NEED TO KNOW
Over the years, royal weddings have become massive events followed by people from all over the world
Often, the dresses worn by royal brides immediately become iconic
Some wedding frocks, including Princess Diana's gown, have been on display at museums
Royal wedding dresses are truly in a league of their own.
Often bespoke and designed by some of the most sought-after fashion designers in the world, the best royal wedding dresses of all time are made to wow and create a lasting moment in sartorial history.
They span a wide range of titles, decades and countries, ranging fromPrincess Grace Kelly of Monaco's iconic 1956 Helen Rose masterpiece to themost popular royal dresses of the decadeas worn byMeghan MarkleandKate Middleton.
While the style will vary from royal bride to royal bride (Princess Margaret's Norman Hartnell gown was once called "the simplest royal wedding gown in history," whilePrincess Charlene of Monaco'sGiorgio Armanicreation took a team of seamstresses more than three months to put together and boasted 40,000Swarovski crystals), they are all utterly unforgettable.
Here are the best royal wedding dresses of all time.
Princess Diana
Princess Dianabroke records with thewedding dressshe wore to marryKing Charles IIIin 1981. She walked down the aisle in an ivory and silk taffetaElizabeth and David Emanuelgown with antique lace that was once worn byQueen Mary. Its train trailed 25 feet behind her — the longest train ever worn by a British royal bride — and had to be folded like a bedsheet tofit into the carriage.
So cumbersome was the train that Diana told bridesmaid India Hicks to do her "best" while carrying it down the aisle. "We knew what that meant: If we pulled too much, straightening the material, her tiara and veil would slip," Hicks toldHarper's Bazaarin 2018. "But if we didn't pull enough, the effect of the train would be lost."
Additionally, the gown featured a ruffled neckline, a puffy skirt and voluminous sleeves. Inside were two hidden gems: a blue bow at the waistband for her "something blue" and a little gold horseshoe as a good luck charm.
The people's princess also wore a custom tulle veil that was hand-stitched with 10,000 micro-pearls to create what Elizabeth Emanuel later called a "fairy dust effect" toVogue U.K."We used the same sequins on the gown itself, so that it would also sparkle as Diana walked down the aisle," she said.
Princess Diana finished her bridal look with her family's Spencer Tiara, previously worn by her sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, and her former sister-in-law, Victoria Lockwood.
Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton wore a custom gown by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen to wedPrince Williamin 2011. Theivory ballgownfeatured a Victorian-style lace bodice with a V-neckline, a skirt that was padded at the hips to resemble an opening flower and a nearly 9-foot-long train.
The dress's English Cluny and French Chantilly lace was hand-cut and hand-appliquéd with a rose, a thistle, a daffodil and a shamrock to represent the four countries that make up the United Kingdom. This was accomplished using an old Irish Carrickmacross lace-making technique that Kate claimed as her "something old," perBBC. Meanwhile, a blue ribbon was sewn into the dress's interior as her "something blue."
With such intricate detailing, embroiderers were reportedly required towash their hands every 30 minutesto keep the garment clean, with needles being renewed every three hours.
Queen Elizabeth IIlent the Princess of Wales theCartier halo tiarafor the occasion, which featured 739 brilliant-cut diamonds and 139 baguette diamonds. The tiara was purchased byKing George VIfor the lateQueen's motherand was presented to Queen Elizabeth on her 18th birthday.
Following the couple's nuptials, the gownwas displayed at Buckingham Palace, where it drew arecord-breaking 600,000 peopleover the summer of 2011.
Meghan Markle
One might expectMeghan Markle'swedding dress— the reigningmost popular wedding dress of the decade— to be overly opulent, but theClare Waight Keller-designed piecewas surprisingly simple. Reportedlyinspired by a gownof Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy's, it was free of lace and embellishments, relying instead on itssleek bateau neckline, three-quarter sleeves and 9-foot train for its "wow" factor.
Between its pure white hue and delicate double-bondedsilk cady material, those sewing the gown took special care: They were instructed towash their handsevery 30 minutes "to keep the tulle and threads pristine."
Waight Keller later explained, "Over a period of time, you build up oils on your hand and when you work on something of such purity — absolute pure white — you need to keep it immaculately clean ... There were many people involved in the workmanship, and obviously it took an enormous amount of hours to do it."
The bride's 16-foot veil was highly symbolic as it was designed torepresent the 53 countries of the Commonwealthas well as Markle's home state of California. "We both loved the story of that," Waight Keller said. "It also meant that every single one of those countries also journeyed up the aisle with her. It was a really poetic moment."
The veil also contained a hidden piece of fabric from Meghan's first date withPrince Harry. "Somewhere in here there's a piece of blue fabric that's stitched inside,"the Duchess of Sussex saidin the HBO documentaryQueen of the World.
Embroideredcrops of wheat, which symbolize love and charity, were also worked into the front of the veil.
For her "something old" and "something borrowed," Meghan wore theQueen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiarafromQueen Elizabeth's own collection, which was crafted in 1931 with a center brooch that dates back to 1893. Given toPrincess Maryas a wedding gift by the County of Lincoln, it was later bequeathed toQueen Elizabeth.
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth IImarriedPrince Philipin the wake of World War II, which meant the government was still rationing clothing — including with the royal family. The monarch collected extra coupons to pay for the gown, 200 of which were bestowed upon her by the government for the special occasion.
With them, designerNorman Hartnellcreated a dress fit for a royal with his team of 350 women in less than three months. In fact, the designer would go on to call the piece "the most beautiful dress [he] ever made."
Inspired by the Botticelli painting "Primavera," which symbolizes the coming of spring — an apt metaphor for a nation coming out of war — the gown featured a bodice of star flowers, roses, jasmine blossoms and ears of wheat encrusted with diamanté and 10,000 seed pearls. The ivory silk design also boasted a sweetheart neckline and long sleeves and was just as lovely on its way out, thanks to the 22 buttons that lined the back and its 15-foot train.
The Queen's "something borrowed" came from theQueen Mary diamond fringe tiara, which once belonged to her grandmother, Mary of Teck. Though it snapped ahead of her nuptials, the bride had it quickly repaired — but a slight gap at the center of the diamond frame remained.
Princess Eugenie
British design duoPeter Pilotto and Christopher De Voswere behindPrincess Eugenie's fairytale gown for her2018 weddingtoJack Brooksbank, which theycreated alongside the bride"layer by layer, constructing it from the corset and the complex underskirt to the fitted bodice and full pleated skirt."
The result was a stunning piece from every angle, including a low-cut back to show off a scar Eugenie obtained at the age of 12 fromsurgery to correct scoliosis. "I think you can change the way beauty is, and you can show people your scars and I think it's really special to stand up for that,"the royal saidin an interview onThis Morning.
With a neckline that folded down at the shoulders and dipped into a low V-back, the dress flowed into a long cathedral train. It also featured several meaningful motifs that were sewn into the jacquard, silk, cotton and viscose fabric, including a thistle forBalmoral Castlein Scotland, ivy for the couple'sformer home at Ivy Cottageand a shamrock to represent motherSarah Ferguson's Irish roots.
As for accessories, Eugenie borrowed theGreville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiarafrom the Queen, which matched a pair of diamond-and-emerald drop earrings she received as a gift from Brooksbank. She completed her bridal ensemble withCharlotte Olympia peep-toe heels.
Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice's gown for her wedding toEdoardo Mapelli Mozziwas far more traditional than her sister Eugenie's. In fact, it wasfirst worn by her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on three occasions. The Queen first wore the dress to a 1961 state dinner at the British Embassy in Rome. The Queen wore the gown again one year later, at the premiere ofLawrence of Arabia, and finally pulled it from the archives in 1966, when she wore it to the State Opening of Parliament.
Originally designed by Norman Hartnell, the vintage ivory peau de soie taffeta gown, which features diamanté and a geometric checked bodice, wasaltered slightlyby the Queen's dressmaker Stewart Parvin and dresser Angela Kelly to include organza sleeves.
Meanwhile, the skirtdrew a comparisonto mom Sarah Ferguson's 1986 Lindka Cierach wedding dress: It was tweaked to be lined in Duchesse satin — the same materialas the Duchessof York's sleeves.
Beatrice,the first British royal bride to wear an upcycled gownin recent history, discussed the significance of her choice with Caroline de Guitaut, the curator of an exhibition that featured the historical piece at Windsor Castle two months after the nuptials.
"She talked a lot about the upcycling aspect and how that was really important to her given the situation that we all find ourselves in at the moment, with the [COVID-19] pandemic and the compromises being made by everybody," de Guitaut said. "It really was a one-off kind of wedding, the whole concept was just so nice."
Beatrice also donned theQueen Mary diamond fringe tiara, which the Queen wore on her own wedding day. It was also previously worn by Beatrice's aunt,Princess Anne. "The Queensaved this grand tiara specifically for Beatrice. It was always reserved for her as they are exceptionally close," a source told PEOPLE, calling it "arguably the most sentimental [piece] lent from the Queen yet."
Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco
Grace Kelly's classic 1956 wedding gown has inspired everyone from Princess Catherine toMiranda Kerr. Gifted to her by her MGM studio bosses and handmade in the studio's ateliers, Kelly's longtime wardrobe designer, Helen Rose, and 30 seamstresses constructed the gown with 300 yards of antique Belgian lace, ivory faille and silk net.
The actress's gown included a high-neck lace bodice that buttoned up the front and was embroidered with hand-sewn seed pearls and a pleated, bell-shaped silk faille taffeta skirt.
In place of a tiara, the princess wore alace Juliet Cap, also embellished with pearls, beneath a veil stitched at the edges to showcase two lovebirds.
The gown is now on display at thePhiladelphia Museum of Art, where Kelly donated it shortly after the wedding in a nod to her hometown.
Princess Charlene of Monaco
Two-thousand and five hundred hours of work by three different seamstresses went into the ivoryGiorgio ArmanigownPrincess Charlene of Monacowore to wedPrince Albertin 2011. And given the 40,000 Swarovski crystals and 20,000 mother-of-pearl teardrops adorning it, it was no wonder.
"My uncle wanted to make sure the dress was timeless and sophisticated," Roberta Armani, Giorgio's niece,toldVogue.
The gown itself, which featured a shoulder-baring neckline and a 16-foot train, used roughly 426 feet of silk. "It was such a huge responsibility that we actually made two dresses, just in case something happened to one of them," Roberta added.
It also had a jaw-dropping66-foot-long veil, which was kept simple to leave the emphasis on her gown.
As for the bride's hair, Charlene told the magazine that she forwent a tiara in lieu of family heirlooms from her sister-in-law. "Princess Carolinehas lent me some beautiful diamond hair clips which belonged to her grandmother," she said.
For the latter half of the evening, Charlene changed into a silk chiffon dress with a four-tier train, also by Armani. "The wedding dress is pretty heavy so I wanted to change into something light, soft and easy to move in for the evening," the princesstoldVogue. She later recalled to PEOPLE, "I was like, 'OK,I want to take everything off and go for a swim.' That's what I remember."
Marie-Chantal, Crown Princess of Greece
Nothing but couture would do for Marie-Chantal née Miller, who became Crown Princess of Greece when she exchanged vows with her husbandPavlos, Crown Prince of Greece.
The pair married on July 1, 1995, with the bride in a Valentino gown. The high-neck lace dress featured floral motifs and was encrusted with pearls. Its ivory silk skirt was decorated with rose appliqués. Behind the bride was a nearly 15-foot veil, and her mother-in-lawQueen Anne-Marie's antique corsage tiara was on her head.
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret's wedding dress was not overly extravagant, withLifemagazine reportedly calling it "the simplest royal wedding gown in history." The Norman Hartnell creation featuredsilk organza materialand minimal crystal embellishments, focusing on the voluminous skirt and modest V-neckline.
According toTatler,the gown was designed simply: Margaret asked for a minimalistic gown not to overwhelm her 5-foot-1-inch frame. She wore it with the more intricatePoltimore Tiara. Originally owned byLady Florence Poltimore, the Garrard piece was purchased for the bride at auction in 1959. "It is not absolutely clear whether Margaret, her sister the Queen, or her mother actually paid for it," Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos, a vintage jewelry dealer and scholar, toldTown & Country. "Once bought, Margaret couldn't wait to wear it."
Queen Rania of Jordan
Bruce Oldfield was behind the dressQueen Rania of Jordanwore to walk down the aisle at her 1993 wedding toAbdullah II of Jordanat Zahran Palace.
The British designer reportedly drew inspiration from Syrian gowns at London's Victoria and Albert Museum, ultimately crafting a voluminous ballgown with a belted waist and a bolero jacket with intricate gold-and-white beading at the neckline, skirt, collar and three-quarter-length sleeves.
Though Rania forwent a tiara, she wore a sparkly hairpiece to match her dress, a veil and a pair of gloves that stopped at the wrist.
Queen Soraya of Iran
Queen Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiary of Iran's 1951 wedding gown was an absolute work of art. Constructed by Christian Dior, it reportedly featured 6,000 diamonds, 20,000 maribou feathers and 37 yards of silver lamé, perTatler.
All of those embellishments made it quite heavy, and her groom, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and one of his aides had to trim off a portion of the train with scissors just ahead of their wedding ceremony.
Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau
For Princess Mabel van Oranje's big day, she commissioned Viktor & Rolf to create an inimitable bateau neck gown embellished with georgette silk bows, the largest of which could be seen at the end of her nearly 10-foot long train.
According toThe Guardian, it took the designers 600 hours to finish it in time for the royal to exchange vows with her late husband, Prince Friso, who died from complications of a skiing accident in 2013.
Queen Sonja of Norway
Queen Sonja of Norway's Molstad gown was a reflection of the decade for her 1968 wedding to Crown Prince Harald.
The dress featured an A-line cut and high neckline with pearl embellishments, which were also sprinkled along the sleeves. The train was attached at the shoulders for a cape-like effect. In lieu of a tiara, Sonja placed artificial flowers in her hair.
Empress Michiko of Japan
In 1959, all eyes were on a young Michiko Shōda, who became the first commoner tomarry intothe Japanese imperial family with her wedding toCrown Prince Akihito.
For the occasion, she donned a gown with a large bow at the waist as its focal point. The dress was accompanied by a yellow sash of the Order of the Precious Crown and several opulent jewels, including the new royal's sizable Diamond Scroll Tiara.
Princess Ariana Austin Makonnen of Ethiopia
Though Princess Ariana chose an off-the-rack gown by Lazaro for her wedding to Prince Yoel in 2017, she toldVoguethat she enjoyed the process of finding it. "Choosing my dress was a lot of fun," she said.
"I was with my mom and godsister. We went to three shops in a day, and on the second one, I tried on the Lazaro. We all had an immediate response, but I wanted to keep looking. I went back with one of my bridesmaids the next weekend and got it!"
The ornate dress featured a billowing tulle skirt that pouffed at the back and a beaded bodice in place of jewels. "The beading on the bodice of my dress was incredible, so I wore very little jewelry," the bride said. "Just a simple pair of diamond drop earrings."
'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Queen Consort of Lesotho
Born Anna Karabo, Lesotho's queen consort 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso looked majestic in her long-sleeved wedding dress to marry King Letsie III in 2000.
Its layered, split-front skirt even featured beaded crown embellishments! Up top, a lace bodice gave way to a bejeweled cummerbund.
Queen Camilla
Though King Charles'second weddingtoCamilla, Queen Consort, was a far more subdued affair than his first, as was the bride's gown, she changed into a second dress on her big day.
The Queen Consort chose a Robinson Valentine whitesilk chiffon gownwith scalloped edging and a matching white overcoat. She paired it with an ornate cream Philip Treacy hat for the couple's daytimecivil ceremonyat Windsor Guildhall.
For their second ceremony at Windsor Castle, Camilla changed into a floor-length powder blue chiffon Robinson Valentine frock, partially covered by an intricate embroidered blue and gold overcoat. She also wore a golden feather fascinator in her hair.
Empress Masako of Japan
Empress Masako Owada wore a 12-layer silk wedding kimono to marry Prince Naruhito in 1993, perTheWashington Post.
However, following the ceremony, she changed into a a white gown by Hanae Morai. The latter featured quarter-length sleeves, a floral print and a 3D rose petal-shaped neckline. Masako wore white opera gloves and atiara.
Princess Anne
The daughter ofQueen ElizabethII andPrince Philip, Princess Anne wed Captain Phillips on her brother, King Charles' birthday.
For the occasion, which took place at Westminster Abbey, Anne was clad in a white silk chiffon piece by Maureen Baker that featured a mock neck and draped trumpet sleeves as its focal point. A silk net veil and the Queen Mary's Fringe Tiara topped it all off.
Queen Noor of Jordan
Born Lisa Halaby, Queen Noor of Jordan became Noor al Hussein when she wed King Hussein in 1978 while dressed in aboho white silk crepe Dior gown.
While it was largely minimalistic, bell sleeves and golden stitching at the chest, sleeves and along the bottom kept it interesting.
Read the original article onPeople
