The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrived in May to much fanfare. The former actress revealed what her "something blue" was on the couple's big day in a rare interview featured in ITV's documentary Queen of the World.
As Markle walked down the aisle of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, the Suits alum wore a gown and veil designed by British stylist and Givenchy designer Clare Waight Keller. Within Markle's 16.5-foot-long silk veil, there was a blue patch of fabric from a dress she wore on her first date with Harry.
"It's my something blue," Markle shared in Queen of the World, which hits HBO October 1. "It's fabric from the dress I wore on our first date."
Markle's "something borrowed" was Queen Mary's diamond tiara, lent to Markle by Queen Elizabeth II. The tiara, which was created in 1932, was passed down to Queen Elizabeth following Queen Mary's death in 1953.
Queen of the World centers on Queen Elizabeth and her role as head of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth is comprised of 53 independent nations that were previously associated with the British Empire, something that was also incorporated into Markle's veil by way of 53 embroidered flowers for each country.
"It was important for me, especially now being a part of the royal family, to have all 53 of the Commonwealth countries incorporated," Markle explained in the documentary. "I knew it would be a fun surprise for my now husband. He was really over the moon."
Markle's dress and veil took five months to construct. She selected Waight Keller to design her wedding-day look due to the designer's "timeless and elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring and relaxed demeanor."
Waight Keller was tasked with the responsibility of designing Markle's dress in January. The Givenchy designer described the process as "very collaborative."
Sketches of The Duchess of Sussex’s #RoyalWedding dress, designed by Clare Waight Keller, have been released.
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 20, 2018
The Duchess and Ms. Waight Keller worked closely together on the design, epitomising a timeless minimal elegance referencing the codes of the iconic House of Givenchy. pic.twitter.com/A9ZFKVZmUz
"It was a wonderful way to start the collaboration with her, finding out what she wanted for her day and just to find the absolute perfect style for her," Waight Keller told reporters on May 20 at Kensington Palace, according to People. "Part of it was really a conversation in the beginning and then through a series of sketches that I proposed to her...But over time we quickly got to a point where she knew exactly what she wanted, having tried some of the mock-ups that I had shown her. And then it evolved into the final design."
Markle's dress, veil and tiara are now viewable at the Royal Collection Trust exhibition "A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex."
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Dory Jackson is a New York-based entertainment journalist from Maryland. She graduated from Randolph-Macon College—in May 2016—with a focus in Communication ... Read more
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