The actress spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about the royal connection to one of her looks at the show’s season 3 premiere on May 13
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Princess Diana and Florence Hunt. Photo: Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty Images; Liam Daniel/Netflix
Bridgerton is tapping into a piece of true royal history when it comes to the wardrobe for its latest season.
Speaking at the season 3 premiere of the series on May 13, actress Florence Hunt revealed to PEOPLE that she had the honor of wearing a dress cut from the same fabric as one of Princess Diana’s dresses.
“I wore this beautiful blue dress, and I believe it was a cut off from Princess Diana’s dress that she wore at some point,” Hunt, 17, tells PEOPLE at the New York City premiere.
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“A cut off from one of her dresses that they made for Princess Diana and they made a dress out of that fabric, which was mental. It’s crazy, yeah,” she adds, noting it is favorite look her character wears in the new season.
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Florence Hunt at the season 3 premiere of ‘Bridgerton’ in New York City on May 13.ANDREA RENAULT/AFP via Getty Images
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The star, who plays Hyacinth Bridgerton in the Netflix series, added that the wardrobe team on the show “let me keep a little piece of the fabric” after filming.
“I just thought it was amazing. I felt like I was wearing a piece of history,” Hunt tells PEOPLE.
Some of Princess Diana’s most iconic style moments from over the decades include her wearing statement blue dresses.
In 1981, the late princess wore an ethereal off-the-shoulder Bellville Sassoon ballgown at a Victoria & Albert museum exhibition in London, while four years later, she dazzled in an emerald blue Emanuels gown while dancing with her husband, the then-Prince Charles during the Melbourne royal tour.
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Princess Diana in a Bellville Sassoon ballgown at the ‘Splendours of the Gonzaga’ exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1981.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
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Princess Diana also famously sported a light blue strapless chiffon gown by Catherine Walker while attending the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, followed ten years later by wearing a sparkling blue shift dress by Jacques Azagury in one of her last looks in London in 1997.
Bridgerton costume designer John Glaser listed other style icons influencing the third season’s looks as Audrey Hepburn from My Fair Lady for the character of Eloise Bridgerton, and Grace Kelly and Katherine Hepburn for Franscesca Bridgerton, per British Vogue.
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Princess Diana pictured at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987.Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Along with Princess Diana’s memorable fashions, Bridgerton has also been inspired by the late princess’ childhood home.
In December 2020, show creator Chris Van Dusen revealed that the Bridgerton family home was influenced by the Spencer family’s ancestral home — Althorp House — after he developed a connection with it while making the show.
“The interior of Bridgerton House was inspired by my visit to Althorp when I was developing the show. Elegance. Opulence. And that #staircase,” he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) at the time.
