Meghan Markle Looked Stunning In Her Wedding Dress — But Was It Copied From Another Royal?

Meghan Markle’s dreamy 2018 wedding to Prince Harry captivated millions worldwide. Her gorgeous Givenchy wedding gown turned heads for its elegance and modesty. Markle claims she knew all along what her dress would look like and had three very specific demands about its design. Interestingly, her gown bore a striking resemblance to another royal. Years earlier, Princess Angela of Liechtenstein had worn a similar gown to her royal wedding, having the same fit-and-flare silhouette and modest boatneck neckline as Markle.

Markle’s wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller. Her simple bateau neckline and three-quarter length sleeve gown screamed royalty. According to Harper’s Bazaar, it is possible that Markle wanted to pay homage to the first woman of African origin who married into a European union. Princess Angela, who's fifth in line to the throne, is also biracial, and a US-born woman marrying a man younger than herself. Born in Panama and raised in New York, Princess Angela relocated to Liechtenstein after her wedding, joining her royal husband in the German-speaking principality.

Harper’s Bazaar reports that Markle’s wedding dress also echoes styles once worn by Audrey Hepburn. The iconic actress famously wore similar Givenchy designs in films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Funny Face. Given the similarities, it is interesting to note Markle's strict demands for her gown. As reported by the BBC, she once revealed, “So I knew at the onset I wanted a bateau neckline, I wanted a cropped sleeve, I wanted a very timeless, classic feeling and, obviously with respect to the environment we were in and St George's Chapel, being really modest in what it would look like, I knew that the tailoring was so key, because the dress itself would be so covered up.”

Her wedding dress reportedly took 3,900 hours to make by a team of 50. In an emotional moment, she opened up about a hidden blue fabric stitched inside her wedding dress. On HBO’s Queen Of The World documentary, she said, “Somewhere in here, there’s a piece of blue fabric that’s stitched inside—it was my something blue…It’s fabric from the dress that I wore on our first date,” alluding to her blind first date with Prince Harry. She also sang praises for her designer Clare Waight, saying, “I had a very clear vision of what I wanted for the day…and so what was amazing in working with Clare is that sometimes you'll find designers who try to push you in a different direction.”

Markle’s wedding gown also featured a 16-foot veil embroidered with flowers representing the Commonwealth countries. Among them was the California Poppy, a nod to her home state, and handpicked winter sweet flowers from Kensington Palace. Her bouquet included ‘forget-me-nots’— Princess Diana’s favorite — as a heartfelt tribute to her late mother-in-law. She also donned the Queen Mary’s diamond and platinum tiara, lent to her by Queen Elizabeth. Her second dress for the wedding reception was less conservative than her wedding gown and was designed by powerhouse Stella McCartney.