Crowning Glory: Meet Meg Bellamy, The Crown’s Kate Middleton

Vogue

The young actor was finishing her shift at Legoland when she recieved the call that changed her life.  Director: Nina Ljeti Director Of Photography: Riccardo Mejia Editor: Nicole Cimei Producers: Gigi Chavarria, Qieara Lesesne Associate Director, Creative Development: Alexandra Gurvitch Associate Producers: Marisah Yazbek, Lea Donenberg Assistant Camera: Jon Corum Gaffer: Cameron Sonsini Audio: Gloria Marie Production Assistants: Brock Spitaels, Becca Guzman Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar Production Manager: Natasha Soto-Albors Line Producer: Romeeka Powell Senior Director, Production Management: Jessica Schier Assistant Editor: Fynn Lithgow Post Production Coordinator: Jovan James Supervising Editor: Kameron Key Post Production Supervisor: Edward Taylor Associate Talent Manager: Phoebe Feinberg         Associate Director, Video Talent :Meredith Judkins Director of Content, Production: Rahel Gebreyes Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson Executive Producer: Ruhiya Nuruddin VP, Digital Video English: Thespena Guatieri Images &amp; Videos: The Crown / Netflix Filmed at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

Transcript

00:00 (upbeat music)

00:02 Hi Vogue, I'm Meg Bellamy,

00:04 and I'm gonna be taking you through

00:05 the iconic looks of Kate Middleton.

00:07 Ah, so starting off with a good one.

00:10 This is the fashion show look

00:13 that Kate Middleton wore at university.

00:15 It was for a charity.

00:17 Supposedly it was a skirt,

00:19 and she kind of pulled it up last minute

00:21 to make a bit more of a statement.

00:23 That just says a lot about Kate

00:26 in terms of going after what she wants

00:28 and feeling confident in what she wears.

00:31 Creating the look was really interesting.

00:33 We had a few fittings for it,

00:35 and there was lots of layering of different mesh,

00:38 and it was very intricate and really fun.

00:40 And then on the actual day, the energy was amazing.

00:43 We had Kylie Minogue blasting on the speakers,

00:47 and the crowds were cheering.

00:48 And honestly, it was just amazing to wear

00:51 this kind of dress that I grew up knowing about.

00:53 So this was a fun one, and I think she looks amazing.

00:58 So this next look is at Blydon Palace

01:00 while she was still at university.

01:03 I don't know what she's sitting on.

01:04 That looks very impressive.

01:05 Maybe a stool.

01:06 She's wearing a kind of tweed skirt,

01:08 an overcoat, very cool.

01:10 And these boots, they feel familiar

01:12 in terms of wearing them in the show,

01:14 kind of like a horsey, country bumpkin type look

01:17 that I think was quite prevalent in Kate's group

01:21 growing up in the countryside at the time.

01:23 And it's a look we kind of are inspired by in the show.

01:25 I think I wear a kind of similar tweed skirt and everything.

01:28 And that was really great in terms of stepping into that

01:30 more country lifestyle.

01:32 Kate studied art history at university,

01:34 and in terms of her physicality,

01:36 working with our movement coach, Polly Bennett,

01:39 was another really fascinating aspect of the research.

01:41 It's tricky because there's not a lot of footage.

01:44 There's no footage of how she speaks.

01:46 There's definitely not a lot of footage

01:47 of how she walks and moves in the era that I play her,

01:50 you know, in her university years.

01:52 So I kind of did a lot of studying her now

01:55 and watching how she walks,

01:56 how she interacts with different people,

01:57 and how that differentiates based off

01:59 of who she's speaking to,

02:01 and then kind of trying to de-royalify her.

02:04 So I, you know, incorporated that.

02:06 There'd be little things like always holding her bag

02:08 over her shoulder and holding it with,

02:10 on her right shoulder, just very specific things

02:12 that whenever I had a bag, I was like,

02:14 "Great, I get to do that."

02:15 So this look is at a charity polo match,

02:22 and William and Harry are also in attendance.

02:24 And it's kind of, she's just left university.

02:26 People know about her now

02:28 in terms of the general public and the press,

02:30 and people are starting to kind of really

02:31 have conversations about her.

02:33 And I think it's lovely because this, to me,

02:36 is a very distinctive younger Kate Middleton look.

02:39 You know, the low-rise jeans, the vest, and the cardigan.

02:42 It's something that we really are inspired by in the show.

02:45 And I quite like that, you know,

02:46 she's still keeping her own fashion sense

02:49 and her own style within the kind of,

02:51 the press frenzy, I suppose.

02:52 Our director, Mai L2 Key,

02:54 had the great and very useful idea,

02:56 after we'd had a fitting, we could take home an outfit

02:59 that really felt kind of quintessentially our character.

03:02 So I took home a similar outfit to this.

03:04 I think it was similar kind of low-rise jeans,

03:06 some heels, just to kind of walk around the house

03:08 when you're practicing lines,

03:09 when you're practicing the voice,

03:10 just to feel her much more.

03:12 It really helps everything come together.

03:13 But it was really interesting wearing things like this

03:15 because it was very alien for me.

03:17 This look was at a wedding,

03:21 and the dress is designed by Isa,

03:23 which was her favorite fashion house at the time.

03:25 This to me is much more like what she wears today,

03:28 more royal, I guess.

03:29 I know, obviously, it's a wedding,

03:30 so you have a more formal setting,

03:32 but it makes me think of kind of that change in demeanor

03:37 and also change in voice,

03:38 and to prepare for Kate's voice.

03:40 As much as we both grew up in Berkshire,

03:42 so we have very similar accents,

03:44 we have completely different vocal tones

03:46 and things like that,

03:47 and that was really fascinating to learn about.

03:50 I worked with our vocal coach, William Conacher,

03:52 who is a legend.

03:54 My voice we learned is chesty,

03:55 slightly, I guess, rougher,

03:57 and she's much more kind of light and airy,

03:59 and her vowels are so distinctive,

04:01 so my favorite ones to kind of practice,

04:03 I say like, "Oh," and stuff,

04:05 and she says, "Oh, oh,"

04:06 and you kind of spread your mouth a little bit,

04:08 and E's are lovely, like, "Lovely,"

04:10 you know, things like that.

04:11 So this next look is from the engagement interview.

04:18 So this is after it had been announced

04:21 that they were engaged to be married,

04:22 and I love this blue dress.

04:24 I think it's so gorgeous, this royal blue.

04:26 This was Diana's sapphire engagement ring

04:29 that William gave to her,

04:30 so really, really special.

04:31 I think maybe the kind of blue inspiration and connection

04:35 is maybe a nod out of respect to Diana.

04:38 I think it's a really classy, lovely way to honor her,

04:41 and I really also love that in the interview,

04:43 William says, "I think they're asked about,

04:45 "you know, Kate filling Diana's shoes,"

04:46 or something like that,

04:47 and they make it really clear that, you know,

04:49 Diana's shoes can't be filled.

04:51 She was so special in her own right,

04:52 and that it's kind of just nice to have a piece of her close,

04:56 but that there's no expectation on Kate

04:58 to kind of fill this role,

04:59 and I've seen this interview to death

05:01 because it was so useful, you know,

05:02 working out her voice,

05:03 because it's probably the youngest

05:06 and also the most kind of informal that she chats.

05:10 You know, it's not a speech.

05:11 It's kind of in conversation with,

05:12 and she's speaking to William as well,

05:13 so he would be kind of a source of calmness,

05:16 I guess, for her.

05:19 So this is the famous, of course, wedding look

05:22 that Kate wore,

05:23 designed by Sarah Burton in Alexander McQueen,

05:26 and I just love this look so much.

05:29 This dress is so beautiful.

05:30 It's inspired sort of by Grace Kelly.

05:33 The flowers are kind of a nod to Britain,

05:35 and she also wore a Cartier kind of halo tiara

05:39 that she received from the Queen,

05:41 which I think just really symbolizes her, you know,

05:44 acceptance and being welcomed

05:45 into the royal family officially.

05:47 It's just so beautiful

05:49 and a lovely kind of commemoration of her,

05:51 and I remember this.

05:52 My mom actually had a royal wedding party

05:55 'cause she was very excited,

05:57 and I was quite young at the time and with friends,

05:58 so we were kind of in the garden, like, having cake

06:01 and weren't that bothered,

06:02 but I remember being like, "Tell me when they kiss.

06:04 "Tell me when they're on the balcony,"

06:06 and that was very exciting,

06:07 but there was a nice moment

06:08 where I was kind of sat on the stairs,

06:10 and I'd caught a glimpse of her saying her vows,

06:13 and I remember just watching her

06:14 and being completely awestruck with her,

06:16 like we all were,

06:17 and just thinking that just how incredible and surreal

06:21 that that situation must have been, you know,

06:23 the millions and millions and millions of people

06:25 that are watching her

06:26 and just really kind of feeling for her.

06:28 I think we all connected to her in a way.

06:30 So this look is her first kind of meeting with the public

06:36 with Prince George, her first child.

06:38 There's a lovely realness to the dress that she chose

06:41 in the sense that it's a short kind of flowy, summery dress,

06:44 and she's not hiding her body.

06:46 There's no, of course, nothing to be ashamed of,

06:48 and I know that that pregnancy was really tough for her,

06:51 and she had so much morning sickness and everything,

06:53 so I just think it shows the strong leader that she is

06:56 and just how kind of stoic she can be

06:59 in such vulnerable and tricky times.

07:01 So this is the dress she wore for the 2021

07:07 "No Time to Die" James Bond premiere,

07:09 a gold dress inspired by Goldfinger,

07:11 and I think it's so killer.

07:13 It's just amazing.

07:14 I love the gold detail at the top

07:16 and the way it kind of flows out at the bottom.

07:18 I think her style has definitely evolved

07:20 throughout the years from being kind of in university

07:23 where she has this kind of, like I was saying,

07:25 the country bumpkin, more horse girl aesthetic,

07:28 and then when she becomes a royal,

07:31 it's just very chic and elevated and elegant

07:33 in so many ways.

07:35 I know definitely since having a stylist myself now

07:38 and being so privileged to work with these amazing brands,

07:41 how it does change your style,

07:43 having the freedom to be able to experiment and be bold

07:46 and seeing how style can really be

07:49 an authentic expression of yourself.

07:51 This look was for the state banquet.

07:56 It's beautiful, very regal.

07:58 The dress is designed by Jenny Peckham,

08:00 and she's also wearing Queen Mary's "Lovers Not" tiara.

08:03 I think it was the first tiara she wore in about three years,

08:06 and it was also a favorite of Princess Diana's.

08:08 It's just cool to know the history about it.

08:10 I think it's like a century old.

08:12 I think it's really lovely that she's wearing this jewelry

08:15 that belonged to Princess Diana as kind of a way to honor her.

08:18 It's a lovely way of having her close

08:20 and keeping that memory of her really prevalent and alive.

08:23 I'm sure it's really lovely for William as well to see.

08:26 This is one of my favorite looks of hers.

08:31 I think she looks amazing.

08:32 I love the black gloves with the white dress.

08:35 The dress is Alexander McQueen,

08:36 and this actually marks their first event

08:39 as the Prince and Princess of Wales.

08:41 It's the BAFTAs in 2023,

08:43 and she's wearing Zara earrings as well,

08:46 which I just think is really cool and very grounded

08:49 and things like that.

08:50 Not everything is designer for her.

08:53 I just love this look.

08:54 I think she looks killer.

08:56 This is the Princess of Wales look

09:01 for the King's Coronation, which is a very special day,

09:04 and she's dressing in a beautiful blue,

09:06 which is according to her rank,

09:08 which is the Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian

09:11 Order, which she was anointed in 2019 by Queen Elizabeth,

09:15 and she's also wearing an Alexander McQueen dress

09:17 underneath with a rose, which signifies England,

09:22 and it was just a very exciting day.

09:24 I live nearby to where this took place,

09:26 so you could kind of really feel on the week leading up

09:28 to it, the excitement and the buzz of everybody.

09:30 I could hear the marching band practicing

09:32 at like four in the morning, which was fun,

09:34 and they did great.

09:34 Well done, marching band.

09:35 It's just a very exciting event,

09:36 I think a lovely excuse for everyone to celebrate.

09:39 (gentle music)

09:41 Thank you so much for having me, Vogue.

09:50 It's been such a pleasure to look through

09:52 the life of looks of the Princess of Wales.

09:54 (gentle music)

09:59 (gentle music)

10:02 (gentle music)

10:05 (gentle music)

10:07 (gentle music)

10:10 (piano music)

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