Kate Middleton’s Wedding Dress Made Available to View at Buckingham Palace

The dress that Kate Middleton wore at the Royal Wedding is to be put on display at Buckingham palace.

Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, the intricately decorated dress won over the fashion police and public as soon as Middleton stepped onto the aisle of Westminster Abbey In April.

The bridal gown featured lace applique floral detail and was made of ivory and white satin gazar, with a skirt that resembled "an opening flower" with white satin gazar arches and pleats. Its train measured just 9ft - modest in comparison with many previous royal brides.

Hundreds of millions of viewers admired it on television and the internet, and now hundreds of thousands will see it up close for themselves, unprotected on a raised oval stage in the ornate palace ballroom where state banquets are held.

All that anticipation to see the dress, which was kept secret in the run-up to the fairy-tale wedding, now seems worth it, as soon enough it can be freely viewed.

Caroline de Guitaut, curator of decorative arts at the Royal Collection, said the royal couple, whose wedding drew huge crowds to the streets of London, had striven for modesty as well as beauty and grandeur on the big day.

"They wanted the wedding to be modest as far as an occasion of that kind can be modest," De Guitaut told reporters at a press preview of the display.

The high interest in the Royals can directly be seen in the number of advanced ticket sales for the summer tour of Buckingham Palace, which have hit 126,000, up 107% on the same point last year

In total a record 643,000 people are expected to take the tour, during which visitors can see 19 state rooms.

Other than the dress, Middleton's wedding shoes, earrings and a silk replica of her bouquet will also be put on display.

Above the dress is the original veil and Cartier "halo" tiara worn by the bride, featuring around 900 diamonds and lent to her for the occasion by the queen.

Even the wedding cake is on show in a glass cabinet in the state dining room, complete with ornate sugar flowers and a deep cut where the couple plunged in the knife.

The other major attraction for visitors this year is a display of around 100 pieces from the British monarchy's unparalleled collection of works by Russian jeweller Faberge.

The exhibition, which features highlights from a total of 600-700 Faberge creations owned by the royals, ranged from treasures bought by and given to Queen Victoria to a recent bequest to heir to the throne Prince Charles.

The summer opening at Buckingham Palace runs from July 23 to October 3.