Kate Middleton's second wedding dress is having its moment in the spotlight

One word: wow.

kate middleton wedding 116028845

One word: wow.

When most people hear 'Kate Middleton's wedding dress' they immediately think of *that* Alexander McQueen beauty, with its lace sleeves and its very impressive train, carefully carried down the aisle by her sister, Pippa Middleton.

But you may have forgotten - or never even have known - that the Duchess of Cambridge actually changed into a second dress, just as beautiful as the first, to attend a reception at Buckingham Palace after the ceremony.

While this dress has been seen before, it is having a new moment in the spotlight thanks to TikTok user @allacortedi, who shared footage of the Duchess walking down some stairs in the second outfit, alongside Prince William, Prince Charles, and Camilla Parker Bowles. To date, the TikTok video has close to 168k views, as royal fans continue to admire the gorgeous gown.

As reported by Newsweek, this second dress was another creation from Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, this time a strapless silk satin pearl white gown with a sweetheart neckline and a sparkly silver sash, which the new Duchess warmed up with a cropped angora cardigan in the same off-white hue.

Catherine Middleton now the Duchess of Cambridge as she leaves Clarence House to travel to Buckingham Palace for a dinner and party, this evening. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday April 29, 2011.

Credit: Getty

Kate looked absolutely stunning in this dress, which was more evening-like than the lacy number she wore earlier that day. In any case, it deserves this new 15 minutes of fame, since most of us had kind of forgotten about what is undoubtedly an iconic moment in royal fashion history.

On the other hand, most of us who followed along at the time of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding will remember that the Duchess of Sussex also changed her dress for the reception.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and The Duchess of Sussex depart following their wedding in St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England.

Credit: Getty

Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leave Windsor Castle after their wedding to attend an evening reception at Frogmore House, hosted by the Prince of Wales on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England.

Credit: Getty

The first was a very simple boat-neck design by Givenchy, while her second one was a halter neck affair by Stella McCartney which looked plucked straight out of a James Bond film.

Read: both Duchesses were and continue to be entirely iconic in their own individual ways.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.