How Meghan's £200,000 Givenchy gown compares to her new royal in laws

How Meghan's £200,000 Givenchy gown compares to her new royal in laws

Meghan Markle walked down the aisle wearing a custom silk Givenchy wedding dress - a gown so stunning that it made Prince Harry cry.

The bespoke creation is estimated to have cost £200,000, including £78,000 for custom-made fabric and £4,000 for fittings. 

The veil was made from silk tulle with a trim of hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza, while the look was completed by a Cartier bracelet and earrings and a Queen Mary diamond bandeau tiara, loaned to her by the Queen.

Meghan chose acclaimed British designer, Clare Waight Keller, 48, from Birmingham, the first female Artistic Director at the historic French fashion house Givenchy, to design her dress after meeting in early 2018.

But how did her dress stack up against her new royal in-laws?

Kate Middleton

Kate famously wore a Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen lace dress when she married Prince William in 2011 and became the Duchess Of Cambridge.  

When Kate married Harry's brother Prince William back in April 2011, the wedding dress cost a phenomenal £250,000, making it the fifth most expensive dress of all time.

The Duchess of Cambridge's stunning gown was hailed a perfect tribute to Alexander McQueen.

The design, by the late designer's protegee and successor Sarah Burton, also paid homage to another princess bride. 

The intricate lace appliqué bodice and sleeves of Catherine's dress mirrored those on the wedding gown of Grace Kelly, who became Princess Grace of Monaco when she married Ranier III, Prince of Monaco, in 1956.

Both gowns shared a high-waisted, full-skirted silhouette with a long, dramatic train, and were worn with the sheerest of veils and diamond tiaras.

However Kate's vintage headwear was from an era that preceded Princess Grace's marriage - the 1936 diamond 'Halo' tiara by Cartier was her 'something borrowed', on loan from the Queen.

The comparison reveals how very classic Kate's style is, and how timeless Princess Grace's bridal look was. 

Harry and William's mother Princess Diana wore a huge puffy gown designed by the Emanuel's when she married Prince Charles in 1981. 

Her dress was known as at the time as the 'most closely guarded secret in fashion history.'

The meringue style gown, which was worth £9,000 in 1981 is approximately equivalent to £36,800 today. 

Details of the future princess's dress managed to be kept a complete mystery until hours before her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales, at St Paul's Cathedral.

And the grand unveiling of the gown, which back in 1981 cost £9,000, did not disappoint.

Designed by husband-and-wife duo David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the intricate ivory taffeta gown later saw copycat creations made around the world.

However with the elaborate embroidery, 10,000 pearls and a 25-foot-long train, it is difficult to even come close to replicating her beautiful bridal look. 

For designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel, in their late 20s and not long out of fashion school, it was a career-defining moment. 

Months earlier, in March 1981, Buckingham Palace had announced, to widespread surprise, that the Emanuels had been asked to design the dress Lady Diana Spencer would wear to marry Prince Charles.

It was the commission of a lifetime to make the dress of the century. 

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II's wedding dress has been hailed as 'fresh and timeless' 70 years on from when she walked up the aisle on November 20, 1947.

The Sir Norman Hartnell gown with its fitted bodice and intricate embroidery was perfect for the young 21-year-old princess to marry Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten. 

The Duchesse ivory silk-satin creation took royal couturier Sir Norman and his team three months to finish.

With a heart-shaped neckline with scalloped edge, the gown was decorated with 10,000 seed pearls, glittering crystals and featured an intricate 13ft star-patterned train. 

Embroidered with roses, star-shaped flowers and wheat in pearl, crystal and appliques of transparent tulle, its floral design was seen as a symbol of growth and regeneration after the hardships of the Second World War. 

On the day of the wedding at Westminster Cathedral, the seamstresses who worked tirelessly on the gown were given a prime spot outside Buckingham Palace as a reward.  

The Queen, like all British brides in the post-war days, was given 200 extra clothing coupons from the Government towards her wedding trousseau.

Women across the UK, keen to ensure Princess Elizabeth would have the dress of her dreams, sent their own coupons to the young royal to help out.

But it was illegal to give coupons away and the gifts had to be returned.  

However, The Crown gave a good idea of how much the dress might cost to make today as designers for the BBC programme created an identical gown for the wedding scene, which cost £30,000.