Kate Middleton and the scandal surrounding her wedding dress that (perhaps) you don't know about

An English dressmaker, Christine Kendall, claims her designs inspired Sarah Burton's creation for Alexander McQueen, and filed a lawsuit in 2016 to prove it. How did it really go? Here's what we know.

There's a small scandal in Kate Middleton's wedding dress that periodically resurfaces. A mystery involving an alleged theft of designs that has ended up in court, about which very little is known. Here, we want to tell you everything we know.

First, here's the case: an English dressmaker claimed that Alexander McQueen had taken inspiration from her designs to create the famous dress. Christine Kendall, the designer specializing in wedding dresses with a studio in Hertfordshire, was certain that the dress was the product of her creativity when she saw one of the world's most famous brides.

Before explaining how this incredible story unfolded, we'll give you a preview of the ending. It would reveal the true mystery surrounding this affair: we don't know how it all ended.

So here's the chronology of what supposedly happened. After the engagement was announced, five months before the wedding, wedding dress designer Christine Kendall sent some sketches to Clarence House, suggesting to William's future wife a 1950s-inspired design, featuring a full A-line skirt and a distinctive lace detail on the back.

A few weeks later, in January 2011, Mrs. Kendall received a letter from the prince's office signed by a palace official. "Miss Catherine Middleton has asked me to thank you so much for your letter of November 18th, in which you enclosed the drawings of the wedding dress," the news reports tell us. "Miss Middleton showed great interest in seeing your work and truly appreciated the fact that you took the time to write. If (Kate, ed.) would like to see more of his designs, I will certainly contact her."

Christine Kendall must truly be a dreamer. She must have read in the newspapers about the amazing adventures of aspiring royal suppliers whose mere letter was enough to forever link their name to Buckingham Palace.

Steven Hitchcock likes to say that he designed the famous camel coat worn by Charles for over twenty years: it was supposedly a commission after the enterprising tailor left a note to a guard in front of St. James's Palace. True or not, a coat to wear in the countryside is one thing, but it's quite another to nominate yourself to go down in history by designing the wedding dress of the future king of the United Kingdom.

The days passed, and no call followed that "we'll let you know." Until Christine Kendall, on April 29, 2011, in front of her television screen or perhaps on the streets of London, saw Sarah Burton's creation for Alexander McQueen and thought that without her contribution, that dress wouldn't have been the same.

Asked for an immediate opinion on the dress as an insider, the designer said she felt the dress didn't flatter her enough. However, her criticisms weren't harsh: in short, she would have preferred a creation that made her look younger, perhaps with a more angular and elegant cut. "Something that would enhance her beauty and bring out her personality: I'm not sure the dress makes her that way," she concluded.

After a few years of silence, the designer spoke out in a YouTube video. "I believe that without my sketches, the royal wedding dress would not have been as it was," she stated candidly. "A very important part of creating a couture dress is creating aspects that are not easily copied. As far as I know, there is nothing similar available anywhere."

On the eve of William and Kate's fifth wedding anniversary, in late April 2016, news spread that Christine Kendall had instructed lawyer Humna Nadim of the Manchester firm Kuits to initiate copyright infringement proceedings in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court against Alexander McQueen. The court sought up to £500,000 in damages and lost profits.

"The proceedings were initiated because our client is certain that her company's design was taken and copied unfairly," declared the intellectual property lawyer, who at the same time hastened to absolve the then Duchess of Cambridge of any liability. "The complaint is not against the Duchess, and there is no allegation of wrongdoing against the Palace," she specified.

Kensington Palace also took a stand, contradicting the letter sent in January 2011, stating that Kate had never seen any of the sketches in question. In short, the courtiers had told a lie, failing to consider that the reply letter was nothing more than that famous butterfly flap of wings capable of causing a hurricane outside the reassuring palace gates.

As was easily predictable, Alexander McQueen did not take the accusation well. "We are absolutely shocked by this legal proceeding," the Kering group's fashion house stated, revealing that this wasn't the first time they'd heard the dressmaker's name: Christine Kendall had actually come forward about four years earlier to support her claim. "We were clear with her: any suggestion that Sarah Burton's royal wedding dress design was copied from her sketches is utter nonsense."

"Sarah Burton never saw any of Ms. Kendall's designs or drawings before she contacted us, approximately 13 months after the wedding," the statement read. "We don't know why Ms. Kendall has raised the issue again, but there are no ifs, buts, or maybes here: this legal action is ridiculous."

Matthew Pryke, an intellectual property lawyer, contacted by the Times for a comment published on April 28 of the same year, explained how these types of lawsuits work, noting that the seamstress had to have compelling evidence to file a lawsuit against the brand.

"Copyright protects against copying designs but does not provide the exclusive right to control the use of design concepts or fashion influences such as a 1950s theme, an A-line silhouette, lace appliqués, the use of organza fabrics, and other recognized styles or genres," the lawyer stated, alluding to the statements of the self-described "offended" party. He only added that, given the precedent, the brand could have better protected its image, also to avoid the media exposure they received.

And yet, despite the statement released by Buckingham Palace on the wedding day that spoke of a combination of "tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen's work," and that British craftsmanship and the Victorian tradition of corsetry were also cited as a hallmark of the fashion house, what was clearly evident to everyone was that if there was any inspiration, it was the dress designed by Helen Rose for the wedding of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco on April 19, 1956.

As we mentioned at the beginning, there is no trace, at least on the surface, of how the case evolved. Aside from the articles published when the case broke in 2016, subsequent references to the story have only resurfaced like a karst river, adding nothing to what we already know.

Christine Kendall's social media presence provides some updates. There is only one YouTube video where she explains how a unique wedding dress is created. "This dress will make you feel like you're at a royal occasion," the caption reads, without "accusing" anyone of plagiarism. After all, she herself describes her business as Couture Wedding Dresses Fit for a Royal. There's little follow-up on Facebook either. In 2020, the designer announced she would no longer create couture wedding dresses and would close the page in July 2021.

The page survives, but it brims with nostalgia for her thirty years of experience in the bridal industry. The website isn't working, but her LinkedIn profile suggests she's currently working freelance. Her Instagram profile is also sparse, where on June 15, 2021, she posted an update ("a change is coming"), perhaps containing some clues, if nothing else, about her state of mind.

She begins by describing her brand, a story that began at home in the early 1990s and then expanded to central London, where she created handmade wedding dresses. "In 2021, however, things changed. My creative heart was shattered into a thousand pieces, and that made a huge difference." She writes that her time with couture was over and that she wanted to rekindle her great passion: vintage. For those who are connected to the bridal designer, there's an Etsy shop where you can purchase her creations.

One dress in particular, among the many, looks familiar. At a quick glance, it might remind you of the one Kate Middleton wore on her wedding day. It must be an old relic from Christine Kendall's studio, once valued at £3,200 (about €3,500). There's only one left, and it sells for just under €800. Not much, considering this is another dress that made history. In its own way.