Catherine Middleton's Wedding Dress: Was It Inspired by Grace Kelly?

• Facebook
• Tweet

For months, insiders speculated whether Catherine Middleton would follow the lead of her betrothed's mother, Princess Diana, when choosing her wedding gown. But could her inspiration have come from a different royal?

While 20-year-old Diana chose a voluminous taffeta Elizabeth Emanuel gown marked by its youthful ruffles and frills – not to mention 25 ft. train – 29-year-old Middleton took a sophisticated approach in her Alexander McQueen dress designed by creative director Sarah Burton, which some experts assert mirrors the iconic Helen Rose gown that Grace Kelly wore for her 1956 marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.



Though Middleton's silhouette is sleeker than the classic '50s ball gown shape of Kelly's, the lace bodices, fitted long sleeves, V-neckline and lace-trimmed veils look as though they could have been created by the same hands.