The Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress is certain to inspirea raft of imitations but in mainland Europe there have been claims that the gown was itself copied from another recent royalwedding.

The Duchess's Alexander McQueen dress, designed by Sarah Burton, bears a strikingresemblance to the outfit worn by the actress Isabella Orsini when she married Belgian Prince Edouard de Ligne two years ago. Ms Orsini's dress was designed by Gerald Watelet, the Belgian designer.

Newspapers and magazines across Europe have dubbed the Duchess "copycat Kate" due to the similarity between her dress and that of Ms Orsini, who is the goddaughter of Silvio Berlusconi.

Both dresses have a v-neck line with a lace bodice that was both long sleeved and high-necked.

Both women are pretty slim brunettes who complemented their gowns with a tiara that held their veil in place.

Ms Orsini, 36, told the Italian magazine Novella 2000: "As soon as the Duchess of Cambridge went out to go to church, I thought her dress was a copy of mine. It means Kate Middleton has good taste."

The wedding of Prince Edouard and his bride was a far more low-key affair however with only a few hundred people turning out onto the streets to watch them. It is thought that up to 2 billion people watched the royal wedding when it took place last month on television and online.

Both bridal gowns pay homage to an earlier dress worn by Grace Kelly on her wedding day to Prince Rainer of Monaco in 1956.

Fevered speculation over the identity of Miss Middleton's dress designer finally ended with confirmation that Sarah Burton, creativedirector of Alexander McQueen, had won the coveted commission. The ivory satin dress had a nipped in waist, 9ft train and long-sleeved bodice of handmade lace by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace. The team of workers had to wash their hands every 30 minutes to keep the lace and threads pristine, and the needles were renewed every three hours to ensure they remained sharp and clean.

The lace design incorporated rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock - the emblems of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. French Chantilly lace, combined with English Cluny lace, was the only fabric from foreign shores.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are currently on honeymoon in the Seychelles where they are staying on a private island.

(Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)