PARIS - The lace on the bodice of Kate Middleton’s wedding dress was made in northern France, famed lacemakers Sophie Hallette said Friday after discovering on television how their work had been used.

Dress designer Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen asked the lacemakers, founded in 1887 and based in Caudry, to contribute to the wedding dress the now Duchess of Cambridge wore to marry Prince William.

“As usual with our speciality, we worked in absolute secrecy,” said Romain Lescroart, the grandson of the company’s founder. “We discovered our lace on the television when Kate Middleton finally appeared, leaving her car.”

“Secretly we hoped that we were working on Kate Middleton’s dress but it could have been for any other client.

“When we discovered that it was indeed the wedding dress, there was an explosion of joy and the news spread around the atelier in seconds. The 200 artisans are very proud,” Lescroart said.