Clare Waight Keller reminisces over Sussex wedding eight years on,
The fashion designer who made the Duchess of Sussex’s wedding dress has praised the ceremony as ‘unlike anything’ she has experienced, as Meghan celebrates her eighth anniversary with Prince Harry.
Clare Waight Keller, the former creative director of Givenchy, masterminded the flowing, off-the-shoulder white gown, and worked closely with the bride on the project.
The British designer, who now works as the Global Creative Director at Uniqlo, said of the ceremony: ‘It felt unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
‘So intimate, so moving and so deeply human despite the scale and history surrounding it.
‘It was extraordinary to be part of, truly a privilege… to witness both the private moments before with Meghan that morning and then to see it all unfold inside the chapel.
‘Some memories soften over time, but this day never will. I know it will stay with me forever. Happy Anniversary Harry and Meghan.’
Clare has remained close to the couple and has even described her friendship with the duchess as a ‘personal girlfriend relationship’ – something that developed in the design process.
The designer also appeared in Harry and Meghan’s explosive Netflix series, broadcast in December 2022, where she discussed the 3,900 hours spent making the dress.
And shortly after the wedding, the duchess presented Clare with the prestigious British Womenswear Designer of the Year at the Fashion Awards.
Designer Clare Waight Keller has praised the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding as ‘unlike anything’ she had ever experienced before
Clare, who was the first female artistic director of Givenchy, met Meghan for the first time in early 2018, Kensington Palace said, with the bride requesting a wedding dress with an ‘elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring and relaxed demeanor’.
The exquisite veil carried floral references to all 53 countries in the Commonwealth, and the Palace said workers spent hundreds of hours sewing the delicate floral designs, meticulously washing their hands every half hour to keep the silk tulle and threads clean.
Meghan’s wedding dress was characterised by a classic bateau neckline, three-quarter length sleeves and an A-line skirt, with a train measuring nearly six feet from the waist.
A global audience of 1.9billion watched as Clare crouched to arrange the Duchess of Sussex’s 16.5-foot veil on the steps of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.
It was a rare public appearance for the designer who prefers to let her designs steal the limelight.
The pair’s bond blossomed during the 3,900 hours spent perfecting Meghan’s tailor-made dress over the course of four months.
‘It was just the two of us for so long and it became this very personal girlfriend relationship,’ Clare said of their friendship at the 2023 Bazaar At Work Summit in London.
‘It was just a pleasure to create in this very, very private way,’ she continued.
British fashion Clare at the 2020 Givenchy Haute Couture collection catwalk show in Paris
Did Meghan’s wedding dress and the way it was made redefine royal tradition or overshadow the true meaning of the big day?
The designer, who obtained a bachelor’s degree in fashion at Ravensbourne College of Art and a master’s degree at the Royal College of Art, began her career as a Calvin Klein womenswear stylist in New York, before moving to Ralph Lauren’s Purple Label menswear line.
In 2000, she joined Gucci under the direction of Tom Ford, where she worked as a senior designer in London until 2004.
The following year, she took on the role of artistic director at Pringle of Scotland, which earned her the 2007 Scottish Fashion Awards Designer of the Year in the cashmere category.
It comes after Meghan celebrated her eighth wedding anniversary with Prince Harry yesterday, as she shared a collection of previously unseen photographs from their big day on Instagram.
‘Eight years ago today…’, she captioned the two posts, with one showing a glimpse of the Sussexes’ first dance at their evening reception at Frogmore House, where they shared a kiss in some of the pictures.
The carousel of snaps from the ceremony included the newlyweds sharing a sweet moment after their nuptials together, as well as behind-the-scenes photographs of the couple having their official wedding portrait taken.
There were also images of Harry making a toast while the duchess, dressed in a bespoke gown, proudly looked on.
