Georgina Clatworthy

After months of speculation about who will design the most important wedding dress for decades, it has been revealed that the responsibility has been handed to British designer Sophie Cranston. Originally it was thought that the Kate Middleton wedding dress would be designed by Bruce Oldfield, Sarah Burton or Alice Temperley, but according to sources at the Huffington Post it is the South London designer who owns the Libelula label.

It is likely that there will be two wedding dresses created with one as a back up in case something disastrous happens to the first dress. This is something the Emanuel’s did when creating Princess Diana’s dress.

It is thought that the Palace or Kate Middleton did not previously want to announce the name of the designer in order to protect Sophie Cranston from media scrutiny for as long as possible. This is in stark contrast to what happened with the Emanuel’s who were announced as the wedding dress designers just one month after Charles and Diana’s engagement! This time the intention was to divert media attention and give Sophie the space required to create the dress of Kate’s dreams without any unnecessary distractions.

St James’ Palace refused to confirm that Sophie Cranston was indeed Kate Middleton’s chosen designer, charged with making a royal wedding dress that will be seen by billions around the world. Their spokesman gave the following comment after the news had broken "We are not being drawn on any speculation on the wedding and cannot comment."

Sophie Cranston won the coveted Designer of the Year Award during London’s Graduate Fashion Week back in 1999 and then worked under Alexander McQueen before joining forces with Alice Temperley under the Temperley label a year later in 2000.

Two years later, Sophie moved to Andalusia in Spain to indulge in her love for flamenco. During her time her she worked with Costa La Luz and was inspired to begin her own label Libelula (meaning dragonfly in Spanish). Her label is well known for its feminine designs, use of luxury fabrics and vibrant colors and prints. The label includes a range of both ready-to-wear and bespoke bridal collections.

Since being established in 2002 Libelula has gained a strong celebrity clientele including Kate Middleton and her family, Emma Watson, Jerry Hall and the writer Celia Warden who married journalist Piers Morgan in a Libelula wedding dress last year.

With just two weeks to go, all eyes are sure to be on Sophie Cranston now to see just what she creates!