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The Princess of Wales' iconic wedding dress has become the focus of a new viral video as footage from her 2011 marriage to Prince William has resurfaced on social media site, TikTok.
William and Kate will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary on April 29, 2024 and together have three children: Prince George, 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5.
The royal couple's relationship was pulled into public focus in January when it was revealed that Kate had undergone "planned abdominal surgery" and would be out of the public eye until Easter as she recuperates.
While Kate was spending 13 nights at the hospital following the surgery, William canceled all of his public engagements to spend time supporting her and their children. The prince was photographed visiting his wife at the hospital and will operate a scaled-back roster of public duties as she recovers.
The couple's relationship has been the subject of public interest since 2004, where the press captured the first images of them together during a skiing vacation in Switzerland. Since then, Kate has become a particular focus for the British and international fashion press, winning praise for her outfits chosen for public and private events.
Her most important—and most anticipated—fashion choice was the gown she would wear to walk down the aisle of Westminster Abbey as Kate Middleton and walk back up as a royal highness and future queen consort.
Uploaded to TikTok by user, royalfamilyfanpage5, a new viral video highlights footage of Kate emerging from her car outside the abbey on her wedding day, where the public caught their first full glimpse of the dress.
As the future royal walked towards the abbey's great west door, the press revealed that the designer of the pale ivory silk gown with delicate floral embroidery and full lace veil was Sarah Burton, the then-creative director of the fashion house, Alexander McQueen.
Kate and Burton forged a loyal working relationship, with the designer going on to make many of the princess' most important royal event-wear, including the dress she wore to the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.
In late 2023, Burton announced she was leaving McQueen, leaving her future working relationship with Kate unclear.
The wedding gown was widely celebrated at the time of William and Kate's marriage and was put on display at Buckingham Palace in the summer of 2011, attracting increased numbers of tourists to the site.
The design drew inspiration from a number of points and was likened aesthetically to the gown worn by Hollywood superstar, Grace Kelly, in 1956 for her marriage to Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
The dress featured long lace sleeves and a lace bodice which was layered over an ivory silk gown with a sweetheart neckline underneath. Burton infused the largely traditional gown with the modern ingenuity typical of Alexander McQueen designs, by engineering the widened panels of the skirt in such a way that it fanned out behind Kate as she walked down the long aisle.
The viral clip has been viewed over 190,000 times on TikTok so far, gaining in excess of 2,900 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised Kate and her famous dress.
"Stunning future Queen," wrote one user.
"Kate was absolutely breathtaking!!" posted another, with a further comment reading: "Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen...Beautiful."
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more