Samantha Keswick (née Shaw) recalls working with Sophie Rhys-Jones on the gown for her marriage to the Earl of Wessex in 1999...
Question: What was your reaction when you found out you’d be designing a Royal Wedding dress for Sophie Rhys-Jones (now the Countess of Wessex)?
I was initially asked to send my ideas in sketch form, before being called in to discuss my thoughts in person. I was obviously very happy when I found out I'd got it! I actually ended up designing clothes for other guests going to the wedding – including the bridesmaids and pages – so I had to be extra careful not to let any details about the design slip.
Question: How long did you have to create the dress, from start to finish?
We had around four months in total and fittings were particularly tight due to Sophie's busy schedule. Rather than get in extra help, I had to keep my team as small as possible for security reasons.
Question: What were your biggest challenges in creating a Royal Wedding dress?
There was an evening dress under the coat dress, which was to remain super private for the evening dinner, and I had to get the fabric perfectly dyed to colour-match the beautiful stone of St George’s Chapel. Getting up there without being noticed was fun – and also a huge challenge.
Question: Was it hard to keep your involvement in designing the dress under wraps?
A friend of mine managed to find me a security guard who he personally trusted to stay at my studio, as someone did go through my bins and was hanging around there at night! The invasion of my privacy was very daunting.
Question: How did you feel on the day of the wedding? Were you on hand for last-minute alternations?
I was at the wedding all day and on hand to dress Sophie; for many reasons it was a day that I will forever hold very dear and remember always.
