Why Kate Middleton's Iconic Fashion Show Dress Will Become a Part of Royal History

Kate Middleton‘s college dating history with Prince William is a big part of their story, even becoming a major storyline of The Crown in its final season. They went from friends to something more during their time at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland, but it was a charity fashion show and an iconic dress that changed the course of their love journey. 

Kate was only 19 years old in March 2002 when a bikini and her strapless sheer dress caused William to reportedly utter to his BFF Fergus Boyd, “Wow, Fergus, Kate’s hot!” That rest, as they say, was history, which is why the dress will also be a part of royal fashion history, according to royal expert Lorna Ruane. She told InStyle that the meet-cute moment added “a level of relatability to their story and creates this idea of anything being possible for any girl, à la Hallmark movies.” 

Their love story “was sparked during something as casual as a student fashion show, rather than at a grand royal event or by matchmaking grandmothers (as some believe happened with Charles and Diana), makes it much more relatable,” per Ruane. What makes the royal lore even more wholesome is that it was a handcrafted dress created by Charlotte Todd, then a student at the University of the West of England. Of course, the dress was really a skirt that cost under $40 to make and it was from Todd’s student project titled, “The Art of Seduction.” Well, it worked on William!

Once the couple announced their engagement in November 2010, the dress was an item of curiosity. “The dress is a part of fashion history, the moment William could first have fallen in love with Kate, and that makes me really proud,” Todd told The Telegraph that year. “That picture has been used so much over the years. I always wonder whether she is embarrassed about it or likes it. I am reluctant to part with the dress. The only person I’d probably give it to is her [Middleton]. Maybe in exchange for a wedding invitation.”

The wedding invitation didn’t happen, and the dress spent almost a decade hanging in Todd’s mother’s closet. In 2011, the designer changed her mind, and the garment was put up for auction, It was bought by “Nick from Jersey” for over $101,000, all thanks to its royal-adjacent history. A Kerry Taylor Auctions representative told the press in 2011, “The sale did fantastically well and went above expectations throughout. I am delighted that the dress made a ‘princely sum,'” according to Phoenix FM. 

Todd also shared her shock with the media. “I am totally speechless, and feel very emotional,” she said to The Telegraph. “I really didn’t think it would make that amount. I am planning to put some of the money towards a deposit for a house, but perhaps I may use some to change my career.” 

While Todd has been quiet in the fashion world after her royal moment, the dress lives on as the garment that brought the future King and Queen of England together.

Before you go, click here to see more photos of Prince William & Kate Middleton through the years.