The tailor who fixed the bridesmaid dresses that sparked a row between the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex ahead of the royal wedding has said he did not witness any argument between the two women.
Ajay Mirpuri, who runs Mirpuri Bespoke tailors in London’s West End, was called in by Meghan and the Duke of Sussex four days before their May 2018 nuptials to mend six ill-fitting Givenchy dresses.
Initial reports had suggested Kate was in tears over the incident, but Harry’s account in his memoir Spare says it was Meghan who was left “sobbing on the floor”.
Mr Mirpuri told the PA news agency: “I did not see it. Any wedding on whatever level is always stressful, especially the lead up to it, and this was no different. But everyone was very friendly, very co-operative, and it was an honour to be asked to serve.”
He and a team of three others worked for three consecutive days at Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle until 4am each morning as they mended the dresses, which had been hand-sewn from measurements taken at a single fitting.
“We had done work for Harry and Meghan before and we just had a request from a PA saying ‘Can you come in and take a look?’, and that is exactly what we did,” Mr Mirpuri said.
“The issue was the sizing but I don’t know anything prior to that. Givenchy is a fantastic brand and I can’t say anything about what had happened before. We were just brought in to try to fix a challenge, and that’s what we did.”
Mr Mirpuri said he was frustrated by how much more had been written about the alterations and the surrounding argument than how “fabulous” the dresses looked on the wedding day.
He said: “Our role was so small and so minute but for it to be the focus is a little hard to take. There are so many other moving parts to this event and I really wish I was involved in something that did not get any focus.
“We were just doing a job and for us as a small business, the privilege to serve was great. We were involved in this great event for Great Britain. We never looked for recognition, that is not what we do this for.
“Had this not been brought up in the book we would have made our peace and no-one would have known. It was very stressful but on the day we pulled it off, and that’s very much the most important thing.”
Harry’s book adds extra detail to the Sussexes’ Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021, when Meghan claimed it was Kate who made her cry, not vice-versa.
The duke writes that Kate texted Meghan four days before the wedding to say her daughter Princess Charlotte was crying because her dress was “too big, too long, too baggy”.
The duchess reportedly replied that Mr Mirpuri had been “waiting all day” at Kensington Palace to make adjustments, adding that Kate and Charlotte should go there for alterations.
Kate is then said to have responded, “No, all the dresses need to be remade”, before then relenting to Meghan’s continued insistence that she see Mr Mirpuri.
Meghan told Oprah that Kate apologised the following day with flowers and a card. “She did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone. To just take accountability for it,” she said.
