Designer under copyright fire over royal wedding dress

A Hertfordshire wedding dress designer has filed a claim against Alexander McQueen, claiming Kate Middleton’s custom royal wedding dress was a knockoff one of her own.

Five years after the royal wedding, Christine Kendall is suing the fashion house, saying she presented sketches to the duchess before the wedding which resembles the £40,000 dress Middleton wore on her wedding day.  

The fashion house has vehemently denied the claim.

“We are utterly baffled by this legal claim,” a statement released by Alexander McQueen said.

“Christine Kendall first approached us at Alexander McQueen almost four years ago, when we were clear with her that any suggestion Sarah Burton's design of the royal wedding dress was copied from her designs was nonsense.

“Sarah Burton never saw any of Ms Kendall's designs or sketches and did not know of Ms Kendall before Ms Kendall got in touch with us — some 13 months after the wedding.  We do not know why Ms Kendall has raised this again, but there are no ifs, buts or maybes here: this claim is ridiculous.”

The claim has been filed at the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court in London, suing for alleged breach of copyright.

Though she claimed Middleton saw her sketches for the dress, Kendall said the lawsuit doesn’t involve the royals.

“This claim is not against the duchess and there is no allegation of wrongdoing against the palace,” Kendall’s lawyer told the International Business Times.

A spokesperson for the royal family said Middleton herself never saw the sketches.

Kendall made the claim just 13 months after the royal wedding and made a series of YouTube videos, claiming the originality of her design.