Queen Elizabeth ‘Strongly Disapproved’ of Meghan Markle’s Wedding Dress: ‘Flamboyantly Virginal’ for a Divorcee
A new royal book claims Queen Elizabeth wasn’t thrilled with Meghan Markle‘s wedding dress. It wasn’t the demure style of the gown the royal family‘s leader was against, but the color, calling white “flamboyantly virginal” for a divorcee.
Queen Elizabeth questioned Meghan Markle’s wedding dress color
Meghan Markle opted for a white wedding dress when she tied the knot with royal Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. She wore a Waight Keller-designed dress, a British designer who was the creative head of Pringle of Scotland and Chloé before joining Givenchy.
However, in a new book by Ingrid Seward titled My Mother and I, Queen Elizabeth wasn’t thrilled about Meghan wearing white. Elizabeth’s traditional view led her to believe it wasn’t a proper color for someone who was divorced.
The Daily Mail reported that Lady Elizabeth Anson, the queen’s cousin and confidante, told Seward the monarch felt the bride’s dress could have been better. She thought it was “too white.”
“Queen Elizabeth II never voiced her true opinion about Harry’s wife. Except to her very closest confidantes, such as Lady Elizabeth Anson, or Liza as she was known to her friends,” Seward wrote. “A cousin of the Queen, she used to speak on the telephone to the monarch daily.”
“Lady Elizabeth told me that the Queen had made only one remark to her about Meghan and Harry’s wedding. It was that the bride’s Givenchy wedding gown was ‘too white.’ In the monarch’s view, it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting remarried in the church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal.”
Queen Elizabeth was uncomfortable with Charles walking Meghan down the aisle
A statement from Ms. Meghan Markle: pic.twitter.com/TjBNarmuBU
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 17, 2018
Meghan Markle famously walked down the aisle alone toward her husband-to-be, Prince Harry, on May 19, 2018. She was then joined by then-Prince Charles, who escorted her to his son.
Seward wrote that Lady Elizabeth revealed Queen Elizabeth wasn’t thrilled about Charles’ gesture toward Meghan. She was reportedly made “uncomfortable” by it.
“Nor was the Queen comfortable with the Prince of Wales’s [Charles’] decision to stand in for Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, and walk her down the aisle,” Seward wrote.
Thomas Markle was set to walk his daughter down the aisle. However, he did not attend because he was embarrassed over a series of staged photographs taken in cooperation with paparazzi.
Just days before the wedding, Meghan released a statement via Kensington Palace on X. “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” she said in a statement released by Kensington Palace. “I have always cared for my father. And I hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.
“I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”
Meghan Markle also wore white for her wedding reception
After her wedding ceremony, Meghan Markle changed out of her Givenchy wedding dress and showed off her fashion sense in a stylish white Stella McCartney gown. The gown was made from lily white silk crepe and featured a halter neck and sleeveless silhouette.
Shortly after, the fashion label announced that it would sell replicas of Meghan’s look. The dress was produced in a limited run of only 46 garments, half made in black and half in white.
Town & Country shared McCartney’s commentary about her bridal line. “I think that in this day and age, the wedding day is very different from how it’s traditionally perceived.”
“I think that the house of Stella McCartney really represents something a little more effortless. And that incredibly reflects the bride and her personality and what she wants to wear even outside of that important day.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary in May. They have two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
