Kate's wedding dress on display from July

The Alexander McQueen wedding dress worn by Catherine when she married Prince William will go on show at Buckingham Palace from July, alongside the wedding cake, officials announced Monday.

The dress, designed by Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton, is made from ivory and white satin-gazar -- stiffened organza -- with a hand-made lace applique bodice and a 2.7-metre (8.8-foot) train.

The gown was considered one of the highlights of the wedding on April 29, when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge married at Westminster Abbey in front of 1,900 guests, one million people on the streets of London and two billion viewers worldwide.

Catherine's ivory duchesse satin and lace shoes, again designed by the team at Alexander McQueen, will also go on display, as will her diamond earrings, as part of the annual Summer Opening of the palace from July 23 to October 3, 2011.

The eight-tiered wedding cake will round off the exhibition. Covered in cream and white icing and decorated with up to 900 delicate sugar-paste flowers, the fruit cake took five weeks to make and was the centrepiece of the marriage reception.

But guests were not allowed to touch it, ensuring the cake remained intact for posterity. Instead, they tucked into a second chocolate biscuit cake, which was a favourite of William's when he was a child.

The royal couple will make their first official public engagement on Thursday at a London charity dinner for the children's charity ARK, before going to Canada and California for their first tour as a married couple starting on June 30.

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