It can now be finally revealed that Meghan Markle’s hugely anticipated wedding dress will set the Royal Family back £100,000.
Multiple royal and fashion industry sources have revealed the actress has opted for British couturiers Ralph & Russo to make the first of two gowns she plans to wear on May 19.
She will wear the hand-stitched, heavily beaded design to walk down the aisle at St George’s Chapel in front of 600 guests – and an estimated billion TV viewers worldwide – as well as for the reception being held afterwards by the Queen in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle.
Another source has claimed that the dress would cost around 100,000 pounds, which will be met by Prince Harry and his family privately.
News of her dress came as Kensington Palace revealed new details about the wedding, including that Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, will not go on honeymoon until later in the summer and will conduct their first public engagement as man and wife days after their wedding.
According to sources, Harry has been kept in the dark about Meghan’s dress and does not even know who is designing it as he wants it to be a ‘complete surprise’ on the day.
Ralph & Russo have been odds-on favourite for the commission since Meghan wore a £56,000 semi-sheer black evening dress from the label for her official engagement portrait.
Earlier this week, their team visited the Royal School of Needlework, which was responsible for the bespoke lace on the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress and has a long association with the Royal Family.
Meghan will change into another dress for a second, black-tie evening reception thrown by Prince Charles at Frogmore House in the grounds of Windsor Great Park.
British company Burberry and its outgoing chief designer Christopher Bailey or beloved royal label Erdem are tipped to create this dress.
