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Evening Standard
National

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reveal all about their wedding in new exhibition

The wedding dress with a five-meter-long veil that Meghan the Duchess of Sussex wore and an identical uniform (Picture: AP)

Prince Harry and Meghan reveal all about their wedding at a new exhibition at Windsor Castle.

The exhibition, named A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will see the royal couple’s wedding outfits go display for the first time.

It will feature an audio commentary recorded by the duke and duchess, in which touching stories behind the couple's big day are revealed.

These range from Harry joking about joining the Queen and Meghan for a meeting to choose a tiara to how a cold Easter meant there were less flowers to pick for his wife's wedding bouquet.

The wedding outfits worn by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (AP)

The bridal gown is the star attraction and the Duchess of Sussex speaks for the first time about the creation of her wedding dress, describing how she wanted a "timeless" gown with a "classic feeling".

"I had a very clear vision of what I wanted for the day, and what I wanted the dress to look like,” she says in the commentary.

She adds that designer Clare Waight Keller “completely respected what I wanted to see for the day, and she wanted to bring that to life for me”.

Meghan's wedding dress and veil (AP)

She says: "So I knew at the onset I wanted a bateau neckline, I wanted a cropped sleeve, I wanted a very timeless, classic feeling and, obviously with respect to the environment we were in and St George's Chapel, being really modest in what it would look like, I knew that the tailoring was so key, because the dress itself would be so covered up."

The gown and the five-metre long silk tulle veil - embroidered with flowers from each of the 53 Commonwealth nations - were created after 3,900 hours of work by a 50-strong team.

Speaking in the commentary, Meghan adds: "There was a great level of detail that went into the planning of our wedding day.

The exhibition will run until January at Windsor Castle (REUTERS)

The duchess describes her visit to the head of state to choose a headpiece as "an incredibly surreal day".

"I think for us, we knew how large the scale of the event would be, so in making choices that were really personal and meaningful, it could make the whole experience feel intimate, even though it was a very big wedding."

On her wedding day, Meghan wore Queen Mary's diamond and platinum bandeau tiara, lent to the duchess by the Queen, which is part of the exhibition.

Meghan's tiara, which was lent to her by the Queen (AP)

Prince Harry, who joined Meghan for the visit to the Queen, jokes in the commentary: "Every girl's dream to be able to try on a tiara, and, funnily enough, the one that suited the best, the one that looked the best on you without question, I shouldn't have really even been there, but such an incredible loan by my grandmother, it was very sweet."

The duke reveals he picked the poignant music his wife walked down the aisle to - and it will forever transport them back to that moment.

As the Prince of Wales accompanied Meghan towards the altar, where Harry was waiting, Handel's Eternal Source Of Light Divine played.

The spell-binding cantata was sung in Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel by Welsh soprano Elin Manahan and featured David Blackadder as the trumpet soloist.

Harry says: "I was looking for something completely different and ended up stumbling across this piece of music.

"Something that epitomises the whole day, the whole feeling that I have for her, and this incredibly impactful music with no organ whatsoever, with a soloist who actually did the most incredible job, to the orchestra.

"And now, both of us, wherever we are, whatever we're doing, we can close our eyes, listen to that music and take ourselves straight back to that moment. It's a beautiful thing for both of us."

A Royal Wedding: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle runs from October 26 to January 6 at Windsor Castle.

Additional reporting by Press Association

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