Revisiting Kate Middleton's stunning wedding dress to celebrate her 13th wedding anniversary
Thirteen years ago today the world was treated to the royal spectacle of a lifetime.
On 29 April, 2011, more than 160 million people tuned in to watch the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The pair were married at Westminster Abbey, with royal watchers flooding the streets as they cheered for the couple.
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There was never any doubt that the day would be opulence personified, but in the lead up to William and Kate's nuptials there was one question on everyone's lips: what would Kate be wearing?
?While the now Princess of Wales' choice in wedding gown did shock some, it was nothing short of the understated elegance we all expected from a future queen.
Lets take a look back at Kate's wedding look, all the details included and the process behind the gown. ?
The designer
The part that shocked most royal watchers was Kate's choice in designer.
Bookmakers had been taking wagers in the lead up to the event, with people betting on what designer she had chosen.
Most thought she would go with a traditional designer, one favourited by high British society such as Bruce Oldfield; but, Kate surprised everyone when the palace announced she had chosen to go with the somewhat controversial Alexander McQueen.
On the morning of the wedding the Palace released a statement naming the fashion house and Sarah Burton as the designer. At the time Burton had only been working for Alexander McQueen for one year.
?"Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing," the statement read.
The dress was inspired by the corsetry of traditional Victorian fashion, with the palace sharing that Kate and Burton had worked closely together to create a gown that embodied both tradition and modernity under the artistic vision of Alexander McQueen.
The dress featured a train that measured just short of three metres and was designed to look like an opening flower, as well as 58 gazar and organza ?covered buttons fastened by Rouleau loops decorating the back of the bodice.
The craftsmanship
The gown was adorned in English and French Chantilly lace, all done by hand by members of the Royal School of Needlework.
?Once given the task, the school pulled together a team of both prior and existing staff, tutors, graduates and students จC the youngest of whom was only 19 at the time - to work on the gown under strict instructions.
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Seamstresses working on the dress were only allowed to persist for 30 minutes before having to wash their hands in an endeavour to keep the lace and thread in pristine condition.
They also were required to change their needle every three hours to ensure they were sharp and clean.
?And while the team worked tirelessly perfecting a dress they knew was for the wedding of the future queen, even they weren't privy to the information of who had actually designed it.
The secrecy
The gown was kept under the highest of guard whilst it was being created, with only those who needed to know necessary details having any knowledge of it.
"It's Miss Middleton's intention to keep the dress a secret for her bridegroom on their wedding day, as is every bride's prerogative," a spokesperson for the palace told People at the time.?
Amanda Ewing who worked ?as an embroiderer on the gown told Hello! following the wedding that everything was very hush-hush.
"We had net curtains up, and cleaners were not allowed into the room and the code on the door was changed," she said.
Burton told The Telegraph that her own parents weren't aware that she was the designer behind the dress until the night before the wedding.
She had signed confidentiality agreements with Buckingham Palace, preventing her from speaking to anyone outside her team about the gown.
"Because my core team knew, it was okay for me to disappear and then come back, and then disappear again," Burton said at the time. "But I remember other people asking me, 'Are you coming in on Friday?' And I'd say, 'Oh, yeah, see you in the morning'.
"I'd be scheduling meetings knowing full well I wasn't going to be there for them."?
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?The symbolism
Kate's veil was created to incorporate the four countries that make up the United Kingdom.
The veil featured hand cut lace motifs embroidered in the ivory silk tulle.
The English rose, ?Welsh daffodil, Irish shamrock, and Scottish thistle were all featured on Kate's veil, using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique which originated in Ireland in the 1820s.
Her bouquet was also created with a hidden meaning behind it.
Designed by Shane ?Connolly, the flower arrangement included Lily-of-the-valley to represent happiness, sweet William to symbolise gallantry, ivy for fidelity and wedded love, hyacinth to represent constancy of love, and myrtle which is the emblem of marriage and love.
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Including myrtle in the wedding bouquet has been royal tradition since 1858 when Queen Victoria's daughter, Princess Victoria carried it on her wedding day.
?According to the Palace, the sprig carried by Kate came from the same plant used in Queen Elizabeth's 1947 bouquet.
The tiara
Her bouquet wasn't the only element of the wedding look where Kate drew inspiration from Queen Elizabeth, with her 'something borrowed' also belonging to the late monarch.
To hold her veil in place, Kate wore a Cartier halo tiara borrowed from the queen. It was given as a gift to Queen Elizabeth by her mother on her 18th birthday.
The ?headpiece, which was made in 1936, featured a stunning 888 diamonds across 16 scrolls.
739 of the jewels were brilliant diamonds while the other 149 were baton diamonds.
Kate also accesorised with a pair of Robinson Pelham earrings which were gifted to her by her parents and designed to look like her family's coat of arms.
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