Meghan Markle's royal wedding dress designer revealed as Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy

Meghan Markle chose Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy Couture to design her royal wedding dress as she marries Prince Harry at St George's Chapel in Windsor today (May 19).

British designer Clare, who is creative director at Givenchy, has secured this year's most sought-after fashion commission.

Although Burberry, Ralph & Russo, Erdem and Stella McCartney have all been linked to the dress, Clare Waight Keller was a surprise choice. She was former creative director at Chloe before joining Givenchy as the brand's first female creative director in March 2017.

The dress itself, an understated yet feminine floor-length gown, featured an off-the-shoulder neckline. She also chose a cathedral-length lace-trimmed veil that trailed behind her.

According to Kensington Palace, the veil includes a representation of "the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country" in line with Meghan's wish that "all 53 countries of the Commonwealth [are] with her on her journey through the ceremony".

And the diamond bandeau tiara that Meghan is wearing was made in 1932 for Queen Mary, featuring an entre brooch from 1893.

"Clare Waight Keller's debut couture collection for Givenchy was full of the most beautiful, sculpted dresses – they had the kind of grace and dignity that's often lacking nowadays when everything has to be embellished and decorated to stand out on Instagram," said Harper's Bazaar fashion director Avril Mair.

"Hubert De Givenchy was all about structure and simplicity: this amazing wedding gown honoured that spirit while being entirely and perfectly modern. It's heaven!"

The news was confirmed by Kensington Palace via a public statement.

Digital Spy has got you covered for Harry and Meghan's royal wedding. We've got a gallery with pictures of all the outfits from today's event, and will be covering all the unmissable moments from the day.

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Ella Alexander

Ella Alexander is Harper’s Bazaar's Deputy Digital Editor. She writes across all sections, covering fashion, arts and feminism – from fashion features and shopping galleries to celebrity interviews and long-form opinion pieces. She lives in South London and has an ardent love for Keith Richards, Gary Barlow, AA Gill, George Orwell and Patti Smith (not in order). Her favourite film is The Labyrinth, mostly because of David Bowie, and she is distinguishable through her self-titled ‘Jeremy Corbyn baker boy hat’. She recently achieved relative fame after the Clooneys named their twins, Ella and Alexander, after her.