The Royal Collection Trust confirmed reports of a planned exhibition for the Duchess of Sussex's wedding gown this week! They announced that
A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will go on display at Windsor Castle from October 26, 2018 to January 6, 2019 and then at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh from June 13, 2019 to October 6, 2019.
Exhibition highlights will include the Duchess' wedding gown, veil, and tiara; an identical uniform to the one Prince Harry wore on his wedding day will also be included.
Like many of you, I've been hoping for a better look at some of the details of Meghan's wedding veil. The announcement was accompanied by a few display shots, so let's spend our Friday gazing at some prettiness. (And/or doing some travel planning, if you're suddenly feeling the need...)
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Wedding dress, by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy
Royal Collection Trust |
"The dress is made from an exclusive double-bonded silk cady, developed by Ms Waight Keller following extensive research in fabric mills throughout Europe. True to the heritage of the House of Givenchy, the graceful lines of the dress were achieved using six meticulously placed seams. These extend towards the back of the dress, where the train flows in soft round folds cushioned by an underskirt in triple silk organza. One of the main features of the dress is the boat neckline bodice."
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Veil, silk tulle
Royal Collection Trust |
"The five-metre-long veil is made from silk tulle and embroidered with the flora of the 53 countries of the Commonwealth, a reference to an important part of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's official work following His Royal Highness’s appointment as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador."
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| Royal Collection Trust |
"The Duchess added two of her favourite flowers to the embroidered decoration: Wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), which grows in the grounds of Kensington Palace in front of Nottingham Cottage, and the California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica), the State flower of The Duchess's place of birth, California. Embroidered ears of wheat, symbolising love and charity, are symmetrically placed at the front of the veil, which is edged with embroidered organza flowers.
It took the team of embroiderers hundreds of hours to create the design, washing their hands every 30 minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine."
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Diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, 1932
Royal Collection Trust |
"This diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, lent to the Duchess by Her Majesty The Queen, held the veil in place. On public display for the first time, the tiara is formed as a flexible band of eleven sections, pavé set with large and small brilliant diamonds in a geometric design. The centre is set with a detachable brooch of ten brilliant diamonds. The bandeau was made in 1932 for Her Majesty's grandmother, Queen Mary, and specifically designed to accommodate the centre brooch. This brooch was given to the then Princess Mary in 1893 by the County of Lincoln on her marriage to Prince George, Duke of York (the future King George V). The bandeau and the brooch were bequeathed to Her Majesty by Queen Mary in 1953."
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Frockcoat uniform, by Dege & Skinner
Owen Cooban/MOD Crown copyright 2018 |
"The Duke of Sussex's wedding outfit was the frockcoat uniform of the Household Cavalry (the 'Blues and Royals'), made by tailors at Dege & Skinner on Savile Row. As the uniform specially commissioned for the occasion is required for use by His Royal Highness, this is an identical uniform made for The Duke by Dege & Skinner a few years earlier.
The uniform's single-breasted blue doeskin jacket has figured 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 called 'overalls', are made from a blue and black wool barathea and are fastened by a leather strap and buckle underneath the boot."
