When Prince Harry and his fiancée Meghan Markle released their engagement photographs, the world was blown away by how relaxed, happy and in love the couple looked. However, there was one detail which caused a few raised eyebrows amongst dedicated royal-watchers – the bride-to-be's £53,000 couture gown by British label Ralph & Russo, which featured a sheer beaded top and frothy ruffled skirt. Both the risqué style and the eye-watering price tag were considered a clear break from official royal protocol, and got tongues wagging at whether it was a sign of Meghan's determination to push the boundaries of what we can expect from members of Britain's most famous family.
The beautiful dress was considered a daring choice by some
However, the photographer responsible for the shoot has spoken out to say that the dress had nothing to do with Meghan's wish to break royal rules, and was chosen purely out of comfort. Alexi Lubormirski – who has also been selected to take photographs on the big day itself – told Entertainment Tonight at The Daily Front Row Fashion Awards that he was "very shocked with the reaction" to the dress.
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"To be honest, we tried on a couple of different things and that was just one that she felt comfortable in, so we weren’t really thinking, 'Is it nude?' or anything. We just thought, 'Feel comfortable and let’s make some nice pictures,'" he explained.
Despite the mixed reactions, the dress made such an impact that its creators are reported to be in the running for designing Meghan’s outfit for the nuptials on 19 May. Fashion insiders told HELLO! that word is that the British haute couture fashion house has won the style war. The speculation came after bookmakers revealed in February that they've had to stop taking bets on another British designer, Alexander McQueen, as punters rushed to try their luck.
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It was announced on Saturday that there will be special arrangements in place for the thousands of royal-watchers that are expected to flock to Windsor to try get a glimpse of the couple on the big day. These include "large screens on the Long Walk and Alexandra Gardens", "decorations and public viewing areas on the procession route" and "live entertainment from local groups," according to the borough's Twitter feed.