Once upon a time… royal wedding dresses wererichly coloured.
Queen Mary I was married in purple in 1554 – reserved exclusively for royals.
In 1816, Princess Charlotte wore real silver thread with silver embroidery.
Then Queen Victoria chose a simple white dress in English silk and lace…
and set the pattern for white weddings ever after.
The Queen Mother broke the mould in a loose 1920s “flapper”-stylegown.
But there are some style rules almost all royal dresses follow.
No knees, please – royal dresses are nearly always full length.
Since the 50s, skirts have slowly increased in volume.
Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria went for an off-the-shoulder look.
But sleeves are still “the done thing” for most royal brides.
A couple more finishing touches help define the royal look:
a trainadds a sense of grandeur as you glide to the altar…
and a veil remains quintessential for a royal wedding – Kate wore one too.
The timeless princess rolemodel remains Grace Kelly in a high-neckand full-sleeves…
quite different from thelayered tulle dressMeghan wore as an actress in Suits.
But maybe she has a few surprises for us – we’ll soon find out.