15 years ago today, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Kate Middleton, had their royal wedding at Westminster Abbey in London, marking one of the most highly anticipated royal nuptials since then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married in 1981.
The couple’s wedding brought together much of the royal family, including Prince Harry, who served as his brother’s best man, as well as the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Duke of Edinburgh, then-Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and many others.
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Speculation surrounded which designer Middleton would tap for her gown leading up the wedding day. The honor ultimately went to former Alexander McQueen creative director and designer Sarah Burton, who went on to dress the princess on numerous occasions over the last decade before departing McQueen for Givenchy in September 2024.
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Middleton’s dress embodied the modest, ladylike style she’s become known for during her time in the British royal family. The Victorian-inspired dress was designed with an ivory lace bodice paired with a high lace collar and long lace sleeves. Her satin skirt featured a nine-foot train, which was carried by her sister Pippa Middleton, who equally made an impact at the wedding in a fitted ivory-hued dress also designed by Burton for Alexander McQueen.
Lace was a crucial design component of Middleton’s wedding gown. The dress featured lace that was handmade at London’s Royal School of Needlework based at Hampton Court Palace and was appliquéd with individual flowers that were hand cut from the lace. The bodice and skirt were designed from hand-cut English lace and French Chantilly lace.
Buckingham Palace released a statement on Middleton’s dress after the royal wedding, stating the dress “pays tribute to the arts and crafts tradition. Ms. Burton’s design draws on this heritage, giving the cut and the intricate embellishment a distinctive contemporary and feminine character.”
Burton also released a statement on the wedding dress: “It has been the experience of a lifetime to work with Catherine Middleton to create her wedding dress, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. It was such an incredible honor to be asked, and I am so proud of what we and the Alexander McQueen team have created. I am delighted that the dress represents the best of British craftsmanship. Alexander McQueen’s designs are all about bringing contrasts together to create startling and beautiful clothes and I hope that by marrying traditional fabrics and lacework, with a modern structure and design we have created a beautiful dress for Catherine on her wedding day.”
Middleton paired the Alexander McQueen dress with Queen Elizabeth II’s Cartier Halo Tiara, which the late monarch’s father, King George VI, commissioned in 1936 for his wife shortly before he assumed the throne. The tiara is set with 739 brilliant and 149 baton diamonds, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
The accessory follows the tradition of royal women borrowing from Queen Elizabeth II’s extensive tiara collection for their royal weddings. The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wore the Queen Mary Bandeau Tiara at her royal wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 and the queen’s granddaughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice wore the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara and Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, respectively, at each of their weddings.
After their wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey, Prince William and Middleton joined other members of the royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace where they shared a kiss as spectators cheered them on from below.
Later in the day, the couple held the evening reception, where Middleton again looked to Burton to design her dress for that occasion. Burton’s design was more modern than the first, featuring a sweetheart neckline, jeweled belt and satin skirt. Middleton paired the dress with a white cardigan.
15 years following their 2011 nuptials, Prince William and Kate Middleton commemorated their milestone anniversary with a special family photo that was shared to their official Instagram account. “Celebrating 15 years of marriage,” the caption to the post read.
Over the course of their 15-year marriage, Prince William and Kate welcomed three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, who just celebrated his eighth birthday.
The last few years of the couple’s marriage have also seen health struggles and challenges. The Princess of Wales publicly disclosed her cancer diagnosis in March 2024. In September 2024, Middleton revealed she completed her chemotherapy treatment. 2025 saw the royal return to public duties at a steady pace.