Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress Designer Says Pair Have a 'Very Personal Girlfriend Relationship'

Clare Waight Keller created a custom dress for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s 2018 ceremony.

Clare Waight Keller reflects on the experience of designing Meghan Markle’s wedding dress.

On Tuesday, the British designer took part in a panel at the Bazaar At Work 2023 summit in London, where she opened up about what it was like to prepare Suits star for her big day.

“It was a real pleasure to create in this very, very private way,” Waight Keller said of Markle’s custom dress. “It was just the two of us for so long and it became a very personal girlfriend relationship.”

All eyes were on the Duchess of Sussex, 42, as she married Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Claire Waight Keller talks about the close relationship she formed with Meghan Markle.

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That same month, Waight Keller spoke to reporters at Kensington Palace about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“It was an extraordinary moment,” she said. “It was amazing to be a part of that, such a historic moment and actually have the opportunity to work with her.”

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She added that creating the long-sleeved dress was a “very collaborative” effort.

Later that year, the wedding wardrobe of Meghan and Harry, 39, was put on display for the first time at the “Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex” exhibition at Windsor Castle.

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The couple married at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

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The exhibition – which opened in October 2018 – featured first-hand accounts of the event from the Duke and Duchess themselves via personalized audio recordings.

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“I wanted a designer, that was very important, I wanted a British designer because I wanted to embrace my new home that way,” Meghan said while talking to exhibition curator Caroline de Guitaut about the process of working with Waight Keller. “I wanted [a dress] which somehow reflected the world,” she added.

Wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, May 2018.

Danny Lawson – WPA collection/Getty

Meghan also noted that despite the approximately 600 guests attending the ceremony – and many, many more watching on their televisions around the world – she wanted to maintain a sense of intimacy.

“We knew how big the event was going to be, so making decisions that were really personal and meaningful could make the whole experience feel intimate,” she said.

Waight Keller, 53, has worked as an art director for a number of luxury fashion houses including Pringle, Chloé and Givenchy. In September, she launched an affordable collection with Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo called Uniqlo: C. The collection marked her first foray into fashion since leaving Givenchy in 2020.

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Source: HIS Education