Bombshell Book Claims The Queen Disapproved Of Meghan's Wedding Gown For One Reason
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were married in May 2018, and their royal wedding broke many traditions (via Reader's Digest). This included holding the event on a Saturday when royal weddings are usually held on a weekday, making the wedding cake out of a light sponge instead of the traditional fruit cake, and arranging it on separate platters rather than tiers (via Town & Country). The wedding took place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle rather than Westminster Abbey, where the late Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip and where William and Catherine Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales, got married.
Another aspect of Meghan and Harry's wedding that seemed to differ from tradition was Meghan's choice of color for her wedding dress. Designed by Claire Waight Keller, the first female Artistic Director at Givenchy, the Duchess of Sussex opted for a pure white silk cady fabric (via Marie Claire) which reportedly goes against tradition for those marrying a second time.
Wearing off-white during for a second wedding is a superstition that has long-gone
According to journalist Katie Nicholl's book "The New Royals" Queen Elizabeth II didn't approve of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, wearing white on her wedding day (via the Daily Mail). "Perhaps it's a generational thing, but she believes if you've been married before, you wear off-white on your wedding day, which is what the Duchess of Cornwall did," said a source.
This isn't the first time this belief has been brought up. In 2018, a royal source reiterated the monarch's apparent surprise at Meghan wearing white. "Meghan is being told she needs to start dressing less like a Hollywood star and more like a Royal," the source told the Daily Mail. Obviously, it's hard to tell whether the late monarch believed this or not, as she didn't say it directly. But according to Zola, the tradition of not wearing white during a second wedding is a myth "perpetuated from the traditional notion that wearing white on your wedding day symbolizes purity and innocence." Vows Bridal adds that ivory or cream was once believed to be "a symbol of tainted innocence." But now, the color is often picked "because it looks better than white on [a bride's] skin."
It's also worth noting that Meghan paid tribute to her grandmother-in-law with the design of her veil. In the HBO documentary "Queen of the World," Meghan revealed that the flowers embroidered on the veil were from Commonwealth countries (via Harper's Bazaar).