3 days ago
Royal bride Lady Frederick Windsor says her wedding hair was 'disgusting' and dress picked out by her mother-in-law made her look 'barking' in candid new tell-all
Sophie Winkleman has shared an unfiltered take on her royal wedding, admitting her hairstyle was "so disgusting" it still upsets her husband, Lord Frederick Windsor, all these years later.
The British actress, 44, married into the royal family in 2009 when she wed Lord Frederick Windsor, 46, the only son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
The pair met on New Year's Eve in 2006 after sharing a taxi from a party in Soho, where Frederick recognised her from her breakout role as Big Suze in the hit series Peep Show.
Their wedding took place at Hampton Court Palace in front of around 400 guests, including Princess Eugenie, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, Lady Annabel Goldsmith, actress Jane Asher, Lady Helen Taylor, and musician Bryan Adams.
But despite the grandeur, Winkleman admits she doesn't look back on the day with much fondness- largely due to her hair and the gown, which was selected by her mother-in-law, Princess Michael of Kent.
"My hair was so disgusting and Freddy still gets upset about it," she told The Telegraph.
"It was just disgusting. And my mother-in-law chose my dress, which was very sweet and puffy, but I looked barking."
The gown, a silk design with lace sleeves and a three-metre train, was made by Anna Bystrova of Roza Couture, a designer favoured by Princess Michael, who reportedly took the reins on many aspects of the ceremony.
"She sort of took it all over and I actually didn't mind at all," Winkleman added.
"I thought, 'Great, do everything'. I was concentrating on this acting job and saying goodbye to my darling granny who wasn't very well and just doing other stuff. But now I look back on it and think I should have worn a simpler dress and I should have got my hair blow dried by someone who'd done it before."
Adding to the whirlwind, Sophie and Freddie packed up and moved to Los Angeles the very next day to pursue work opportunities.
"We got married on Saturday and moved everything, our whole lives out to America the day after," she recalled.
Frederick transferred with JP Morgan, while Winkleman went on to star in Two and a Half Men opposite Ashton Kutcher, and wrote screenplays for stars like Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz.
"We thought we shouldn't just huddle in England but be brave, do something different, so we did," she told HELLO! last year, calling the experience "very interesting and freeing".
The couple eventually returned to the UK after welcoming their eldest daughter, Maud.
They now live in South London with their two daughters, Maud, 11, and Isabella, nine, while Frederick works as an executive director at JP Morgan.
Winkleman says she's remained close with her royal in-laws.
"Family isn't always brilliant but this lot are very sweet. I love all of them," she told The Telegraph.
Back in 2020, she also told The Times that she hadn't had "a single negative experience" with the royals.
"I was incredibly welcomed with open arms," she said at the time.
"The Queen's been wonderful, Prince Charles (now King Charles) has been wonderful, Prince William's been heaven.
"They'd never tell me off at all if I wanted to play some role. Everyone's looked after me. Oh God, please don't make me sound too gushing."
Her comments contrast sharply with those of fellow actress-turned-royal Meghan Markle, 43, who, along with Prince Harry, 40, stepped back from official royal duties in 2020 and moved to California.
Unfortunately, Meghan and Harry remain estranged from the royal family.
