‘It’s horrible’: The queen’s fairly surprising reaction to Kate Middleton’s wedding dress

Trust your granny-in-law to keep it real.

Looking back on Kate Middleton and Prince William's 2011 wedding, the dress is the standout part of the day. Amid the pomp and ceremony, the bustle and drama and the millions of eyes watching from around the world, Kate Middleton made history when she serenely stepped out of the carriage at Westminster Abbey in that iconic Alexander McQueen gown. With intricate lace, a sweetheart bodice and full skirt with a three-metre train (and rumoured to have cost £250,000), it was the only dress a future queen could have worn. William's face was a picture as he turned to look at his bride coming down the aisle but his grandmother had pretty different reaction when she saw the dress on display later that year. The gown was showcased at an exhibition in Buckingham Palace and the Queen got to pop in and have a look before the doors opened to the public. Her visit can be seen in the 2012 documentary William and Kate: The First Year - as well as her reaction. "It is horrible, dreadful!” the monarch is heard saying. To be fair, it's thought that she was reacting to the way in which the dress had been propped up. The tiara and veil were suspended in the air, giving the whole outfit a ghostly look. "[It was] just fantastic to see the Queen just talking normally and say what she thought rather than what the spin-doctors thought she ought to be saying," royal correspondent Richard Palmer told The Daily Express.