Who better to hear all the secrets of a royal wedding dress from than the person who masterminded the design? The Countess of Wessex's bridal gown designer Samantha Keswick (née Shaw) lifted the lid on Sophie's gorgeous second outfit which was cleverly hidden by her coat dress.
For her big day with Prince Edward on 19 June 1999, former public relations consultant Sophie Rhys-Jones chose an elegant V-neck, long-sleeved dress decorated with over 325,000 pearls and crystal beads. After exchanging vows at St George's Chapel, Sophie and Edward continued the celebrations at Windsor Castle, where she paid tribute to her wedding venue.
WATCH: Why Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex opted for a Windsor wedding
A rare picture of Sophie leaving for her honeymoon shared a peek at her fitted long-sleeved gown with a sparkly waist – which Samantha said was "super private for the evening dinner."
When asked about the biggest challenges in creating a royal wedding dress, Samantha told Tatler: "There was an evening dress under the coat dress, which was to remain super private for the evening dinner, and I had to get the fabric perfectly dyed to colour-match the beautiful stone of St George’s Chapel. Getting up there without being noticed was fun – and also a huge challenge."
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The royal's wedding dress designer opened up about the special colour
So the ivory colour wasn't just any bridal white, but very specifically designed for Sophie's big day – how clever!
Although Samantha said the experience of designing the Countess' gown was something she will "forever hold very dear", she explained that the secrecy surrounding the design in the lead-up to the wedding was "daunting."
"A friend of mine managed to find me a security guard who he personally trusted to stay at my studio, as someone did go through my bins and was hanging around there at night! The invasion of my privacy was very daunting," she added.
Sophie's second wedding dress was hidden by her coat dress
Prince Edward also pulled out all the stops for his big day – did you spot his tie? The royal groom wore a traditional morning suit with a black tailcoat and cream waistcoat, but he added a fun, personalised touch with his purple and yellow tie, covered with miniature cats.
He has continued to rock bold ties while attending many royal weddings since. Edward recycled the exact same style when he attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in 2018 and again for the marriage blessing of Flora Alexandra Ogilvy and Timothy Vesterberg in 2021. He also opted for a unique blue tie with figurines for Zara and Mike Tindall's nuptials in 2011.
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