How Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding Dress Compares to Kate Middleton's Dress

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 19 May 2018

Alas! We finally get to see Meghan Markle in her gorgeous wedding gown. She wore a stunning three-quarter sleeve piece by Claire Wright Keller for Givenchy. MarieClaire.com's royal wedding expert and bridal designer Caroline Castigliano originally predicted Markle would wear a long-sleeve, v-neck lace gown like the one below, which would have been rather similar to Kate's.

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Instead, Markle's double bonded silk cady gown had a sleek boatneck, not a bit of lace save for the trim of her extra-long veil, in a relatively minimal and traditional design. The dress only has six seams, impeccably placed; the underskirt is cushioned in triple silk organza.

"The veil is in silk tulle with embroidery of flowers that represent the commonwealth," says Castigliano. Markle's silk tulle veil is 16.4042 meters long—much longer than Middleton's—although similarly fashioned from hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza."

Experts say that Princess Margaret's dress also didn't have any lace, so there is some royal precedent for this choice.

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Kate Middleton wore a long-sleeve embroidered lace gown by Alexander McQueen accompanied by a Cartier Halo tiara. Middleton went for a gentle v-neck design, whereas Markle's is a straight across the collarbone boatneck cut.

Markle wore Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, which was made in 1932, with the center diamond sourced from 1893.

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Neither woman wore a necklace, and both wore earrings, though Middleton's were dangly and Markle's were Cartier studs. Markle also wore a Cartier bracelet; Kate did not.

Either way, both look incredibly stunning.

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Follow along here as we report on the royal wedding in real-time—from the dress to the tiara to Harry and Meghan's most adorable moments.

Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.