Meghan Doesn't Want to Upstage Kate's Bridal Gown

Meghan Markle has already chosen the designer for her wedding dress, but now she's facing another challenge: not upstaging her future sister-in-law Kate Middleton's bridal gown. Royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight that Markle's dress for her May 19 nuptials will probably have a lower price tag than the Duchess of Cambridge's £150,000 ($212,197) Alexander McQueen look i in 2011.

"There have been reports that [Meghan’s] considering spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a wedding dress. I think that’s incredibly unlikely," Nicholl, a royal biographer, toldET.

From Harper's BAZAAR

“Kate Middleton's dress cost 150,000 pounds. It was her parents, Carol and Michael Middleton, who paid for that bill. I think it was very unlikely that Meghan would spend more than that and in doing so try and upstage a future queen," the author added.

After being in the royal spotlight for a few months now, Markle probably knows what scrutiny her dress (and other details of her wedding) will be under. "I don’t think she's going to want to get royal life off to a start where she's criticized for spending something like 400,000 pounds [about $565,860] on a wedding dress," Nicholl said.

However, Meghan might have been inspired by Kate's dress design-even if she doesn't want to overshadow her. "I'm told that she wants something with lace, that she wants something with sleeves," Nicholl added. Middleton's McQueen gown, which was custom-designed by creative director Sarah Burton, included the same features.

However, Markle's look will likely have to "suit the regal historical backdrop that is Windsor Castle," which is different-and a bit smaller and removed from the city-from Middleton and Prince William's grand Westminster Abbey venue.

Although Meghan has been on a streak of deviating from royal protocol (in everything from her everyday style to her wedding cake), Nicholl suspects she'll actually go with tradition on her wedding day.

"So I think you will be probably pleasantly surprised for Meghan the ‘rule breaker’ when it comes to this dress. I think it's gonna tick all the right boxes: traditional, elegant, sophisticated, memorable, and fitting," the author added.

The guess for Meghan's dress designer continues. There have been rumors that she's picked Ralph & Russo (who made the couture gown in her engagement photos) and there was an influx of bets that she, like Middleton, would go with Alexander McQueen, but Nicholl thinks she might even go with Stewart Parvin, one of the Queen's favorite couturiers.

But we likely won't get a final answer until the bride arrives to St. George's Chapel to tie the knot with Prince Harry. If she can keep her romance with a royal private for months, she can do the same with her dress. "Let's be honest," Nicholl said, "This is a girl who knows how to keep a secret."

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