The Best Royal Wedding Dresses of the Last 70 Years
Here, a look at the wedding gowns of royals around the world for the past 70 years.
An inexhaustible source of wonder for us commoners, royal weddings offer us a glimpse into a world filled with Dior-embellished grace and Manolo Blahnik heels. The central figure of these lavish nuptials is, of course, not only the bride, but the dress she decides upon. In honor of the upcoming nuptials between Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, here’s a look at some of the most extravagant royal wedding gowns from the last 70 years and the stories behind them.
1947: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Designer Norman Hartnell had the honor of designing Her Majesty’s rich duchess satin dress, which drew inspiration from Botticelli’s painting Primavera. The dress was made of silk from China (not Japan or Italy, given the proximity to World War II) and was intended to symbolize “rebirth and growth.” The then-princess famously saved up ration cards to pay for the dress, which took 350 women seven weeks to create.
1948: King Michael of Romania and Princess Anne of Bourbon-Parma
The princess, a former Macy’s salesgirl and volunteer for the French army during World War II, donned a light ivory gown with a lengthy train for her wedding to King Michael of Romania. Although the Romanian king had been forced to abdicate the year before communists and the couple weren’t actually able to return to Romania except for a three-day trip in 1992, BBC reports that they still remained popular—even loved—by the Romanian public.
1949: Rita Hayworth and Aly Khan
Leaving her film career behind to marry Prince Aly Khan—a son of Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III—Rita Hayworth found inspiration in Christian Dior’s 1947 New Look collection. Her third wedding dress embodied Dior’s classic elegance with its small bust and long, ample skirt.
1953: Jacqueline Onassis and John F. Kennedy
Often referred to as America’s royal family, the Kennedy's put together one of the 20th century’s most high-profile nuptials for the wedding of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier. Ann Lowe, a relatively under-the-radar designer from Alabama, created Jackie’s stunning gown. Making Lowe's creation all the more impressive is the fact that a flood nearly destroyed the dress just ten days before the wedding. (Luckily it wasn't harmed.)
1956: Grace Kelly and Prince Rainer of Monaco
When Hollywood star Grace Kelly married the Monegasque leader, she wore a gown by MGM costumer Helen Rose, who had dressed her for her films High Society and The Swan. The most expensive dress ever made by Helen Rose, the gown used lace that was over one hundred years old, as well as 25 yards of silk taffeta, and 100 yards of silk net.
Kelly’s famously glamorous dress inspired bridal looks for Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian (in her wedding to Kris Humphries), and Ivanka Trump.
1960: Fabiola de Mora y Aragón and King Baudouin of Belgium
Queen Fabiola, a Spanish commoner who had been a nurse when she got engaged to the Belgian king, opted for a drop-waist dress made of ivory satin with white mink trim. Designed by none other than Cristóbol Balenciaga, the founder of the Balenciaga fashion house, the dress is currently on view at the Balenciaga Museum in Spain.
1963: Hope Cooke and Palden Thondup Namgyal (Crown Prince of Sikkim)
The Sarah Lawrence college student who later became Queen of Asia’s smallest kingdom (a princely state that was, at this time, a protectorate within India), dressed in red, a customary color at Buddhist weddings. The glamorous and exotic bridal look included a traditional ankle-length Sikkimese kho.
1968: Crown Prince Harald V of Norway and Sonja Haraldsen
Simple in its architecture but elegant nonetheless, Sonja Haraldson’s gown was created by Molstad, a clothing store in Oslo. She was a commoner, whom Harald had been dating for nine years and they were only allowed to marry when he gave his father an ultimatum: Sonja or no one.
1969: Diane Halfin and Prince Egon von Fürstenberg
The fashion icon (yep, that Diane Von Fürstenberg) opted for a wonderfully unconventional wedding dress by Marc Bohan of Dior for her wedding to Prince Egon, a member of Germany's aristocratic Fürstenberg family. Three months pregnant at the time of her nuptials, Diane accessorized the loose, cotton dress with a belt made of colorful ribbons.
Admiringly, Prince Egon credited Diane for making the von Fürstenberg name famous in a 1981 interview with People—years after the couple's divorce.
1969: Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, and Sally Croker-Poole
British model Sally Croker-Poole wore an understated-yet-opulent sari in iridescent ivory for her wedding to Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV, the current Imam of Nizari Ismailism, who—while considered royalty—does not rule over a geographic territory.
1976: King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Silvia Sommerlath
Dior’s Marc Bohan designed Silvia’s minimalist, floor-length gown for Sweden’s first televised royal wedding. The bride accessorized notably, to say the least, wearing the Cameo Tiara that had been gifted by French Emperor Napoleon to his then-wife Josephine in the early 19th century.
Fellow history nerds: Learning how exactly this crown fell into the hands of the Swedish monarchy makes for an actually fun time.
1981: Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer
Nearly 750 million people tuned in to watch Princess Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles—and see her now-iconic dress. Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the silk taffeta gown used hand-made Carrickmacross lace which once belonged to Queen Mary. The elegant confection also featured a 25-foot train, sequins, and the embroidery of 10,000 pearls.
1993: Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan and Masako Owada
For her enthronement ceremony to Crown Prince Naruhito, Masako Owada wore a juni-hitoe (literal translation: “12-layered garment”), the most elegant and complex type of kimono worn exclusively by court-ladies in Japan.
Here, a picture of the bride in a more western-styled wedding gown before the Choken-no-Gi (First Audience Ceremony).
1994: Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones and Daniel Chatto
Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones, daughter of Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth's sister, donned a simple, feminine dress created by British designer Jasper Conran. Conran’s website notes that the dress was made of silk crepe chiffon with an underskirt of light and heavy satin organza layers, with in silk crepe in between.
2000: King Letsie III of Lesotho and Anna Karabo Motšoeneng
The first commoner to marry into the Royal Family of Lesotho in the small African country’s modern history, the now-Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso’s wedding had more than 40,000 guests in attendance at a Maseru football stadium—including none other than Nelson Mandela. The queen wore a jewel-encrusted, long-sleeved gown and gloves for the occasion.
2001: Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby
A wildly underrated, real-life Cinderella story, Mette-Marit Tjessem was a single mother and waitress prior to becoming Norwegian royalty. Mette-Marit met her Prince Charming (Crown Prince Haakon, to be technical) years before she had her first child at a music festival (!!!). In true happily ever fashion, the two eventually reconnected and wed.
Here, the Crown Princess is pictured in the understated-yet-elegant wedding dress she wore by Norwegian designer Ove Harder Finseth.
2005: Princess Nori of Japan and Yoshiki Kuroda
Technically, this one is not a royal wedding as Princess Nori of Japan left behind the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy to marry commoner Yoshiki Kuroda, a government official she met as a child. The only daughter of Emperor Akihito, the princess is now Mrs. Sayako Kuroda and lives in a rented Tokyo apartment. For her wedding day, she wore a brilliantly minimalist, A-line dress with satin gloves and a pearl necklace.
2005: Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla Parker Bowles
For Camilla Parker Bowles’ long-awaited wedding to the heir of the British throne, she wore a light-blue chiffon dress beneath a blue-gold embellished coat—both by designer Anne Valentine. Rather than wearing a crown, Camilla went with an intricate headdress made of golden feathers by Ellen Tracey.
2010: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling
For her wedding to her personal trainer and gym owner Daniel Westling, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wore an off-the-shoulder gown designed by Pär Engsheden. Victoria is the heir to Sweden’s throne and—fun fact—is also 196th in line to the British throne through her father, a third cousin of the Queen.
2011: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (Bhutan’s ‘Dragon King’) and Jetsun Pema
Jetsun Puna wore a brilliantly vibrant kira—the national dress for Bhutanese women—for her wedding to the world’s youngest reigning monarch and head of a new democracy. Puna herself was only 21 years old at the time of her wedding, which makes her the world's youngest living queen.
2011: Charlene Wittstock and Albert II of Monaco
Although this was not the biggest royal wedding of 2011 (you know what’s coming next), Charlene Wittstock’s Giorgio Armani gown is far too glamorous to be skimmed over. Approximately 2,500 hours and 80 meters of silk organza reportedly went into creating the former South African Olympic swimmer’s iridescent off-white gown.
2011: Prince William and Kate Middleton
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge wore a nip-waisted and long-sleeved gown designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen. It’s been reported on the official royal-wedding website that the needlework craftsmen who handled the fabrics in Middleton’s dress and accessories washed their hands every thirty minutes. An estimated 2 billion people around the world saw photos of the British Royal Wedding and Kate’s stunning $400,000 dress.
2012: Stéphanie de Lannoy and Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg
For her 500,000-euro wedding to the heir of Luxembourg’s throne, the Belgian duchess wore an ivory Elie Saab gown with structured tailoring and elaborate detailing. The dress featured three-quarter sleeves, a silk tulle veil, and a 13-foot train.
2013: Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Kendra Spears
American supermodel Kendra Spears wore an entrancingly elegant sari in ivory and gold from Manav Gangwani’s “Timeless” collection. The former face of Prada’s AW 2009 campaign gave kudos to Naomi Campbell for introducing her to the Indian designer in a tweet from the big day. Spears’ groom is the eldest son of the Aga Khan IV–the imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim world.
2013: Princess Hayu of Indonesia and Angger Pribadi Wibowo
The wedding ceremony of Princess Hayu and now-Prince Notonegoro, a United Nations worker, spanned three days and saw many stunning, elaborate outfits and costumes in accordance with royal Indonesian wedding traditions. For the bathing ritual element of the ceremony, which is done before the formal wedding vows takes place, the bride wore a dress of intricately woven flowers.
2017: Prince Ernst August of Hanover, Jr. and Ekaterina Malysheva
Technically, the German House of Hanover hasn’t ruled over a kingdom in over a century; but, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, Jr.’s wedding to Ekaterina Malysheva was still an undoubtedly royal affair. Lebanese designer Sandra Mansour dressed the Russian-born, London-based bride in a gown composed of Chantilly lace, beaded details, and hints of light pink.
Fun fact: the royal bride happens to be a fashion designer herself. She runs a high-end jumpsuit line called EKAT.
2018: Prince Christian of Hanover and Alessandra de Osma
This wasn't the first time the pair walked down the aisle, but this one was the bigger affair: The 33-year-old royal (and brother of Prince Ernst August of Hanover) first wed the 26-year-old Peruvian fashion designer in a civil service in London in 2017, and held a religious ceremony at St. Peter's Church in her native country of Peru in March of 2018. The celebration itself took more than three days and multiple events.
De Osma wore a gown by Jorge Vázquez, with a high-neck line, long lace sleeves and full skirt. She paired the look with a long veil and train, as well as Hanover Floral Tiara that was previously worn by Princess Caroline of Monaco.
2018: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle wore a stunning three-quarter sleeve gown by Claire Wright Keller for Givenchy when she tied the knot with Prince Harry on May 19. As for the veil, it was "silk tulle with embroidery of flowers that represent the commonwealth," says Caroline Castigliano, MarieClaire.com's royal wedding expert.
She added that Meghan's veil was "16.4042 meters long—much longer than Middleton's—although similarly fashioned from hand-embroidered flowers in silk threads and organza."
2018: Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank
Princess Eugenie's Peter Pilotto gown embodied her simple yet modern approach to royalty—and looked just as good from the back. She decided to show off her scars from the scoliosis surgery she underwent when she was eight years old, which is the reason why she didn't wear a veil.
"The simplicity of the gown is definitely on trend," says MarieClaire.com's exclusive royal expert and bridal designer Caroline Castigliano. "The cuff detailing is very much at the forefront of bridal design today. I am sure elements of the gown will get copied and inspire other young brides."
