WED YOU BELIEVE IT
Meghan Markle reveals the secret tribute to her American roots in her veil and how she didn’t see the finished design until the MORNING of her wedding
MEGHAN Markle’s wedding veil captured the nation's heart when she married Prince Harry this year.
But did you know that the bride-to-be didn’t see the finished design until the morning of the wedding? And she also snuck a secret tribute to her American roots in the pattern.
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In the new behind-the-scenes royal documentary Queen of the World on ITV, footage captured the precious moment Meghan was reunited with her veil for the first time since the wedding.
The spectacular 16ft silk tulle veil took 500 hours to embroider with a flower from all 53 Commonwealth countries (plus a couple of extra poignant ones).
Speaking to conservators from the Royal Collection, Meghan says on the show: “I stuck in a couple of flowers that were important to me as well personally.
“There’s the California poppy in there which has nothing to do with the Commonwealth but it’s where I’m from."
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Gesturing to the veil as a whole, she says: "It’s ours, right”.
Looking at it for the first time since tying the knot, Meghan smiles: “My goodness, it’s amazing isn’t it. Wow, beautiful.”
The veil also has wintersweet flower, which grows around Nottingham Cottage, where she lives with Prince Harry in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Her incredible outfit was created by Clare Waight Keller from Givenchy and Meghan and Clare worked closely together on the design.
Givenchy embroiderers had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to keep her pristine white dress and veil dirt-free prior to the big day.
And talk about placing a lot of trust in her designer, Meghan didn’t actually see the finished design until the big day itself on May 19.
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She reveals on the documentary: “We had two or three meetings talking about sketches and different ideas about how this could come to life, we wanted it to be very delicate.
“But after that point I just said I trust her implicitly with what she did and I didn’t really see it until the morning of.”
When asked what it felt like to wear the breathtaking outfit, Meghan gushed: “It was a pretty magical day. Really special.”
She also shared how she had a piece of fabric from the dress she wore on her first date with Prince Harry was sewn into the veil as her something blue.
She said: “Somewhere in here, there’s a piece of… did you see it? The piece of blue fabric that’s stitched inside. It was my something blue. It’s fabric from the dress that I wore on our first date.
“It’s nice to see it again. It’s beautiful.”
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She kept the flower design a secret from Prince Harry, revealing all to him and the royal family on their wedding day.
Meghan recalled: “It was important for me, especially now being a part of the Royal Family, to have all 53 of the Commonwealth countries incorporated.
“I knew that it would be a fun surprise as well for my now husband, who didn’t know, and he was really over the moon to find out that I would make this choice for our day.
“And I think the other members of the family had a similar reaction.”
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Meghan had been keen to incorporate the Commonwealth in some way on her dress, and discussed it with the designer.
She said: “For me, including some sort of representation of all 53 of the Commonwealth countries was key and I’d originally said to Clare Waight Keller, the designer, how can we incorporate that?
“Would it be the state flower, country flower of each place?
"And it was her idea to do wild flowers, which I think ended up being a really beautiful way to embody the feeling of it.”
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Queen of the World is two-part documentary offering a rare insight into the life of the Royals, and airs on September 25 at 9.15pm.
Meghan Markle stunned onlookers as she arrived at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, ahead of her nuptials to Prince Harry, in a stunning bespoke gown by Givenchy, created by British designer Clare Waight Keller.
Meghan wanted to “highlight the success of a leading British talent who has now served as the creative head of three globally influential fashion houses – Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and now Givenchy”.
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Meghan and Clare worked closely together on the design, which featured a graphic open bateau neckline that gracefully frames the shoulders and emphasises Meghan’s slender waist.
Both the dress and the veil are due to go on display at Windsor Castle next month.
Queen of the World was filmed over more than a year by Oxford Films, which also created Our Queen, Our Queen at 90, and Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
Queen of the World starts on Tuesday at 9.15pm on ITV
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Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle talks about her wedding gown and how she's incorporated every member of the Commonwealth into her dress on 'Queen of the World'
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