MEGHAN Markle’s wedding dress designer has praised the duchess for being uniquely “genuine and generous” in an emotional Instagram post.
The Duchess of Sussex, 38, enlisted the help of Clare Waight Keller, who was the artistic director of Givenchy, to design her stunning dress for her wedding to Prince Harry, 35.
Meghan Markle’s wedding dress designer Clare Waight Keller has praised the duchess for being ‘genuine and generous’
Clare has taken to Instagram to share how it has been two years since she was in final fittings with Meghan, ahead of her May 2018 nuptials.
She wrote: “Two years ago today I was in the final fittings for a very secret dress.
“So many emotions were running through me during those months leading up to the big day.”
Clare said meeting Meghan surprised her as she was so “warm”, “modern” and “welcoming”.
Clare Waight Keller of Givenchy, the mastermind behind Meghan’s sleek silk boat-necked gownClare said it has been two years to the day that she was in final dress fittings with the duchess for her royal wedding
She said: “One [friendship] that started just 6 months into my role at Givenchy was with Meghan Markle, the future Duchess of Sussex.
“From the very beginning everything felt different from what I would have expected.
“She was modern, with a fresh approach, warm and welcoming, completely disarming and joyful in every way.”
Clare said the pair hit it off straight away and a friendship was established.
Clare said Meghan was different to what she imagined and was ‘fresh and modern’The pair struck up a friendship, and Meghan presented Clare with the British Designer of the Year prize at the Fashion Awards in 2018
She said: “Fittings were always a special time to chat, just us, it was a time of getting to know each other’s history and there are many memorable moments.
“But above it all is a connection between two people that come from completely different paths in life.
“Friendship is about love, understanding and kindness. A good friend knows your stories and also helps you write them.”
Sketches show the process of creating Meghan’s Givenchy dress
Clare also gushed about Meghan and spoke about working with the duchess to create the spectacular gown.
She said: “A wedding dress is one of the most exquisite and beautiful moments for a designer, but also personally as an woman artist, creator there is a lot of sensitivity that flows through the process from the knowledge and understanding of the feelings that you have as a bride.
“It was obvious the significance of this occasion was more than any other, it would be a very personal ceremony with so many choices that would reflect both the bride and grooms heritage and their unique way of being incredibly inclusive, genuine and generous.”
Clare also gushed about Meghan and spoke about working with the duchess to create the spectacular gownClare met Meghan six months into her role as artistic director at Givenchy
The talented designer then shared some beautiful snaps of Meghan wearing the dress, which had three-quarter sleeves and a bateau neckline, on the big day.
Clare spoke about what Meghan wanted for her wedding dress, and said: “Through hours of conversation, meetings together, and research, slowly all the pieces of that story came together.
“Purity and simplicity were the guiding principles, a narrative of nature through the 53 florals of the Commonwealth to bring the world into the journey of the ceremony and subtlety bringing the lines of Givenchy and the history of the Maison to capture the classical timeless beauty i knew she wanted to achieve.”