Much-loved Netflix series The Crown is finally reaching its conclusion next month, when the second part of season six lands on 14 December. While the first part of the series focused mainly on Princess Diana and her relationship with Dodi Fayed, the last batch of episodes will follow a young Prince William and Kate Middleton, depicting how they met and fell in love at St Andrews university in Scotland.
Newly released preview images show that one very famous part of their love story in particular is going to be recreated: the time that Kate Middleton appeared in a charity fashion show – wearing a very daring dress. It’s widely considered to be the moment that Prince William saw Kate differently (legend has it, he turned to his friend in the audience and said “Wow” when she hit the runway), sparking the start of their romantic involvement.
Kate took to the catwalk back in 2002 wearing a sheer strapless design by fellow student Charlotte Todd, which featured a contrasting turquoise panel across the bust and a ribbon woven through the hem. The dress was created from a delicate netted fabric, revealing a simple pair of dark briefs underneath. She wore her hair in tight spiral curls (a ubiquitous style of the ’00s) with strips of fabric braided through sections.
The dress reportedly only cost £30 to make, but was sold at auction for almost £80,000 in 2011. According to Todd, the dress was originally intended to be a skirt. At the time, she’d been studying for her degree in Fashion and Textiles at the University of the West of England and created the piece for a project named The Art Of Seduction.
“Everyone says that the fashion show was when the romance started, so a small part of me will always be part of royal history,” Todd told People magazine previously.
The newly released image from The Crown shows the actress Meg Bellamy recreating the scene, wearing a remarkably similar version of the now-infamous dress.
Meg Bellamy as Kate Middleton in The Crown
William and Kate were students and flatmates together during their time at St Andrews before their relationship turned romantic. They first met in 2001, announced their engagement in 2010 and got married in 2011.
Part two of ‘The Crown’ season six will be released on Netflix on 14 December.