was painstakingly restored to its former glory.

Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, 92, praised the 'unbelievable' transformation of the faded Norman Hartnell gown, which had laid in storage for decades and was badly damaged due to sun exposure. 

It was recently brought out of storage at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, and given to textile conservator Emma Telford, who spent 400 hours repairing the delicate silk dress. 

Lady Rosemary is presented with the gown on an episode of Nick Knowles: Heritage Rescue, which premieres next Tuesday on discovery+. 

Queen's coronation: Lady Rosemary, pictured far right, was one of the six maids of honour who stood by the Queen as she was crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1953. Like the other maids, Lady Rosemary was dressed in a stunning gold gown designed by Norman Hartnell

Sun-damaged: The Norman Hartnell gown had laid in storage for decades and was badly damaged due to sun exposure, pictured, before being handed over to a textile conservator

Restored to its former glory: Lady Rosemary is presented with the gown on an episode of Nick Knowles: Heritage Rescue, which premieres next Tuesday on discovery+

Intricate: The lavish frock boasts a tiny 22-inch waist. It also features a gold leaf and pearl white blossom motif, cap sleeves and v-neck. Pictured, following the painstaking restoration

Steeped in history: The dress spent decades in an archive at Blenheim Palace, pictured in stock image, the family seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill

'Oh, my goodness me, I must put on my glasses,' Lady Rosemary gasped on seeing the dress. 'It's fantastic. Emma, I congratulate you, it's unbelievable what you've done.'

Lady Rosemary, the daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, and a great-aunt of the current duke, was one of the six maids of honour who stood by the Queen, 96, as she was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. 

She married Charles Muir just two weeks after the coronation, in a service attended by Princess Margaret.

Like the other maids, Lady Rosemary was dressed in a stunning gold gown designed by the Queen's dressmaker Normal Hartnell. The dress has a tiny 22-inch waist, with a motif of gold leaf and pearl white blossom.

The young women were responsible for carefully lifting and unfolding the princess's’ 21 foot train as she alighted from the magnificent Gold State Coach. 

The Queen's maids of honour Lady Rosemary Muir, Lady Anne Glenconner, Lady Moyra Campbell, Lady Mary Russell, Lady Jane Rayne and Baroness Willoughby de Eresby were intensely scrutinised by the young women and Press of the day. 

Such was the attention lavished upon the women Lady Glenconner even claimed they were seen as the Spice Girls of their time. 

Historic day: The Queen with her six maids of honour, including Lady Rosemary, at the coronation. The maids bore her velvet train throughout the coronation ceremony

The Queen's right-hand women: How Her Majesty's maids of honour carried her Coronation train and were given smelling salts to stop them fainting 

The Queen's maids of honour Lady Rosemary Muir, Lady Anne Glenconner, Lady Moyra Campbell, Lady Mary Russell, Lady Jane Rayne and Baroness Willoughby de Eresby were intensely scrutinised by the young women and Press of the day. The young women were responsible for carefully lifting and unfolding the princess's’ 21 foot train as she alighted from the magnificent Gold State Coach

The Queen's maids of honour Lady Rosemary Muir, Lady Anne Glenconner, Lady Moyra Campbell, Lady Mary Russell, Lady Jane Rayne and Baroness Willoughby de Eresby were intensely scrutinised by the young women and Press of the day. 

Such was the attention lavished upon the women Lady Glenconner even claimed they were seen as the Spice Girls of their time. 

Just before they entered the Abbey for their slow process to the alter, the Queen, then aged 25, paused and, in recognition of the life changing event, simply asked them: ‘Ready girls?’ 

The young women were responsible for carefully lifting and unfolding the princess's’ 21 foot train as she alighted from the magnificent Gold State Coach.

Following the tradition set by Queen Victoria, Elizabeth chose to have ladies in waiting rather than page boys to carry her train in the ceremony

Made of heavy embroidered velvet with a fur trim, the stunning train was by no means light, and had to be held using six specially designed silk handles discreetly sewn into the underside of the train.

All the women had a small vial of smelling salts concealed in their gloves in case they felt faint during the ceremony and Lady Jane Rayne, who was then Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 20, once recalled how she was forced to use hers to prevent Lady Anne from keeling over.

Lady Rosemary Muir, who was 23 on the day, was not so lucky, once revealing how when the Archbishop shook her hand to greet her, he accidently crushed the vial, releasing ‘the most terrible smell of ammonia’ from her hand. 

The Queen's Coronation service began at 11.15am and lasted almost three hours, concluding at 2pm. 

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Following the Coronation, Lady Rosemary's dress spent years on display at Blenheim Palace, the family seat of the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. 

But the delicate silk was badly damaged by sunlight exposure, causing the material to split and crack. 

Emma, a specialist in tapestry conservation and historic house interior textiles, was called in and tasked with the enormous challenge of repairing the irreplaceable dress.

After assessing the dress, she confirmed: 'It's light damage. After it was worn and I'm not sure exactly when but maybe in the 1960s and 1970s, it was on display for a number of years on a mannequin and the back of the dress obviously received a significant amount of light and the silk has just split and shattered at the back.'

While the front of the dress remained in good condition and the beadwork almost entirely intact, an incredible feat given the time that has passed, there was significant damage around the bottom and the material had begun to shred. 

Emma warns, 'Ultraviolet light, particularly for silk, is really harmful'.

Despite her 32 years’ experience, Emma admitted that she had never worked on something with the unique challenges. 

Treasured: The exquisite dress, pictured after the restoration, will now go on display to mark the Jubilee. Lady Rosemary said seeing the dress again brought back memories of the Jubilee 

Fit like a glove: Lady Rosemary had four fittings to ensure the dress, pictured following the restoration, was tailored to perfection for the Coronation

Big reveal: Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill was presented with the dress at Blenheim Palace in a scene recorded for Nick Knowles: Heritage Rescue, pictured

Emotional moment: Lady Rosemary put on her glasses to take a closer look at the gown. She congratulated fabric restorer Emma, left, on her work and said she thought it was 'fantastic'

Queen's unflappable maid of honour: How Lady Rosemary was 'unfazed' by coronation

At the age of 23, Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill, daughter, of 10th Duke of Marlborough, was the eldest Maid of Honour and probably the least fazed.

She was brought up with 36 ‘indoor’ servants at Blenheim Palace near Oxford and Winston Churchill was her uncle. 

‘I was used to huge numbers of people and vast parties,' she once said. 'Foreign royals often came to Blenheim. I was once pulled out of bed to meet the Queen of Egypt. I had my wedding, with 950 guests, at Blenheim two weeks later.'

She had moved her wedding date to accommodate the Coronation.

Lady Rosemary remained married to her husband Robert Muir until his death in 1972. The couple welcomed three children, Alexander Pepys Muir, Simon Huntly Muir and Mary Arabella Muir. Alexander was Princess Margaret's godson.

Wedding bell: Lady Rosemary married Robert Muir two weeks after the coronation after moving the date for the Queen

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Using support fabric that she’d prepared with adhesive on it, Emma was able to bond it onto the fragile silk of the dress to stabilise the damage and strengthen the material. 

She confessed: 'There’s really no option with an item that’s in that kind of condition. 

'An adhesive support is really a last resort for textile conservators, but this is very much a last gasp for this item as it really is in such poor condition.'

The iron-on silk backing stabilised the worst of the damage but only then could Emma turn her skilled hands to the heady job of resewing some of the worst parts. 

With her threaded needle and a little piece of the silk, reasonably strong and dyed to colour match the silk on the dress, she completed the repair by sewing the threads not sealed by the adhesive. 

The dress will go on display to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee this week.

After being asked by Nick if it brought back memories, Lady Rosemary admitted: 'It certainly does, yes' and recalled her duties on the day.

'We'd been trained so well by the Duke of Norfolk. We had so many rehearsals we never thought anything would go wrong, and it didn't,' she said. 

When questioned if the Queen was nervous, Lady Rosemary continued: 'She certainly didn't show it. When we started off the six of us, she turned around and she just said 'ready girls' and off we went - she was wonderfully relaxed.'

Emma said of the project: 'I felt very nervous and quite anxious about today, for a few weeks. Wondering if it was actually going to be ready in time. It was lovely to see that reaction.' 

Lady Rosemary replied: 'I think it's unbelievable. When I first saw it, after it had been damaged, I thought there was no hope for this. 

'It seemed to disintegrate in one's hands, and I'm just overwhelmed by what's been done. I think it's going to go on exhibition, and hopefully will be well looked after.'

Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill was the eldest Maid of Honour and probably the least fazed. She was brought up with 36 ‘indoor’ servants at Blenheim Palace near Oxford and Winston Churchill was her uncle. 

‘I was used to huge numbers of people and vast parties,' she once said. 'Foreign royals often came to Blenheim. I was once pulled out of bed to meet the Queen of Egypt. I had my wedding, with 950 guests, at Blenheim two weeks later.'

She had moved her wedding date to accommodate the Coronation. 

Lady Rosemary, the daughter of John Spencer-Churchill, 10th Duke of Marlborough, and a great-aunt of the current duke, was one of the six maids of honour who stood by the Queen, 96, as she was crowned at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953 

After being asked by Nick if it brought back memories, Lady Rosemary admitted: 'It certainly does, yes' and recalled her duties on the day

All in the details: Emma, a specialist in tapestry conservation and historic house interior textiles, was called in and tasked with the enormous challenge of repairing the dress

The Spice Girls of their day! How unmarried daughters of Dukes, Marquesses and Earls were given the highest honour at the Coronation

A few months before the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, letters were sent out by the 16th Duke of Norfolk to six lucky aristocratic girls. The Duke was the Earl Marshal — the official charged with organising all the great state occasions — and the letters invited them to serve as Maids of Honour.

Following the tradition of Queen Victoria, the girls were all daughters of Dukes, Marquesses, and Earls, unmarried, and aged between 17 and 23. They were left in no doubt what a signal honour they’d been given.

Victoria’s Coronation in 1837 wasn’t properly rehearsed and, although she didn’t notice, nearly descended into chaos as the girls tripped over their own trains and were scolded by the Mistress of the Robes for not keeping step properly. No such chances would be taken in 1953.

Months of rehearsals, fittings with royal dressmaker Norman Hartnell and much media coverage preceded the day itself when, on June 2, two of the girls — Lady Rosemary Spencer-Churchill and Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart — travelled in the coach behind the 27-year-old Queen while the others — Lady Anne Coke, Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, Lady Moyra Hamilton and Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby — waited at Westminster Abbey for their arrival.

Their task, aside from looking young and beautiful, was to carry the Queen’s train, so heavy she couldn’t move without them. An annexe had been built on to the Abbey where the four taking part in the procession but who did not travel in the coach could drink coffee and listen to the radio commentary of the Queen’s journey from Buckingham Palace.

Their task, aside from looking young and beautiful, was to carry the Queen’s train, so heavy she couldn’t move without them. An annexe had been built on to the Abbey where the four taking part in the procession but who did not travel in the coach could drink coffee and listen to the radio commentary of the Queen’s journey from Buckingham Palace.

After walking her up the aisle, and then back down, they all went to the Palace to be photographed by the renowned Cecil Beaton and famously appeared on the balcony. The picture with the maids has been recreated this year at the command of the Queen and will be seen publicly for the first time on the anniversary of the Coronation.

Other than lineage — there were plenty of other girls eligible — it is still a secret why these six were chosen. Certainly, they all looked magnificent and caught the eye of the world.

Lady Anne Glenconner 

Friends with princess Margaret: Lady Anne Coke, 20, daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester and the Countess of Leicester. She married Colin Tennant, later Lord Glenconner, who bought Mustique and spent much of his life in the Caribbean

Then: Lady Anne Coke, 20, daughter of the 5th Earl of Leicester and the Countess of Leicester, who was Lady of the Bedchamber; they were the only mother and daughter in the procession. 

Now: Married Colin Tennant, later Lord Glenconner, who bought Mustique and spent much of his life in the Caribbean while Anne stayed in Norfolk. Widowed in 2010. Five children. 

Lady Anne’s father had been the Duke of York’s equerry and as her parents lived ten miles from Sandringham, she had been to many birthday parties there.

Princess Margaret was Anne’s age and Anne would go on to be her lady-in-waiting for 34 years. ‘She was a great friend of my husband and he gave her a plot of land in Mustique.’

Anne provided the most memorable wobble of the day when she nearly fainted and Black Rod, a war hero called Brian Horrocks, had to lean her up against a pillar.

Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart

Anxious: Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 20-year-old daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry. When the day finally came around, she recalls being far too nervous to eat and that the dress was actually very uncomfortable. Right, in 2020

Then: Lady Jane Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 20-year-old daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry. 

Now: Married property developer Max Rayne, later Lord Rayne, in 1965, then widowed and married historian and royal biographer Robert Lacey in 2012. Four children. Lives in London.

In the rehearsals, Jane had found that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, got cross easily and was very stern and pompous.

When the day finally came around, she recalls being far too nervous to eat and that the dress was actually very uncomfortable.

Jane was such a beauty that society photographer Sterling Henry Nahum Baron (commonly known as just Baron) had nominated her as one of the ten most beautiful women in England.

The real hero was the Duke of Edinburgh — ‘all the girls at my boarding school were in love with Philip. He was incredibly handsome.’ Less happy was Princess Margaret, then in the middle of her hopeless love affair with Group Captain Peter Townsend. ‘I saw them at Balmoral later that year and they did seem to me to be quite in love. But on the day she did look so sad.’ 

Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton 

Good omen: Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, daughter of the Earl of Haddington. She went to the Abbey in a car with her mother, and in the annexe listened to the news that Everest had been conquered, which ‘seemed like a good omen’. Right, in 2013

Then: Lady Mary Baillie-Hamilton, 19, daughter of the Earl of Haddington.

Now: Married company director John Bailey, then landowner David Russell. Five children.

Lady Mary’s father, the Earl of Haddington, was a childhood friend of the Queen Mother from Scotland and her childhood scrapbook featured a picture of him at George VI’s Coronation in 1937 carrying The Sceptre of the Dove — one of two sceptres handed to the new monarch.

Lady Mary recalled that the Earl Marshal, the cricket-mad Duke of Norfolk, who organised the ceremony, was a ‘real choreographer’ who rehearsed the maids until they were near faultless.

On Coronation day, she got up early at home in Tite Street, Chelsea, and a hairdresser came round. 'We were very jealous of Rosie Churchill and Jane Stewart, who were going in the carriage.'

She went to the Abbey in a car with her mother, and in the annexe listened to the news that Everest had been conquered, which ‘seemed like a good omen’.

For Lady Mary and the others, the most moving moment was the anointing, when the Queen took off her regalia and was blessed with Holy Oil under a canopy held by four Knights of the Garter.

Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby 

Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 18, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Ancaster, the Lord Great Chamberlain, and granddaughter of Nancy Astor. Pictured right, in 1999

Then: Lady Jane Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby, 18, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Ancaster, the Lord Great Chamberlain, and granddaughter of Nancy Astor.

Now: Unmarried, she inherited one of her father’s titles and fortune and became Lady Jane Willoughby de Eresby, with homes at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire and Drummond Castle in Perthshire.

Lady Jane’s father was the Lord Great Chamberlain at the time of the Coronation, and therefore a key player in the ceremony.

The youngest Maid of Honour caught the train up from her finishing school in the country for rehearsals and dress fittings.

Lady Moira Hamilton

Late friend: Lady Moyra Hamilton was the daughter of the 4th Duke of Abercorn and a first cousin of Princess Diana's father, the 8th Earl Spencer. She died in November 2020, aged 90

Then: Daughter of the 4th Duke of Abercorn and a first cousin of Princess Diana's father, the 8th Earl Spencer

Died: In November 2020, aged 90 

Lady Moyra was aged 22 when the Queen chose her to be one of her train bearers who carried her six-yard Robe of State.

On the 60th anniversary of the Coronation in 2013, Lady Moyra joined her five fellow maids of honour, with whom she was still good friends, in recalling what she said was the greatest day of her life for the Radio 4 programme The Reunion.

She said they were touched by the cheering crowds along the route. Race-horse-loving Lady Moyra specially remembered the 6ft 3in Queen of Tonga, who refused a hood and rode through the pouring rain in an open carriage.