Kate Middleton’s Dress Draws Record Crowds to Buckingham Palace
The wedding dress of Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is seen as it is prepared for display at Buckingham Palace in London July 20, 2011. Buckingham Palace expects record crowds this summer as up to 650,000 people are set to file into Queen Elizabeth's London residence and past the dress worn by Kate Middleton at her royal wedding to Prince William. The ivory and white garment, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, won over the fashion press and public when Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge and a future queen, walked up the aisle of Westminster Abbey in April. Picture taken July 20, 2011. Reuters

Kate Middleton's stunning wedding dress that globally captured the hearts of two billion people when she married Prince William in April, has significantly boosted the number of visits to Buckingham Palace, where the dress is currently on display.

The dress was designed for the Duchess of Cambridge by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, and drew 600,000 visitors to the palace over 73 days. The public can purchase tickets granting them admission to visit the state rooms where the dress is featured.

The palace has not yet revealed the amount of money that was raised by the exhibition, but it is known that adult admission is 17.50 pounds, and visitors are known to spend on souvenirs from the gift shop.

We've enjoyed welcoming visitors from all over the world to Buckingham Palace in record numbers this summer -- it has been an incredibly busy few months and we're delighted that it's been such a huge success, a spokeswoman for the Royal Collection said, The Guardian Reported.

The last record of visitors for the Palace's summer exhibition was in 1994 when 420,000 visitors visited over 57 days.

Kate's wedding shoes were also put on display at the palace. Created by the McQueen creative director Sarah Burton and her team, the shoes feature more impressive lace detailing hand-stitched over ivory duchess satin, similar to that found on the dress.

A pair of diamond earrings given to Kate by her family that depict the family's new coat of arms can also be seen on display at the palace.

Those who took a peek into the palace's state dining room were able to glimpse the Royal wedding cake by Fiona Cairns, although the top three tiers are not from the original.

Other Royal residences in the United Kingdom have also seen record visits this year. 680,000 people visited Windsor Castle between April to September, the highest number in five years.

.

United kingdom Royal wedding Kate middleton Kate middleton