<<Print>>

Meghan Markle has surprised everyone by wearing a wedding dress designed by Givenchy's Clare Waight Keller after months of speculation linking her to other designers, such as Erdem, and moved her groom to tears in the stunning classic creation. 

An emotional Harry told his bride 'you look amazing' after she wafted down the aisle in the classic silk gown in pure white, with a 15ft veil embroidered with flowers of the Commonwealth.

Meghan was eager to incorporate a nod to all 53 countries of the Commonwealth into her special day, and asked for a veil embellished with the distinctive flora of each Commonwealth country united in a single spectacular floral composition.

It's already been established that the Commonwealth family of nations will be a central part of Harry and Meghan's work after the Queen appointed her grandson as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

Kensington Palace said that Meghan 'wanted to express her gratitude for the opportunity to support the work of the Commonwealth by incorporating references to its members into the design of her wedding dress'.

Significant time was spent researching the flora of each Commonwealth country while Ms. Waight Keller spent many hours ensuring that every flower is unique.

Each flower was worked flat, in three dimensions to create a unique and delicate design. The workers spent hundreds of hours meticulously sewing and washing their hands every thirty minutes to keep the tulle and threads pristine.

In addition to the flora of the Commonwealth, Ms. Markle also selected two personal favourite flowers to be featured on the veil.


What flowers are represented on Meghan's veil?

AFRICA

· Botswana - Ear of Sorghum and Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)

· Cameroon - Red Stinkwood (Prunus africana)

· Gambia - White Variety Orchid

· Ghana - Caladium (Caladium)

· Kenya - The Tropical Orchid

· Lesotho - Spiral Aloe (Aloe polyphylla)

· Malawi - Lotus (Nymphea lotus)

· Mauritius - Trochetia Boutoniana

· Mozambique - Maroon Bell Bean (Markhamia zanzibarica)

· Namibia - Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis)

· Nigeria - Yellow Trumpet (Costus spectabilis)

· Rwanda - Torch Lily (Kniphofia uvaria)

· Seychelles - Tropicbird orchid (Angraecum eburnum)

· Sierra Leone - Scadoxus (Scadoxus cinnabarinus)

· South Africa - Protea (Protea cynaroides)

· Swaziland - Fire Heath (Erica cerinthoides)

· Uganda - Desert rose (Adenium obesum)

· United Republic of Tanzania - African violet (Saintpaulia)

· Zambia - Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea)

PACIFIC

· Australia - Golden wattles (Acacia pycnantha)

· Fiji - Tagimaucia (Medinilla waterhousei)

· Kiribati - Bidens Kiribatiensis

· Nauru - Calophyllum

· New Zealand - Kowhai (Sophora microphylla)

· Papua - Sepik Blue Orchid (Dendrobium lasianthera)

· Samoa - Teuila (Alpinia purpurata)

· Solomon Islands - Hibiscus (Hibiscus)

· Tonga - Heilala (Garcinia sessilis)

· Tuvalu - Plumeria (Plumeria frangipans)

· Vanuatu - Anthurium (Anthurium)  

ASIA

· Bangladesh - White Water Lily ( Sada shapla)

· Brunei Darussalam - Simpor (Dillenia suffruticosa)

· India - Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifers gaertn)

· Malaysia - Bunga Raya Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa sinensis)

· Pakistan - Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

· Singapore - Vanda miss Joaquim Orchid (Miss Joaquim)

· Sri Lanka - Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea nouchali)

CARIBBEAN & AMERICAS

· Antigua and Barbuda - Agave (Agave karatto)

· Bahamas - Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans)

· Barbados - The pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

· Belize - The Black Orchid (Encyclia cochleata)

· Canada - Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

· Dominica - Carib Wood (Sabinea carinalis)

· Grenada - Bougainvillea (Nyctaginaceae)

· Guyana - Victoria Regia Water Lily (Victoria amazonica)

· Jamaica - Lignum Vitae (Guiacum officinale)

· Saint Lucia - The rose and the marguerite

· St Kitts and Nevis - Poinciana (Delonix regia )

· St Vincent & the Grenadines - Soufriere Tree (Spachea perforatais)

· Trinidad & Tobago - Chaconia (Warszewiczia coccinea)

EUROPE

· Cyprus - Cyclamen Cyprium (Cyclamen cyprium)

· Malta - Maltese centaury (Cheirolophus crassifolius

UNITED KINGDOM

· England - Rose

· Wales - Daffodil (Narcissus)

· Northern Ireland - Flax flower

· Scotland - Thistle