Kate Middleton ‘cried’ when her wedding dress designer details leaked ahead of 2011 royal ceremony

Kate Middleton's iconic white wedding dress, delicately hand-crafted by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, certainly earned its place in the royal history books when she debuted it on her big day in 2011.

In the lead up to the biggest royal wedding since Prince Charles and Diana said their vows, the Duchess of Cambridge went to great lengths to keep details of the dress and its designer secret.

But according to a Channel 5 documentary 'Secrets of the Royal Dressmakers' it's been claimed Kate reportedly cried when it was leaked that British fashion house Alexandar McQueen was behind the dress.

Kate, then 29, married Prince William in 29 April 2011, and in the months before the royal ceremony there was heavy speculation about who would be designing the bridal gown.

One of the biggest secrets at the time was revealed by The Sunday Times on 6 March just over a month before Kate and William's big day.

Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl explained in the Channel 5 documentary that apparently the revelation wasn't well received by the bride-to-be: "Behind the scenes I think that caused tears at the Palace because Kate had done everything she could to keep the wedding dress a secret."

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Whether or not it upset Kate was never confirmed, the dress and its maker were only formally announced once she had stepped from her car to enter Westminster Abbey flanked by her sister Pippa Middleton.

Kate later revealed that she chose the British brand "for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing".

It was evident in the details of the gown, which was hand sewn by embroiderers at the Royal School of Needlework, who were reportedly told that the dress was intended to be used in a television costume drama.

Kate's satin and lace gown also featured a symbolic detail that Kate included in a tribute to the United Kingdom.

The floral embroidery on her sleeves had a motif including roses, daffodils, thistles, and shamrocks, which are the national emblems of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Kate's dress went on display following her royal wedding to Prince William at Buckingham Palace from 23 July 2011 until 3 October 2011.

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According to a recent interview given by former British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, it was she who Kate turned to for advice on the dress while she was still editor-in-chief.

"Naturally I was hugely flattered and scrambled together a list of designers that I thought might be appropriate, bringing pictures of their work to Clarence House. I remember the Duchess arriving in the large, gracious room and thinking her so much taller and slimmer than I had imagined," Alexandra told You Magazine.

The editor revealed how they discussed different designers and Alexandra said that it was she who suggested Sarah Burton who had just recently taken over at Alexander McQueen following the designer's suicide.

"I thought that the level of extraordinary craftsmanship and their tradition of working with symbolism would be up to the task, that Sarah and Catherine would get on as women, and that it would be terrific to have a relatively untraditional fashion house given this privilege. And then I left. I didn’t mention the meeting to anyone and I didn’t hear anything more."

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