Bruce Oldfield rumoured to be the dress designer

Royal bride-to-be Kate Middleton is rumoured to have picked her wedding dress designer, with speculation growing that fashion supremo Bruce Oldfield has been given the job.

The coveted commission would be an enormous coup for the designer whose career has seen him dress everyone from Diana, Princess of Wales, to Hollywood stars like Catherine Zeta Jones.

Interviewed in 2008 by the Times newspaper, Mr Oldfield said Prince William’s girlfriend would be the perfect person to design for.

He said: “Kate Middleton’s rather pretty. She’d be a lovely person to dress. I think she’d look good in my clothes, I think she’s got a very nice figure.”

Ms Middleton’s mother, Carole, and sister, Pippa, were photographed last week meeting Mr Oldfield at his boutique in London’s Knightsbridge.

The designer spent more than an hour with the pair at his shop, which sells couture creations and off-the-peg outfits.

But directly opposite was Mr Oldfield’s Wedding Emporium, described on his website as a “one-stop wedding shop” selling couture, custom-made and ready-to-wear dresses and accessories for the big day.

An Oldfield creation is likely to cost tens of thousands of pounds and take many weeks to complete.

It is thought Prince William’s fiancée will keep the creator of the gown a secret until the marriage ceremony when the Prince finally sees her wearing the dress.

A source said: “This is a completely private matter but Ms Middleton would like her dress to be a surprise on her wedding day.”

Mr Oldfield’s worldwide fame as a fashion designer appears at odds with his background as he grew up in the care of children’s charity Barnardo’s.

He was reportedly fostered by a dressmaker in County Durham, who taught him how to sew and cut cloth at an early age.