Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Style

    Kate Middleton’s wedding dress included a secret message

    Penny Goldstone's avatar
    By Penny Goldstone
    Published 28 April 2021 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    It seems forever ago that Prince Harry married Meghan Markle, and that she finally revealed her wedding dress after months of speculation.

    The Givenchy gown took an incredible 3,900 hours to make, and featured a veil embroidered with 53 flour and fauna to represent the Commonwealth countries, an idea from Clare Waight Keller which Meghan was immediately taken with.

    Believe it or not, this isn't the first time a secret symbol has been embroidered in a royal's gown: Kate Middleton's wedding dress.

    Kate Middleton chose Alexander McQueen for her wedding day, following advice from this famous face. The dress was designed by Sarah Burton, and featured a symbolic detail you might have missed.

    The floral embroidery on her sleeves was a tribute to the United Kingdom, according to HuffPost. The motif included roses, daffodils, thistles, and shamrocks, which are the national emblems of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

    You may like
    • Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
    • Dua Lipa attends the wedding Of Simon Porte Jacquemus And Marco Maestri Did Dua Lipa Use Astrology to Plan Her Wedding? Here's Why the Internet Thinks So
    • Cece Jewellery A Day in the Life of Cece Fein-Hughes, the Jewellery Designer Loved by Celebrities

    They were also embroidered using a 17th-century Irish lace-making technique called Carrickmacross, another nod to the nation.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Penny Goldstone
    Penny Goldstone
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Fashion Editor

    Penny Goldstone is the Contributing Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK. She writes about catwalk trends and the latest high street and Instagram sartorial must-haves. She also helms the Women Who Win franchise.

    She has worked in fashion for over 10 years, contributing to publications such as Cosmopolitan, Red, Good Housekeeping, and Stylist.

    Read more
    Andy Burnham and Marie-France van Heel entering 10 Downing Street
    Fashion “Are We Just Jealous?” Victoria Moss Unpacks the Sexist, Ageist Commentary Around Marie-France van Heel’s Victoria Beckham Dress
    Dua Lipa attends the wedding Of Simon Porte Jacquemus And Marco Maestri
    Relationships Did Dua Lipa Use Astrology to Plan Her Wedding? Here's Why the Internet Thinks So
     
     
    Cece Jewellery
    Watches and Jewellery A Day in the Life of Cece Fein-Hughes, the Jewellery Designer Loved by Celebrities
    Corsages Listing
    Shopping Carrie Bradshaw's Favourite Accessory Is Suddenly Everywhere—And It Just Appeared at Haute Couture Week
     
     
    Latest in Style
    Cara My Life in London
    Fashion Cara Delevingne on Designing Her First Collection for Topshop and London's Best-Kept Secrets
    models wearing new Sézane
    Fashion Sézane Just Launched the Most French Rebrand of All Time—Here's What We'll Shop
     
     
    Knee-Length Skirts
    Shopping Very Few Shoes Actually Look Good With Knee-Length Skirts—This One Style Always Works
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
     
     
    Latest in News
    Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Max Mara Bottles an Icon, a £12.99 Skincare Revelation and an Ode to the Classic Massage
    Knee-Length Skirts
    Shopping Very Few Shoes Actually Look Good With Knee-Length Skirts—This One Style Always Works
     
     
    Kinda Chic Trend
    Shopping Is "Kinda Chic" Kinda Cringe? Everyone's Favourite Fashion Word Just Went Completely Out of Fashion
    DUA LIPA WEARING A CAMISOLE TOP
    Shopping When a T-Shirt Feels Too Plain, Try the Trending Top Alexa Chung, Tracee Ellis Ross and Daisy Edgar-Jones Are Wearing
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.