Embroiderers making Meghan Markle’s wedding veil had to wash hands every thirty minutes, designer reveals

The newlywed Duchess of Sussex had eight fittings of her dress

Sabrina Barr
Tuesday 29 May 2018 12:37 BST
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Royal Wedding: Meghan Markle walks down the aisle in Givenchy dress to marry Prince Harry

A lot of fine detail went into the Duchess of Sussex’s royal wedding look, from the handpicked flowers of her bridal bouquet to the tiara that the Queen lent her for the extravagant occasion.

Clare Waight Keller, the designer of Meghan’s wedding dress and artistic director of French luxury fashion house Givenchy, has provided new details about the months of diligent preparation that went into the whole ensemble in the lead up to the big day.

One of the aspects that drew the most attention was the veil, which was adorned with flowers representing each country in the Commonwealth in addition to two of the bride’s personal favourites.

The embroiderers of the veil went to extreme lengths to ensure that they didn’t tarnish the five metres of silk tulle, washing their hands every thirty minutes while working on it in order to maintain its pristine condition.

In the interview with French magazine Paris Match, Ms Waight Keller also explained how she and Meghan worked closely with one another to create a dress that would be representative of both Givenchy and the bride’s personal style.

Following their first meeting to discuss the dress in January, Meghan had eight fittings prior to her wedding day on May 19.

According to Ms Waight Keller, it didn’t take long for her and Meghan to decide upon their chosen style for the dress.

“Meghan knows what she wants,” the designer said.

“I wanted a modern and fresh silhouette, while respecting her style.”

She continued, expressing her hope that Hubert de Givenchy, who died in March this year, would have been happy with the the final design.

The Duke of Sussex was allegedly just as happy with the dress as Meghan, personally thanking Ms Waight Keller for her hard work.

“Prince Harry came to tell me: ‘Oh! My God. Thank you. She is absolutely magnificent.’ I am very proud,” the designer stated.

Some prominent individuals have publicly criticised Meghan’s dress, with singer Katy Perry saying that she thinks the duchess should have had “one more fitting.”

Designer Emilia Wickstead has responded to claims that she stated that Meghan’s dress looked like one of her own creations, stating that she doesn’t believe the dress is a copy of one of her designs and wishing Prince Harry and Meghan a happy life together.

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