Bruce Oldfield congratulates Sarah Burton on the dress

He went on to give a detailed assessment of the gown's construct which was generally favourable: "I liked the way the veil lay flat across the hair without any gathers - probably a circle weighted down with the delicate embroidery. This will be a trend to watch. Catherine needed the volume of the skirt, both to emphasise her tiny waist and to give the dress a sense of importance. I also liked the nod towards a bustle. It all helped towards an appropriately traditional gown." Oldfield's own work was worn by a less prominent royal today, with the Countess of Wessex wearing a neat skirt suit in pale caramel of his design, worn with Jimmy Choos. But his comments about the bride's dress today were complimentary if not effusive:

"The delicate lace bodice and the embroidered veil will be compared to Grace Kelly's dress in 1957, and the volume of the skirt to that of Princess Elizabeth in 1947 - not a bad frame of reference."