Meghan Markle's Stunning 'Second Wedding Dress' Shared by Fans
Meghan Markle's "second wedding dress" has found a new fanbase on TikTok. A video showing the duchess and Prince Harry on their way to their evening wedding reception has gone viral online.
Meghan and Harry married in a 2018 ceremony at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, England. Members of the royal family and A-list celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney were among the congregation.
For her wedding ceremony, Meghan turned away from the established tradition of royal brides wearing British fashion, something that was first formally set by Queen Victoria in 1840. Instead, the future Duchess of Sussex walked down the aisle of St George's Chapel wearing a French haute-couture gown from the house of Givenchy.
Though she may have looked to France for her marriage-ceremony gown, Meghan did choose a British designer for the dress to wear to her reception. This was hosted by the then-Prince Charles at Frogmore House in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The TikTok video was uploaded by user meghanxharry and has been viewed over 500,000 times on the platform. It shows the duchess emerging from the castle to make the short journey to Frogmore. She is wearing a bias-cut white silk halter-neck gown by designer McCartney.
Meghan and Harry entered an open-top car loaned by Charles for the drive to Frogmore House from the castle where the couple had changed out of their ceremony outfits. The duchess styled her dress with an up-do hairstyle and high-heeled pumps from her favorite footwear brand Aquazzura.
With the look, Meghan wore a pair of chandelier earrings, as well as a large aquamarine cocktail ring that had belonged to Princess Diana.
A number of TikTok commenters have praised the duchess for her dress in the video. The clips of the royal couple play over the hit song "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey.
"Her second wedding dress was STUNNING!!!!" wrote one user. "Such a shame we didn't see more of it. She looked like an American princess."
"That dress fits her so beautifully," posted another, with a further comment reading: "This looks like a scene straight out of Downton Abbey! Gorgeous!"
Stella McCartney is a firm favorite with the royals in Britain, having first been introduced to high-society figures by her father, The Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney.
Stella is also daughter of the late American-born photographer Linda McCartney. Her parent's vegetarian and environmental beliefs had an impact upon the brand ethos of their daughter's future fashion house.
Speaking about her most-famous royal commission from Meghan, McCartney described it as a "humbling" experience.
"I am so proud and honored to have been chosen by the Duchess of Sussex to make her evening gown and represent British design," McCartney told Women's Wear Daily in 2018. "It has truly been one of the most humbling moments of my career and I am so proud of all the team on this stunning sunny royal day."
As well as dressing Meghan for the big day, McCartney also dressed an important American guest, Oprah Winfrey.
The designer had to rescue the talk-show host from a potential fashion faux pas for the wedding, when Winfrey realized the dress she had originally chosen would look white in photographs.
"Realised Friday morning the beige dress I was planning to wear to Royal ceremony would photograph too 'white' for a wedding," Winfrey posted to Instagram after the Saturday ceremony.
"Her team did this overnite. Hat is vintage @philiptreacy been in my closet since 2005 with new feathers. OMG was this an extraordinary day!"
Alongside Meghan, another royal fan of Stella McCartney is sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. The Princess of Wales was dressed by the designer for a number of high-profile events throughout her married life: the christening ceremony of Meghan's oldest child, Prince Archie, in 2019; and the closing celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on 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.
