Queen Elizabeth II Calls Royal Wedding Dress Exhibit 'Horrid' (PHOTOS)

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duchess of Cambridge took a preview tour of Buckingham Palace's royal wedding exhibit on Friday.

And in what was probably a "you had to be there" moment, the Queen exclaimed to her granddaughter-in-law, "Horrid, isn't it? Horrid and dreadful!"

As the Telegraph and Us Weekly both recount, it was the installation of Catherine's dress and veil that elicited the strong remarks -- the dress is displayed in a dark and gloomy fashion with the veil and tiara hovering ominously above.

While the Telegraph takes the monarch at her word, adding, "It appeared the mannequin's lack of a head may have perturbed the Queen," Us Weekly says she was just joking, explaining, "The Queen, 85, showed where her grandson William, 29, got his wicked sense of humor."

A palace spokesperson told the AFP, "This was part of a private conversation between the Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge and we do not comment on private conversations."

Well, we'll side with Us on this one. After all, keeping the mood light is a good way for the Queen and Catherine to bond. That's one reason Prince William and Catherine are vacationing in Balmoral in August, taking the Queen up on her formal invitation to The Firm's Scottish retreat.

Take a look at photos of the pair on Friday. And head over here for a preview of the entire exhibit.

WATCH:

Comments

[Yasky2012]

11:36 AM on 08/05/2011

It's clear Catherine and the Queen are enjoying one another's company - so why does their always have to be negative spin for the headline? I'd have been more interested in reading a story about the Queen's sense of humor and easy relationship with Catherine.

[jacki650]

07:22 PM on 07/26/2011

That is pretty funny...it is a beautiful dress though! For all of those interested in following the royal couple here is a great guide with updated info on Kate & William must reads: http://www.skinnyscoop.com/list/larissa/kate--william--mustreads-from-around-the-web

[annasophie1228]

02:15 PM on 07/26/2011

i highly doubt the queen was kidding with her comment.

catherine has passed the thin-look into the world of unhealthy looking. it's not attractive at all and her dress hangs on her as though she were a clothes hangar.

for those criticizing the queen's dress: the fact that this 85 year woman is up and about at all is worth talking about, not the fact that she is dressed appropriately for her age.

[thelipstickfemme]

05:27 PM on 07/25/2011

As a artist and past fashion student who did store display . . . the first thing that stood out for me was the lack of a head for the veil to rest on. Displaying the dress on a mannequin w/o a head is morbid. The fact that the veil hoovers over the mannequin is strange.

[PomDeTerre]

01:50 PM on 07/25/2011

Maybe the Queen isn't joking. I think this display is extremely tacky and only hope that the reason it's being done is that the proceeds will go to a worthwhile charity.

[Lisa1129]

12:16 PM on 07/25/2011

I think queenie is jealous because her frumpy old clothes are not
on display too bad. Time for a shopping spree, meet you at the mall.

[shiningstarra]

10:15 PM on 07/25/2011

Heaven forbid an 85 year old woman dress like an 85 year old lady.

[GraceNotes]

11:08 AM on 07/25/2011

Sounds as if the Queen would have preferred a mannequin similar to Madame Toussaud's displays.

[Geri Tavares]

10:09 AM on 07/25/2011

There are two wedding dresses, this is the second one. It is handmade using the method of Carrickmacross, handstitched by the ladies of the Royal School of Needlework. It is interesting to note that this type of handmade lace was originally made by Irish needleworkers and taught to village ladies to make money - it supported villages. The dress and shoes of Catherine were embellished with this lace. It took an enormous amount of time to do this. Interesting also in the timing in that the wedding was before the Queens trip on a peace mission to Ireland. During that meeting after the wedding the Queen wore a white gown with bodice made of white shamrocks also using design to re enforce her position of peace with Ireland. Catherine was on a world state to bring the message of peace and the Queen followed in her visit afterwards. There is much more here than just a wedding dress.

[BankOfHell]

07:53 AM on 07/25/2011

Yep, pretty soon she'll be doing PSA's for eating disorders.

[atcrossroads]

06:16 AM on 07/25/2011

Horrid indeed. Very Miss Havisham-ish.

[walkingwolf]

05:18 AM on 07/25/2011

just wondering why my Brit Friends called them the richest welfare recipients in England?

[lenuk]

08:21 PM on 07/26/2011

Dunno. Maybe they have limited intelligence?

[walkingwolf]

09:36 PM on 07/26/2011

quite poossible....lol..I'e been flagged...put down and razzed becasue of what I said..you're the first on eto actually question the people I got the info from rather than belittle me..thanks..ur fanned

[Freescjk67]

11:03 PM on 07/24/2011

Did the Queen borrow that dress from Barbra Bush? Princess Cathe looks like she lost a ton of weight since the wedding...too skinny!

[CAELadyJane50]

10:56 PM on 07/24/2011

To JadedNY: Women get paid more in those female careers than men do, just like men get paid more in those male careers than women do. From what I have read, it is because in general, women are better at female careers than men, such as being a chef which requires multitasking; women have more of the ability to multitask than men. Sorry if this hurts your feelings, JadedNY, but its true. I find most male designers like to use alot of lines in their designs for women, which is typical of males and is o.k., it depends on what women want. For instance, a woman with an executive position is not going to want to look too feminine and frilly on the job working around male subordinates. However, if a woman wants to look soft and feminine, then she would be better off with female designers because women designers know what women like and what looks good on them. I cannot understand why men would want to design women's clothes unless he is trying to make her look less attractive to men but maybe this is what some women want. However, I have great admiration for designer Coco Chanel; she really knew how to design suits for women that made them look business-like,classy and feminine all at the same time.

[Candide]

09:16 PM on 07/24/2011

Love the Horrid. Guess you just have to be old to get it. Rock on Betty Deuce!

[KDMac]

11:12 PM on 07/24/2011

I agree Kind of ghoulish.