The tailor involved in the infamous Sussex bridesmaid dress drama is speaking out.
Nearly five years after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s May 2018 royal wedding, luxury tailor Ajay Mirpuri of Mirpuri Bespoke spoke to Page Six Style about what happened behind the scenes with Princess Charlotte’s outfit — a topic that has received a lot of attention in the aftermath of Harry’s explosive memoir, “Spare.”
According to Prince Harry’s book, the Givenchy gowns for Princess Charlotte and the five other bridesmaids needed alterations before the big day — and his sister-in-law, Kate Middleton, had strong feelings about the fit.
“I don’t know what happened before we were asked to come in,” Mirpuri explains, adding that “the brand that made the dresses has some of the highest standards in the world.”
While Harry wrote that “it wasn’t a big surprise that they might need altering,” given that Givenchy made them entirely based on the girls’ measurements, the then-Duchess of Cambridge allegedly texted Markle to express her concerns about her daughter’s gown.
“Charlotte’s gown is too big, too long, and too baggy. According to “Spare,” Middleton’s text to the bride-to-be read, “She cried when she tried it on at home.”
Following the royal fiancée’s suggestion that Middleton “take Charlotte to see Ajay,” the now-Princess of Wales allegedly insisted on having all of the bridesmaid dresses completely remade.
Harry wrote that he found Markle “on the floor” after the terse exchange. Sobbing.”
When asked if he was aware of any drama between the two royal women, the high-end suitmaker — whose business runs bespoke tailoring showrooms in London as well as Switzerland — said, “Not at all. Everyone was very cooperative and cheerful.” “A PA contacted us a few days before [May] 14, which is when we first went in,” Mirpuri explained.
With only a few days until the wedding on May 19, the team had to work through the night to complete all six dresses.
“It took us three days and most of three nights,” Mirpuri said, explaining that “the level of alterations required for each dress” differed.
The tailor, who specializes in custom suits, frequently works with celebrities and high-level VIPs such as Matt Damon, and stated that he would have been “quite happy” to remain anonymous during the incident.
“On this occasion, it was our privilege to serve the royal family, and had no one put two and two together to find us, we [would]have been quite content for it never to have been known,” he said. “That is not the reason we do what we do.”
Mirpuri concluded the day by saying, “I feel it’s a family matter and should be dealt with as such.”
While the tailor hasn’t read “Spare” yet, aside from the sections involving the bridesmaid dress incident, he plans to do so soon.
“We had a small role to play in this globally televised event, and I just hope our role made the country look good,” Mirpuri concluded, adding that “given where we started,” he was “very proud” of the work done on the dresses.
