Embroiderer who worked on Kate and Meghan's wedding dresses now broke: 'There is nothing left'

A dressmaker who worked on the wedding gowns worn by the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex is on the brink of being made homeless and is struggling to feed her two children.

Chloe Savage, 43, is one of an estimated three million people in the UK who have received no financial help from the government during the coronavirus pandemic, reports The Sunday Times, quoting research by the campaign group Excluded.

The figure includes tens of thousands of small-business owners and the self-employed, who do not qualify for the government scheme.

Ms Savage's business – Chloe Savage Embroidery – also worked on the costumes featured in the Harry Potter films.

She would usually be creating outfits for the theatre, film studios and museums but work has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with much of Europe experiencing a resurgence of the virus as winter sets in.

Ms Savage has now closed her Bristol workshop and is working from her mother's garage.

She says her daughter, 14, has stopped eating, thinking it'll help to save the family money.

"This is the reality of my lockdown," Ms Savage told the publication. "I spend half my time in tears. We have no money. There is just nothing left."

In the months before Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton, in 2011, Ms Savage helped to create the bridal gown.

Working from Hampton Court, Ms Savage stitched appliqué lace onto the Alexander McQueen dress, bodice, skirt, shoes and garter, as part of a team of 20 called on by the Royal School of Needlework.

"The lace was made separately, then applied to the fabric using thousands of tiny stitches you can't see to shape it to the bodice," she said.

"I made thousands and thousands of stitches. Kate came in a few times; you can't really keep a bride away from her wedding dress."

When it came time for the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, Ms Savage helped to sew the bride's veil, stitching designs representing the flowers of the Commonwealth and a Californian poppy.

That took place inside the Givenchy workshop in London. Both times Ms Savage had to sign the Official Secrets Act preventing her from speaking about the closely guarded wedding gowns.

Now, she's speaking out about her predicament, accusing the government of "persecuting small-business owners".

Ms Savage says she's been rejected four times after applying for credit and is no longer earning any money.

"It keeps going on about us being the backbone of the recovery, but we won't be there to recover in a few months," she said.