We already know what the late Queen Elizabeth II thought of Kate Middleton‘s Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen wedding dress when she married Prince William in 2011 (spoiler alert: she didn’t actually love it!) but it seems like she was even less thrilled with Meghan Markle‘s choice.
The former Suits star wore a chic Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy wedding dress when she married Prince Harry in 2018, and the late monarch was reportedly “surprised” with her choice. Not so much the style, but the fact that the actress, who had previously been married to Hollywood film producer Trevor Engelson between 2011 and 2013, chose to wear white!
The Late Queen Elizabeth II Reportedly Questioned Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress
Royal author Katie Nicholl said the Queen was "surprised" by Meghan's wedding outfit in her book, The New Royals.
"Perhaps it's a generational thing, but she believes if you've been married before, you wear off-white on your wedding day, which is what the Duchess of Cornwall [Camilla] did," Nicholl said.
(Let's not forget that while Camilla didn't wear white on her wedding day in 2005, Queen Elizabeth did, much to the amusement of Princess Diana fans/people who aren't so fond of Queen Camilla.)
According to the Daily Mail, Lady Elizabeth Anson, a writer, socialite, and first cousin once removed of the Queen, also touched on this. She reportedly told royal author Ingrid Seward that the Queen thought Meghan's wedding dress was "too white," in reference to the tradition of brides not wearing pure white if it isn't their first wedding.
"In the monarch's view, it was not appropriate for a divorcee getting remarried in church to look quite so flamboyantly virginal," Seward wrote in her book, My Mother and I, which was published this year.
Meghan Markle's Veil Was Also Controversial
The opinions on Meghan's wedding dress were also discussed in royal author Tom Bower's book, Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors. And it wasn't just the color of the wedding dress that the Queen seemingly took issue with.
"The Queen also questioned why Meghan needed a veil for the wedding, given it was to be her second marriage," Bower wrote, in reference to the 16ft-long veil which was trimmed with lace depicting flora from each of the 53 Commonwealth countries.
Queen Camilla, who had previously been married to Andrew Parker Bowles between 1973 and 1995 *did* follow protocol, and did not wear a veil when she married King Charles. And for what it's worth, Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee who Edward VIII abdicated to marry, also didn't wear a veil *or* white when she and Edward married at the Château de Candé in 1937. Simpson chose a chic pale blue number by Mainbocher, teamed with a matching blue halo-effect straw hat and blue tulle and silk crepe gloves.
