When Meghan Markle arrived at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, on May 19, 2018 to marry Prince Harry, the world caught a glimpse of one of the most highly anticipated fashion choices of the decade. It put an end to months of speculation as to which designer would make the all-important wedding dress.
Royal wedding dresses hold a special place in fashion history, with most influencing bridal trends in some way and high-profile examples finding their way into museum collections, being preserved and protected against the ravages of time.
In Britain, modern royal weddings are based upon a historic framework of traditions, most of which can be traced back to the monarchy's dominating matriarch, Queen Victoria. Fiercely patriotic and with a keen knowledge of how royal star power can boost domestic industry, throughout her reign, the queen near-exclusively wore British-made clothing. When it came time to order her bridal dress in 1840, Victoria did not deviate from this.
Victoria's royal wedding dress is perhaps the most famous and influential of all time, credited with popularizing the fashion for brides wearing white. Prior to this, women had worn their best dresses, no matter the color, and royal brides had married in silver or gold.
Victoria's example was one followed by many royal brides after her with very few exceptions... Meghan being one of them.
Here, Newsweek looks at how Meghan Markle performed an act of royal rebellion with her glamorous haute-couture wedding dress, as the duchess celebrates her sixth wedding anniversary with Prince Harry on May 19.
The Dress
Meghan Markle's wedding dress was an exercise in simplicity, devoid of embellishment and crafted in white silk with precise seam-work that helped create a fluted shape as she walked up the aisle.
The gown featured an open boat neckline (on the risqué side of conservative for the buttoned-up Windsors), a 16-foot silk train and three-quarter-length "bracelet" sleeves.
To accessorize, the future duchess wore a 16-foot silk tulle veil embroidered with flowers, held into place by a glittering diamond art deco tiara, lent to her from the personal collection of Queen Elizabeth II.
Paris Over London
Though Meghan looked every inch a princess as she processed through St. George's Chapel to the high altar, meeting King Charles halfway, her choice of designer for her wedding dress was a bold and rebellious one. It set firm Meghan's view that she wouldn't bend to every whim of the monarchy, tradition or not.
Instead of following Victoria's example of commissioning a British designer, one that was followed not only by Princess Kate but also Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan instead looked across the English Channel to France—Paris, to be exact.
There were months of speculation that the queen's favorite designer, Stewart Parvin; Princess Diana's favorite, Catherine Walker & Co.; or Princess Kate's favorite house of Alexander McQueen would make the dress (all being homegrown British talent). However, when Meghan stepped out of her car at the chapel, it was announced that her gown had been made at the atelier of the house of Givenchy in Paris.
The label, founded by Hubert de Givenchy in 1952, had been made famous by Audrey Hepburn and became synonymous with Hollywood glamour. It was fitting then for Meghan, an actress.
For her, choosing a French brand was a potentially controversial move. Not only would a British business not benefit from the good international PR designing the wedding dress would bring, but it also meant the vast sum of money it cost to create wouldn't benefit the U.K. economy.
Despite this, Meghan gave a nod to patriotism for her husband's country, with Givenchy's creative director being the British-born Clare Waight Keller.
This nod, but not surrender, to tradition has become indicative of Meghan's relationship with the monarchy since her marriage.
Meghan's haute couture wedding gown was accessorized with a veil embroidered with all the floral emblems of the Commonwealth countries. However, importantly, she was not forgotten on her own day, having the California poppy, the state flower of the place she was born and raised, placed alongside them.
Meghan's appearance on her wedding day, from dress to veil, tiara to makeup, was widely praised by the fashion press, and little objection was raised to her small act of sartorial rebellion.
The Givenchy gown was displayed at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, during summer exhibitions. Thousands of tourists traveled to catch a glimpse at the dress whose international craftsmanship will now forever be a part of British fashion history.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Correction 05/20/24 06:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a correction to the spelling of Markle in a caption
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
