Princess Kate’s wedding dress – and her secret second gown

On April 29 2011, the whole world watched with bated breath for Kate Middleton to step out of her car at Westminster Abbey and enter the historic building to marry Prince William.

As her limousine drew up in time for the 11am service, gasps were drawn as she stepped out in a stunning gown fit for the fairytale occasion, also putting to bed months of rumours about exactly what her dress would look like.

The stunning dress was created by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, a designer that Kate has since turned to a number of times, however at the time the gown seemed like quite a departure from the flouncy 1980s style that had dominated royal weddings three decades earlier.

According to Buckingham Palace, Kate wanted a wedding dress that combined “tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterises Alexander McQueen’s work”.

Here Express.co.uk takes a look back at the most iconic wedding dress of the century so far and all the details of the sumptuous creation.

Who designed Kate’s wedding dress?

The wedding dress was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, a little over a year after the tragic death of the designer himself.

Vogue magazine said that the now-Princess chose the designer for “the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing”.

The gown itself was a traditional white, constructed as a strapless bodice with hand-sewn lace appliqué over the body and skirt, which also went down her arms to form full-length lace sleeves.

The dressmakers from the Royal School of Needlework created hand-cut lace flowers, including roses, thistle, daffodils, and shamrocks, to represent each nation of the United Kingdom, which were then sewn onto ivory silk tulle.

A blue ribbon was also sewn into the gown for the bride’s customary ‘something blue’, while her ‘something borrowed’ was the Queen’s Cartier Halo tiara which she wore atop her veil that flowed down past her hips and was hand-embroidered ivory silk tulle.

Kate’s bouquet was made up of five different flowers: Lily-of-the-valley, symbolising the return of happiness; sweet William, representing gallantry; hyacinth, symbolising constancy of love; ivy, for fidelity, marriage, wedded love, friendship and affection; and myrtle, the emblem of marriage and love.

How much is Kate’s wedding dress worth?

The estimated cost of Kate’s Alexander McQueen gown is around £250,000, with her parents Carole and Michael Middleton thought to have footed the bill.

They also gifted their eldest daughter with a pair of Robinson Pelham earrings to wear on the day, which were designed to look like the Middleton family’s coat of arms.

The Cartier Halo tiara that Kate wore was also encrusted with 888 diamonds, with its worth being estimated at a cool £1 million.

This is still only half the value of the Queen Mary’s Bandeau Tiara, worn by Meghan Markle when she married Prince Harry in Windsor on May 19 2018.

How long was Kate’s train on her wedding dress?

The train on Kate’s beautiful gown measured a staggering nine feet in length, but it made for a stunning effect as it spread out behind her when she walked up the aisle.

Sarah Burton designed the skirt of the dress to look like the opening of a flower, with white satin gazar arches and pleats that pooled behind her.

Kate’s maid of honour, her sister Pippa Middleton, helped arrange the train behind her as she walked through the Abbey to greet her William, and her own bridesmaid dress was also designed by Sarah Burton.

The gorgeous creation almost took the shine of Kate’s own look, as it was made from ivory satin crepe and lace in a figure-hugging design.

It also featured a cowl neckline, capped sleeves, a cinched waist and 58 buttons down the back.

Did Kate have a second dress?

For her wedding reception at Buckingham Palace, Kate changed into another Sarah Burton creation, presumably to allow her to move around the dancefloor more easily.

This dress was far simpler in design but still turned heads with its sweetheart neckline and flared skirt, bejewelled belt to clinch in the waist and furry stole worn as a chic cardigan over the top.

She also removed her tiara and kept the rest of her jewellery and accessories minimal, though of course her famous sapphire engagement ring sparkled on her left hand.

Few pictures were released of the second dress, however some snaps were taken as she left Clarence House and made her way to the Palace for the party.

After the wedding Kate arranged for her gown to be put on display in the summer of 2011 at Buckingham Palace, with her shoes and jewellery from the day also being shown along with their wedding cake.