Royal Watch News

Duchess Catherine given 300k to donate to charity

Jul 23, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Duchess Catherine

Britain's Duchess Catherine has been given £300,000 to donate to charity.

The 30-year-old royal - who tied the knot with Prince William in April last year - was handed the sum to distribute as a thank-you for lending her wedding dress to Buckingham Palace.

William and Prince Harry's charitable foundation, the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry - which changed its name last week to incorporate Catherine's moniker - is to receive a cheque for £300,000 thanks to the duchess' generosity, the Daily Telegraph reports.

Catherine - who was known as Kate Middleton prior to her nuptials - allowed her bridal gown to be exhibited for the palace's summer opening to the public last year, and the dress proved to be a huge attraction.

The gown - which was designed by Sarah Burton - boosted the number of visitors at the queen's London residence by 191,000, with more than £10 million spent on admission tickets.

Catherine's wedding dress was at the centre of controversy last week after it emerged the garment has its own Wikipedia page, but it caused a row between the online encyclopedia's editors, with one saying it was a 'frankly trivial' entry and 'surely not notable enough to be on Wikipedia'.