Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are continuing on their royal tour and arrived in Tonga on Thursday where they were greeted by Princess Angelika Latufuipeka at Fua’amotu Airport. After arriving, the couple headed over to the Consular House in Nuku’alofa to meet with King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u, where Meghan showed up in a short-sleeved white satin dress by fashion brand Theia, reported People .
The creative director of Theia, Don O’Neill, spoke about the experience making the dress for the Duchess of Sussex, revealing that they were asked for a small caveat that led them to believe Meghan was pregnant before she had announced it.
“When her stylist reached out to inquire if I could make a dress for her Australian press tour, I stopped everything we were doing (my bridal show was just a week away) and immediately went to work on Her Royal Highness’ gown.”
O’Neill added that after getting the approval from the duchess, the dress was sent back to his team with a small request.
“We needed to remake it with extra seam allowance. We knew immediately why this extra allowance was required, but mum’s the word, and with less than one week to my bridal show, all hands were on deck once more.”
Meghan & Harry Meet with the King of Tonga https://t.co/CE3CkPeldH pic.twitter.com/cD6901vBqo
— Meghans Mirror (@MeghansMirror) October 25, 2018
The experience was stressful but thankfully they were able to pull it off in time.
“We re-made the gown and I literally had to run down Broadway that Friday night to catch the UPS truck, making it with just 2 minutes to spare!”
Meghan looked stunning as she walked into the Consular wearing the specially designed dress. The white dress, which fell down to below her ankles, hugged her body and highlighted her waist with an extra piece of fabric. The sleeves were loose around her shoulders and at the top of the chest, the dress was adorned with designs in silver thread. The Duchess of Sussex then paired the dress with a pair of black heels.
O’Neill also spoke about how Meghan has served as an inspiration for him.
“The Duchess of Sussex has long been a source of inspiration. Her classic, effortless and chic style coupled with all the excitement leading up to her wedding earlier this year inspired my Spring 2019 bridal collection, which I showed in April. Her Royal Highness is a truly beautiful inspiring woman, a bright shining light in this world, and we at Theia are truly honored to be part of The Royal Tour of Australia, Fiji, the Kingdom of Tonga and New Zealand.”
