The symbolism of Meghan’s veil embroidery

You may not have been able to take your eyes off Meghan Markle as she glided down the aisle yesterday to marry Prince Harry but, how much detail of her outfit did you really clock?

The bride opted for an exquisitely simple Givenchy dress, a century-old tiara and a show-stopping veil that had hand stitched flowers clustered around it.

These weren’t just for bridal detail though, each one represented the 53 countries in the Commonwealth. It’s reported Meghan suggested this as the Commonwealth will feature in much of the couple’s future work together.

The new Duchess of Sussex also ensured there was a tribute to her and Harry on there. She selected two more flowers to be stitched - the Wintersweet found in Kensington Palace and the California poppy, from where she was born.

Made of layers of ivory, silk tulle and a casual five meters long, the veil took ateliers hundreds of hours to create. According to the BBC, the dressmakers were required to wash their hands every 30 minutes while working on the stitching and threaded using silk and organza.

Something tells us this veil will never be topped.

A list of each of the flora from every member state of the Commonwealth is listed below:

AFRICA:

• Botswana - Ear of Sorghum and Cat’s Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)

• Cameroon - Red Stinkwood (Prunus africana)

• Gambia - White Variety Orchid

• Ghana - Caladium (Caladium)

• Kenya - The Tropical Orchid

• Lesotho - Spiral Aloe (Aloe polyphylla)

• Malawi - Lotus (Nymphea lotus)

• Mauritius - Trochetia Boutoniana

• Mozambique - Maroon Bell Bean (Markhamia zanzibarica)

• Namibia - Welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis)

• Nigeria - Yellow Trumpet (Costus spectabilis)

• Rwanda - Torch Lily (Kniphofia uvaria)

• Seychelles - Tropicbird orchid (Angraecum eburnum)

• Sierra Leone - Scadoxus (Scadoxus cinnabarinus)

• South Africa - Protea (Protea cynaroides)

• Swaziland - Fire Heath (Erica cerinthoides)

• Uganda - Desert rose (Adenium obesum)

• United Republic of Tanzania - African violet (Saintpaulia)

• Zambia - Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea)

ASIA:

• Bangladesh - White Water Lily ( Sada shapla)

• Brunei Darussalam - Simpor (Dillenia suffruticosa)

• India - Indian Lotus (Nelumbo nucifers gaertn)

• Malaysia - Bunga Raya Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa sinensis)

• Pakistan - Jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

• Singapore - Vanda miss Joaquim Orchid (Miss Joaquim)

• Sri Lanka - Blue Water Lily (Nymphaea nouchali)

CARIBBEAN & AMERICAS:

• Antigua and Barbuda - Agave (Agave karatto)

• Bahamas - Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans)

• Barbados - The pride of Barbados (Caesalpinia pulcherrima)

• Belize - The Black Orchid (Encyclia cochleata)

• Canada - Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)

• Dominica - Carib Wood (Sabinea carinalis)

• Grenada - Bougainvillea (Nyctaginaceae)

• Guyana - Victoria Regia Water Lily (Victoria amazonica)

• Jamaica - Lignum Vitae (Guiacum officinale)

• Saint Lucia - The rose and the marguerite

• St Kitts and Nevis - Poinciana (Delonix regia )

• St Vincent & the Grenadines - Soufriere Tree (Spachea perforatais)

• Trinidad & Tobago - Chaconia (Warszewiczia coccinea)

EUROPE:

• Cyprus - Cyclamen Cyprium (Cyclamen cyprium)

• Malta - Maltese centaury (Cheirolophus crassifolius

UNITED KINGDOM:

• England - Rose

• Wales - Daffodil (Narcissus)

• Northern Ireland - Flax flower

• Scotland - Thistle

PACIFIC:

• Australia - Golden wattles (Acacia pycnantha)

• Fiji - Tagimaucia (Medinilla waterhousei)

• Kiribati - Bidens Kiribatiensis

• Nauru - Calophyllum

• New Zealand - Kowhai (Sophora microphylla)

• Papua - Sepik Blue Orchid (Dendrobium lasianthera)

• Samoa - Teuila (Alpinia purpurata)

• Solomon Islands - Hibiscus (Hibiscus)

• Tonga - Heilala (Garcinia sessilis)

• Tuvalu - Plumeria (Plumeria frangipans)

• Vanuatu - Anthurium (Anthurium)