Naughty Details Revealed About These Famous Royal Dresses
From the revenge dress to Queen Elizabeth II's colorful frocks, there have been quite a few dresses worn by royal family members over the years that we'll never forget. Appearances are important to the royal family, so it's no surprise that these famous wardrobes are always in perfect condition. When it comes to the royal dresses that we remember the best, though, things aren't always exactly as they seem.
As it turns out, Catherine, Princess of Wales, wears dresses that may not be quite as modest as they look. Princess Diana initially had doubts about her famous "revenge dress." Meghan Markle had a brief but prominent wardrobe malfunction while out celebrating friends and Pippa Middleton had a secret weapon behind her iconic bridesmaid look at sister Kate's royal wedding to Prince William. Yes — the royal dresses we all know and love have a few behind-the-scenes secrets that made them what they are, and we've got all the "naughty" details.
The truth behind the Revenge Dress
As the saying goes, "Well-behaved women seldom make history." By the same token, an ensemble that plays it safe would never become one of the most famous dresses in history. Interestingly, though, despite how legendary it became, Princess Diana's iconic revenge dress almost looked completely different. In the summer of 1994, Diana headed to a gala at the Serpentine Gallery as her former husband, now-King Charles III, was admitting to the world that he'd had an affair with now-Queen Camilla. While others might have hidden away at such a vulnerable moment, Diana famously chose to walk headfirst into the public eye in an ensemble so attention-grabbing that it was deemed "the revenge dress." According to this famous dress' designer, though, it could have been a very different look.
Christina Stambolian designed the custom dress with Diana's help a few years prior. "We sat down and I drew a few sketches on a piece of paper," Stambolian told the Sunday Mirror. "The dress was revealing, quite short, and showed quite a bit of leg and flesh. Diana was not sure about it. She thought it was a bit risky. I said, 'Why not be daring?'" While Diana was hoping for something a bit more covered up, she ultimately agreed to the asymmetrical black number we know and love. Diana pulled this frock from her closet on an evening when showing skin was a brilliantly bold move, and the rest is history.
Kate Middleton loves a dress with a hidden surprise
Kate Middleton has certainly become one of the royal family's biggest style icons. She's known for looking sophisticated and chic as well as leaning toward the modest side of things with her ensembles. Despite how classy and covered-up Middleton's style usually appears, the truth about one of her favorite designers proves that there's actually a bit more beneath the surface — literally.
Middleton has a firm sense of style, which means that she knows what kind of fashion she likes. As a result, she's known to sport pieces from favorite designers again and again. Alessandra Rich is a fashion designer who's all about feminine touches and timelessness. Middleton has opted for Alessandra Rich dresses time and time again. While they seem to fit the princess' impeccable style perfectly, Rich told the Telegraph that a secret to her designs is a touch of naughtiness. "All my pieces are like this," Rich explained, adding, "They cover the arms or the legs, but there's always a split somewhere or a body chain underneath. It is good to be a bit naughty." So, while Middleton may look all covered up without a hair out of place, she doesn't shy away from a unique, cheeky detail — even if it's one that only she and the designer know about.
Queen Elizabeth II helped with Kate Middleton's wardrobe malfunctions
Catherine, Princess of Wales, managed to make marrying into the royal family look easy. Even so, we know that it's anything but easy. And, consequently, even Kate Middleton needed a few pointers from a seasoned pro when she first became a royal. Following the rules of fashion and etiquette is surely daunting for anyone new to royal life. What's surely even more daunting, though, is having cameras pointed at you any time you leave the house. With eyes always on you, any unflattering pose or less-than-picture-perfect moment could end up in the tabloids. Middleton discovered this firsthand when she was photographed with her skirt blowing up in the wind on more than one occasion.
Of course, anyone who's worn a skirt has experienced this at one time or another. For Middleton, though, this occurred on a few occasions when she broke the palace's "no skirts above the knee" rule. After another skirt-related incident in South Asia in 2019, a source close to the royals told the Daily Star, "The Queen is fed up that Kate hasn't heeded advice to have her hems weighted to prevent her skirts flying up." Queen Elizabeth II certainly knew a thing or two about keeping fashion faux pas at bay in front of the cameras. She always put curtain weights in the bottom of her skirts, and since then, Middleton seems to be using the tip.
Pippa Middleton's iconic bridesmaid dress
Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding was a historic event. It was so historic that it was unlikely that any fashion choice on the big day would draw attention away from the royal bride and groom. In reality, though, folks who remember this famous wedding day surely remember the surprising impact of Pippa Middleton's bridesmaid dress. In 2011, Princess Kate walked down the aisle to marry her prince, and her long train was carried by her younger sister, Pippa.
Pippa wore a white gown designed by Sarah Burton that fit like a glove. From the fabric and the line of buttons down the back to the fact that the public saw many shots of the bride and maid of honor from behind, there were quite a few reasons why Pippa's behind was at the forefront of folks' minds. In her book, "Celebrate," she wrote, "It is a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30 on account of your sister, your brother-in-law and your bottom. One day I might be able to make sense of this. In the meantime, I think it's fair to say that it has its upside and its downside."
Upside and downside aside, Pippa's backside made enough of an impact that folks wanted to get the look. It was revealed that Pippa was wearing lingerie from Beautiful Bottoms London, which was likely one of the only times the public was interested in a pair of royal underwear.
Middleton's history-making model moment
If you're a fan of royal history or Netflix's "The Crown," then chances are that you remember the iconic moment that made Prince William fall for Kate Middleton. In 2002, Middleton hit the runway for a charity fashion show at the University of St. Andrews. She wore an entirely see-through dress over a black underwear set, and legend has it that this caught the eye of a certain prince who was in the audience.
The all-mesh dress that Middleton sported down the runway was quite revealing. Interestingly, though, it was never meant to be a dress, at all. The garment was originally made to be a sheer skirt. Of course, Middleton is known for having quite an eye for fashion, and it seems that back then, this eye was a bit more interested in taking risks. It was Middleton's idea to pull the midi skirt up and make it into a strapless minidress, instead. Kerry Taylor, an expert in royal fashion, told Us Weekly, "I think it shows great enterprise and I actually know a little bit of naughtiness somehow," adding, "I think it's rather nice." We couldn't agree more, and from the sound of it, neither could William.
Meghan Markle's bra blunder
As Kate Middleton has shown us, no amount of poise or attentiveness can prepare you for what it's like to live your life in front of the camera. And, that means that no one is safe from the possibility of a major wardrobe malfunction. Yes –– that includes Meghan Markle. Markle tied the knot with Prince Harry in May of 2018 and officially joined the royal family. Just a few months later, though, she had her own royal fashion mishap.
It was Markle's 37th birthday when she and her new hubby attended the wedding of friends, Charlie van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks. Of course, there were fans and paparazzi there to spot the newly minted royal out celebrating friends on her birthday. As she waved to the crowd, a button on Markle's dress came undone and flashed a peek of her bra to onlookers.
Luckily for Markle, only a bit of her bra was exposed, and it happened to be a lacy piece that went perfectly with her deep navy dress. Also luckily for her, she was able to catch the slip quickly, fix her dress, and move on while looking elegant, put together, and fully clothed. This particular wardrobe malfunction could have been much worse, but it just goes to show –– if you spend enough time in front of the cameras, they're bound to catch something.