A special exhibition will feature the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding outfits from their royal wedding in May 2018.
The display, A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will be on show at Windsor Castle from 26 October to January 6 2019 and at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from 14 June until 6 October 2019.
Minimal and elegant
Described as one of the most ‘minimal and elegant’ royal wedding dresses in history, Meghan’s pure white gown was designed by Clare Waight Keller, the British artistic director of iconic French fashion house Givenchy.
Waight Keller was chosen by the Duchess for her impeccable tailoring, relaxed demeanour and timeless, sophisticated aesthetic. The pair is said to have worked together very closely on the design.
Featuring a boat neckline—a style Meghan has adopted in many of her official engagement outfits since—the royal wedding dress was created with a sculpted waist, modern three-quarter length sleeves and a show-stopping train.
A symbolic garment
The five-metre-long silk veil, which covered the Duchess of Sussex’s face as she walked into Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel, included floral detail representing the 53 countries of the Commonwealth.
To the embroidery, Meghan added wintersweet, a flowering plant that grows in the couple’s Kensington Palace gardens, as well as a California poppy, the state flower of her birthplace and gracious nod to her roots.
It reportedly took a team of embroiderers hundreds of hours to create the intricate veil designs, washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep the tulle pristine.
The Duke of Sussex
The Duke of Sussex’s ‘Blues and Royals’ wedding outfit was made by renowned tailors Dege & Skinner on London’s famous Savile Row. He was given permission from the Queen to get married in the Household Cavalry uniform, which was also worn by the Duke of Cambridge.
Its single-breasted blue doeskin jacket has figures braiding of Regimental pattern on the stand-up collar and sleeves. It is ranked to Major with large gold-embroidered crowns on the epaulettes.
The trousers—officially named ‘overalls’—are made from a blue and black wool barathea and are fastened by a leather strap and buckle underneath the boots.
Prince Harry has loaned an identical uniform to go on display.
The exhibition will also include the precious diamond and platinum bandeau tiara—lent to the Duchess by the Queen—which will be on display for the first time since it was designed in 1932 for the reigning monarch’s grandmother, Queen Mary.
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