Myths about royal wedding dresses... shattered

There are a surprising number of myths and suspicions regarding the royal wedding gowns for the monarchs and their offspring. Focusing on the British Royal family, we find out common thoughts and beliefs surrounding 'the wedding dress' and if they are true or false...

Let’s start with the most popular and well-known facts about white wedding dresses: they became a tradition thanks to Queen Victoria. But is that a true statement or is there some untruth to the history?

The monarch married Prince Albert in 1840 and opted for a white dress. Not only did the colour symbolise purity, but, interestingly, the Queen wanted to showcase British lace - and white was the best colour to do this.

As the British textile industry was facing huge advancements in machinery, those who previously held jobs hand-making the products were being forced into poverty. Victoria wanted to support these workers and highlight the need and beauty for handmade lace. Choosing white lace for her wedding gown stimulated the revival of handmade lace in Britain. 

Of course, Queen Victoria’s wedding dress choices are famous to this day, as is her legacy. But was she really the first monarch to wear white on her wedding day? No. A long time before, Phillip of England was the first daughter of an English sovereign to get married in white in 1406. Traditionally, however, monarchs said their vows in red, pink, blue, or even black. Victoria did change the history of fashion.

Moving on to possibly the second most influential wedding dress in history - that of the late Princess Diana. 750 million people tuned in worldwide to watch her marry Prince Charles - but not in a white dress…

The dress itself is off-white and called 'vintage ivory' by the designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel.

Another interesting fact to note about Diana’s dress is that she had 'something old' sewn in (an old British tradition) as The Emanuels sewed a square of Carrickmacross lace onto Princess Diana's dress. The lace was historical and once belonged to the wife and Queen consort of King George V (Prince Charles' great-grandmother). 

But, this iconic addition may not have been so historical, according to Town & Country, who say the item may have been simply found in a bag of scraps!

Kate Middleton, now Princess Catherine of Wales, made the world fall in love with her in the Victorian-inspired wedding dress she wore when she married the future King of England. The dress was designed and created by none other than Sarah Burton, the director of Alexander McQueen. But… it wasn't really.

In fact, it was created by a team of 50 seamstresses and embroiderers who worked on the gown for months. They made the final amendments to the dress the day before the wedding, finishing at 9 pm before heading to the pub for a well-deserved beverage!

It seemed at the time everyone knew who was designing the dress, but it was kept such a secret that not even the team commissioned to start embroidering was told who the dress was for. According to Cosmopolitan, they assumed they were making a dress for a TV show!

But the Princess of England shouldn't be thought of as a royal with a flock of people around her, doing everything for her. For her wedding day, she did her own makeup!

Queen Elizabeth's wedding was a global event. But timing was key. After World War II, the British people still used clothing rations - and then-Princess Elizabeth wasn't exempt.

Hundreds of people around Britain tried sending her their own cards to supplement the 200 coupons she'd been granted. According to Readers Digest, the palace returned each one because transferring them was illegal.

Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018 and it was the love story of the actress and the prince... before Megxit. But when the princess bride was parading in front of the public, she was unaware of the comments about her dress being too big. Was it too big? Myth or fact?

According to The Express, Meghan wanted to have a 'modern and fresh' wedding dress. The bride and designer decided together that, in order to comply with this look, a freer fit would be more suitable.

Meghan Markle proved this was another myth. The actress got married in a sleek, uncomplicated number without many accessories or adornments at all, going a little against the grain for royal traditions.

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