The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 was surrounded by secrecy leading up to the ceremony. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex exchanged vows on May 19, 2018, with meticulous efforts to keep the event details confidential. Notably, even Queen Elizabeth was unaware of the design of Meghan’s wedding dress.
Clare Waight Keller, the designer of Meghan’s dress, took on an active role as the maid of honour, assisting Meghan with her gown until she walked down the aisle at St George’s Chapel. In the book Finding Freedom, royal experts Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand revealed the detailed preparations that went into the dress, with Keller ensuring multiple fittings in a secure location at Cliveden House.
Before the wedding, Meghan had personally met the designer at Kensington Palace during her engagement to Prince Harry. The intricate process of designing the dress involved a series of clandestine fittings, orchestrated by Meghan’s personal assistant, Melissa Toubati, and aide Jason Knauf, featuring protection officers and a hidden tunnel.
Despite the secrecy, even Queen Elizabeth was not granted access to view the sketches of Meghan’s dress. Meghan later traveled to Los Angeles with the dress drawings to show her mother, Doria. Reports indicate that the late Queen was disappointed by Meghan’s decision to keep her in the dark about the dress details.
The iconic dress featured long sleeves and a bateau neckline, paying homage to a dress from the 1957 movie Funny Face. Costing £100,000, Meghan added a personal touch by incorporating a piece of blue gingham fabric from the dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry into the gown’s hem.
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