Royal Wedding Gowns That Will Always Be Remembered
When a royal wedding makes international headlines, the entire event often takes place under the watchful eyes of the public. People are intrigued by modern day royalty, wanting to consume every last detail of the regal event: where the wedding is held, who is in attendance, and more importantly, what the bride's dress looks like. The wedding gowns of these queens, princesses, and duchesses are one of the main focal points for royal marriages, often becoming design inspirations for the public’s wedding fashions. Read on to see why...
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II has reigned over the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms since her accession to the throne in 1952. Before her coronation, she was known as Princess Elizabeth. She married Prince Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947. There were 2,000 guests in attendance, and 200 million people watching from home.
The couple remained married for 73 years until Prince Philip's death in April of 2021.
Post-War Era Fashion
Elizabeth and Philip’s wedding happened following the end of World War II, so the rationing of resources was in full effect for the United Kingdom. Rationing coupons were used to obtain the material for this dress, which was designed by Norman Hartnell. Hartnell, whose signature was detailed embroidery, said that it was "the most beautiful dress [he] had so far made."
Elizabeth, who did her own makeup for the event, wore a dress of white satin, complemented by a train that was embellished with white crystals and pearls in floral patterns. On the morning of her marriage, Elizabeth accidentally broke her tiara. Luckily, the court jeweler was on standby to repair her tiara before the ceremony.
Princess Madeleine Of Sweden
Princess Madeleine of Sweden wed American-British financier Christopher O'Neill in 2013 after beginning a fairytale romance. Princess Madeleine was engaged once before, but the soon-to-be marriage was called off, so she fled to New York City to mend her broken heart. Here, she met Chris.
After two years of dating, the royal couple said "I do" on June 8, 2013, at the Royal Chapel of Stockholm Palace. Princess Madeleine's stunning gown was designed by Valentino who used silk organdies and ivory Chantilly lace throughout. The show-stopping dress featured a four-meter train and the bride donned a gorgeous six-meter veil.
Grace Kelly
American actress Grace Kelly truly seemed to lead a fairytale life. The gorgeous American became a huge star in the 1950s with a string of blockbuster films to her credit, like Mogambo and Dial M For Murder. She retired from acting and further took the world by storm when she became Princess of Monaco after her marriage to Prince Rainier III in 1956.
Dubbed the "Wedding of the Century" by the press, the event had elaborate preparations, including a complete a redecoration of the Palace of Monaco. Kelly remained heavily involved in philanthropy while working in her official capacity as Princess.
Princess of Monaco
Grace Kelly's elegant and elaborate wedding dress was designed by Helen Rose, an Academy Award-winning costume designer who worked for MGM, and was a gift from the studio. The gown required the work of three dozen seamstresses and was made with 150-year-old lace and peau de soie, a luxurious form of silk.
Three petticoats floated under the gown, giving it a truly Princess-like appearance. Kelly’s dress is revered as one of the "most elegant and best-remembered bridal gowns of all time," and served as the inspiration for the gown of the next royal on our list.
Kate Middleton
Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton made headlines when she began dating Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, in 2003. He is a son of the late Princess Diana and second in line to succeed the throne after his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. Their relationship was scrutinized at first because Middleton did not come from any royal lineage and was more or less "a common citizen."
The public soon warmed to Kate, however, and was thrilled when the couple announced their engagement in November of 2010. William and Kate’s fairytale wedding took place in Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Kate Middleton's bridal gown was designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, who worked closely with Middleton to create something "traditional and modern." The dress is rumored to have cost $434,000 to make. Its bodice was primarily composed of ivory satin and incorporated floral motifs cut from lace in the style of the 19th Century, which served as her "something old."
Layers of silk tulle under the gown filled the skirt out and helped to give it its distinctive shape. Referencing both Grace Kelly's and Queen Elizabeth's traditional wedding dresses, Middleton's gown became an icon of the 21st century and has been duplicated for weddings worldwide.
The Duchess In Her Second Wedding Gown
After the grand affair at Westminster Abbey, Kate Middleton quietly slipped into a second wedding gown. This one was slightly less formal but still as elegant as the first. In the same color as her first gown, this one was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen and featured a sweetheart neckline with a pleated ball skirt and a diamonte crystal belt.
Catherine topped off the dress with a fuzzy white cardigan that kept her shoulders appropriately covered. The result was a look that was both royal and modern – just like the newly-minted Duchess.
Princess Eugenie Made A Brave Statement With Her Open-Backed Wedding Gown
On October 12, 2018, the world got to experience another lavish British royal wedding. Princess Eugenie, the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York, married her longtime sweetheart Jack Brooksbank in a ceremony at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Eugenie's beautiful jacquard gown was designed by the team behind one of her favorite brands, Peter Pilotto. The open-back style was specially requested by the bride for an important reason. She wanted a gown that would show off the scarring that resulted from surgery to treat her scoliosis when she was 12. Earlier in the year she told This Morning, “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."
A Second, Tradition-Breaking Dress For Eugenie
If you thought Princess Eugenie would settle for just one gown on her wedding day, you'd be wrong. The second dress she wore was just as stunning as the first. Deviating from tradition, Eugenie skipped white and instead opted for a soft pink color, designed by Zac Posen. The look was all Hollywood glamour.
This second gown featured elaborate, hand-sewn white roses, a nod to the traditional symbol of Yorkshire.
Alessandra de Osma
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding fever may have overshadowed this royal couple's nuptials, but we'd be remiss to leave Alessandra de Osma off our list. In March 2018, Osma wed Prince Christian of Hanover in Lima, Peru. The model-turned-lawyer wore a stunning lace gown by Jorge Vazquez which featured a high neckline and three-quarter-length sleeves.
Osma's veil trailed for what seemed like forever behind her and was topped with the Hanover Floral Tiara, previously worn by Princess Caroline of Hanover at a 2004 gala.
Meghan Markle, Now Duchess Of Sussex
The whole world watched as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were married on May 9, 2018. The now-Duchess wore a stunning gown, one that immediately inspired copycat looks for brides everywhere. Waight Keller was the designer and was given only five months to create the dream dress.
The classic and simple silk gown with three-quarter-length sleeves did not disappoint. It featured an organza underskirt, an open boat neckline, and a 16-foot-long train. Making the ensemble even more special, Keller sewed a piece of the blue dress that Markle had worn on her first date with Harry into the gown. Sweet and stunning!
Ekaterina Malysheva
On July 8, 2017, Prince Ernst August and Ekaterina Malysheva said "I do" in a gorgeous ceremony in Hanover, Germany. Malysheva is a Russian designer, so it's no surprise that for her wedding she donned a stunning dress — three of them to be exact.
For her big day, Malysheva turned to designer Sandra Mansour who created three bespoke looks for the royal, including a dress for the public ceremony and two dresses for the lavish celebration that followed. For her bridal look, she wanted to wear something traditional with Russian influence. The final product was hand-embroidered, made from Chantilly lace with a pearl overlay. It took an incredible four months to make!
Princess Beatrice Borrowed Her Dress From The Queen
Although Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi had a much smaller wedding than most members of the royal family due to the global pandemic, it was still a beautiful and emotional event. And a few months after the July 17, 2020 ceremony, Beatrice's dress was put on display at Buckingham Palace so admirers could see it up close and personal.
The gorgeous gown has quite a history, as it's one of the Queen's from the 1960s. Designed by Norman Hartnell, the taffeta gown was tailored and modernized for Beatrice. She topped the look with the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara, which is not included in the public exhibition.
Diana, Princess of Wales
Princess Diana was born "The Honorable Diana Spencer," as a part of a family of British nobility. She became known as Lady Diana Spencer after her father became Earl Spencer in their family. Diana was working as a kindergarten teacher when she and Prince Charles became engaged. Their globally televised marriage earned her titles of Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Chester, and Baroness of Renfrew.
The July 29, 1981 wedding drew a television audience of 750,000,000 people and the event was celebrated by fans around the world. Diana and Charles had two sons together, the Princes William and Harry.
A Dress to Go Down in History
Princess Diana's gown became known as one of the most famous dresses in the world. The ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who wanted to create something that she would love and would be "suitably dramatic in order to make an impression."
Their vision for the dress certainly became a reality with a 25-foot train, hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls. Considered a "gold standard" in wedding fashion at the time, the gown inspired puffy sleeves, full skirts, and soft fabrics after its debut in the 1981 wedding.
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah is the daughter of Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, who is reportedly one of the wealthiest men in the world. Her mother is Queen Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha. Their family has ruled the sultanate for over 600 years.
Hafizah worked as an officer in the finance ministry, and her marriage to a civil servant for the Prime Minister prompted a lavish wedding ceremony in front of a royal court at a palace in Brunei. Princess Hafizah was the first of the Sultan's 12 children to get married since 2007.
Princess Claire of Luxembourg
Claire Margareta Lademacher was born to a wealthy German family. Her father had been very successful in the software industry. Lademacher initially worked in public after receiving her undergraduate degree.
She later went on to earn a master's degree in bioethics and is currently completing a doctoral degree in the field. Lademacher has also received the Civil and Military Order of Merit of Adolphe of Nassau, an award granted to those who perform heroic or meritorious deeds. She met Prince Félix while enrolled in boarding school in Switzerland in the early 2000s.
An Occasion of Opulence
The marriage ceremony and accompanying celebrations were fitting of the daughter of a Sultan. The official ceremony was held in the Sultan’s 1,700 room palace, with 3,000 guests in attendance. Princess Hafizah’s ceremonial wedding gown was beige and silver at the base and profusely studded with crystal beading. The groom wore a complementary beige and gold ensemble.
Their wedding look was traditional to Bruneian culture, with Hafizah’s accessories including a dauntingly bejeweled crown that was placed atop an intricate lace headdress covering her hair. This was as a cultural characteristic in line with their Muslim faith. She wore many other lavish dresses over the course of the weeklong celebration.
Marie-Chantal Miller
Born in London, Marie-Chantal Miller was raised in Hong Kong by an American-born British father and an Ecuadorian mother. She later went to school in Switzerland before studying Art History at New York University, where she got to work briefly for Andy Warhol.
It was around this time that she met Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, on a blind date. He proposed to her on a vacation in Switzerland in 1994, and she dropped out of art school to be with him. Six months after the proposal, Pavlos and Marie-Chantal wed in a Greek Orthodox ceremony at St. Sophia's Cathedral in London.
Crown Princess of Greece
After the marriage, Marie-Chantal received the title Crown Princess Pavlos of Greece. The royal wedding gained a lot of attention and although those in attendance at the cathedral numbered over 450, 850 other guests (including the Queen Mother) watched the ceremony via satellite in the Hampton Court Palace.
Marie-Chantal's $225,000 wedding gown was designed by Valentino Garavani and was comprised of pearl-encrusted ivory silk. It also featured an almost 15-foot Chantilly lace train. The dress reportedly required the work of 25 people over the span of several months and used 12 different kinds of lace.
Queen Rania of Jordan
Kuwait-born Rania Al-Yassin attended university in both Egypt and Switzerland. She has worked at both Citibank and Apple Inc. She met Prince Abdullah bin Al-Hussein at a dinner party in 1992. In a later interview with People magazine, Al-Hussein said “The minute Rania walked in, I knew it right there and then,” said Abdullah in a 2005 interview with People magazine. “It was love at first sight.”
Al-Yassin became Princess of Jordan following the couple’s marriage in 1992. After the death of his father in 1999, Prince Abdullah ascended the throne, which made Rania the new Queen of Jordan.
Fit for Power
When she was set to become Princess, Rania enlisted British designer Bruce Oldfield to design her entire wedding look. As the ceremony was a traditional Muslim one, the dress is modest yet beautiful. A veil covered her face during the ceremony. Rania’s gown was embellished with gold detailing and features short sleeves and decorated lapels, reminiscent of a power suit. The look is fitting, especially for the powerful and influential woman that she is today.
She is currently an avid user of various social media platforms and is revered for her advocacy in education, health, youth, and community empowerment in Jordanian society.
Picture-Perfect Elegance
The engagement of Claire Lademacher and Prince Félix was officially announced in 2012, and in 2013 they married in Germany. She became a Princess of Luxembourg after her marriage to Prince Félix, who is second in line to become the Grand Duke. Princess Claire's Elie Saab wedding gown featured an almost 10-foot train that extended from the ivory silk bodice.
Embroidered with intricate floral motifs on Chantilly lace, the gown also had embellishments of crystals and pearls. To complete the look, Princess Claire donned a floral diamond tiara from the Grand Ducal family that was formally worn by four other brides.
Princess Caroline
Born into Monaco royalty, Princess Caroline is the eldest daughter of Prince Rainier III and actress-turned Princess Grace Kelly. She was presumptive heir to the throne of Monaco for just over a year until her brother Prince Albert was born.
Caroline still maintained her Princess status when she finally married her third husband, Prince Ernst August of Hanover, in 1999. During all of her weddings she sported elegant looks, but the most memorable one was the dress she wore during her first marriage to Philippe Junot, who was a Parisian banker.
Understated Charm
For her first wedding in 1987, Caroline came out in a simple white gown with floral embellishments. The dress was Christian Dior Haute Couture fashioned by Marc Bohan, who was the house designer at the time. With its high neck and bishop sleeves, the dress certainly looked fashionable for that time period.
In place of a crown or tiara (probably since she wasn't marrying royalty at the time), Caroline sported a ringlet of flowers that held onto her veil. Rumor has it that details about her dress were leaked to the public ahead of the wedding and that Bohan had to alter the design.
Queen Letizia of Spain
Former newscaster and journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was born into a middle-class family. Her father was also a journalist, and her mother was a registered nurse. Letizia maintained her “commoner” status until her marriage to Prince Felipe VI of Asturias in 2004, when she became Princess of Asturias. She performed royal duties alongside her husband and they traveled the world together representing the King.
Ten years later, following the abdication of his father, Felipe VI became King of Spain. This made Letizia the Queen of Spain. This was the second marriage for Letizia, who was divorced in 1999.
A Princess Turned Queen
Letizia's gown was designed by highly-sought-after Spanish designer Manuel Pertegaz, who created a regal long-sleeved floor-length gown with a distinctive high collar. The delicate silk gown features silver and gold embroidery in the shape of fleur de lys, which are the symbol of the Prince of Asturias, The Fleur de Lys embroidery cascades all the way to the end of the 15-foot long train.
Letizia topped the gorgeous dress with one of Queen Sofía’s diamond tiaras. She also carried an antique fan that once belonged to Princess Isabel. Nothing blue was visible in the Queen’s look, but she had the “something old, something new” and the “something borrowed” parts covered.
Charlene Wittstock
Charlene Wittstock is another example of a commoner turned into royalty. Before marrying into Monaco royalty, Wittstock was an Olympic swimmer for South Africa. She married Prince Albert II, son of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly, in a civil ceremony at the Prince's Palace in 2011.
For the civil ceremony, Charlene donned an understated but flattering sky blue pantsuit. The ensemble featured flowy chiffon pants, and she paired the look with matching blue shoes. Both the suit’s sleeves and the pant legs were trimmed in an elegant blue lace. Charlene wore natural makeup and understated jewelry to complete the look.
New Princess of Monaco
The day after their civil ceremony, the Prince and Princess held a religious ceremony for which Charlene donned a sleek but breathtaking off-white Armani number. The dress reportedly required 2,500 hours of work to create the embroidery that was stitched all along the front, the skirt, and the train that was comprised of 80 meters of silk organza.
Seven hundred hours went into embroidery alone, which consisted of 40,000 Swarovski crystals, 20,000 mother of pearls, and 30,000 gold stones that came together with platinum-coated thread into a floral pattern. The Prince and Princess had twins, a boy, and a girl, in 2014.
Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret was born to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and was the only sibling of Queen Elizabeth II. Princess Margaret was a socialite and was always the life of the party. When asked if she minded her little sister garnering so much spotlight, Queen Elizabeth replied, “Oh, it's so much easier when Margaret's there—everybody laughs at what Margaret says."
Margaret married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey in 1960 in the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television, reportedly garnering 300 million viewers worldwide. Although many disapproved of her marriage to a photographer, Margaret regained royal status in 1961 after her husband became Earl of Snowdon, a bestowal from Elizabeth.
Countess of Snowdon
For her gown, Margaret enlisted the same designer her sister the Queen had used, Norman Hartnell. Made from silk organza, the gown was made with almost 100 feet of fabric. Margaret was known to be a petite woman, so Hartnell designed the piece with minimal embellishments so as not to overwhelm her frame.
Margaret wore a famous tiara, called the Poltimore tiara, which dated to 1870. The crown and her hairstyle helped add to her height for the day. Margaret’s gown is currently on display in a collection of royal wedding dresses at Kensington Palace and rightfully belongs to the British Royal Collection.
Wallis Simpson
Wallis Simpson was an American socialite during the early 20th Century. She was married and divorced two times before she married King Edward VIII, which was controversial due to the fact that Simpson's two previous spouses were still living. But because King Edward VIII and Simpson were in love, he abdicated the throne to marry her.
He was subsequently made the Duke of Windsor by his brother, who took on the throne as King George VI. The marriage gave Simpson the new title Duchess of Windsor when they finally married in an intimate ceremony June 3, 1937.
Her Grace, the Duchess of Windsor
Simpson's wedding dress can be considered unconventional in comparison to all the dresses seen thus far. The sleek dress was created by Mainbocher, which was an American fashion label founded by Main Rousseau Bocher. Instead of the traditional white or ivory colors usually attributed to wedding dresses, Simpson opted for a blue that came to be known as "Wallis blue," that reportedly was intended to match her eyes.
She wore her dress with a matching blue straw hat and blue gloves. As TIME magazine described, "She wore a dress that most U. S. department stores were soon to feature: soft blue crepe with a tight, buttoned bodice, a halo-shaped hat of the same color, shoes and gloves to match. At her throat was a tremendous diamond-&-sapphire brooch."
Fabiola de Mora y Aragón
Spanish-born Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, one of seven children, was a hospital nurse when she met Baudouin, King of the Belgians, in 1959. She had also written and published a collection of fairy tales for children. Because of her commoner status before her engagement to Baudouin, TIME magazine dubbed her the “Cinderella Girl" in 1960.
Although the magazine admitted that she was "an attractive young woman,” it also declared her “no raving beauty”. In contrast, Baudouin confessed to his diary that he felt that Fabiola was a gift from God. The couple got married in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Belgium on December 15, 1960.
Doña Fabiola, Queen of the Belgians
Doña Fabiola enlisted Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga to make her wedding dress. Balenciaga, the founder of the fashion house of the same name that’s still popular today, was considered a master designer. He was praised by contemporaries from Coco Chanel to Christian Dior.
Fabiola’s dress was made with satin and ermine. The neckline, skirt, and near 22-foot long train are all trimmed with ermine fur, which is the only embellishment on the otherwise simple satin dress. Fabiola accessorized with white silk gloves and a 1926 Art Deco tiara that was a gift to her mother-in-law, Astrid of Sweden.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Camilla Parker Bowles (née Camilla Rosemary Shand) became the second wife to Charles, Prince of Wales, who is next in line for the throne after current Queen Elizabeth II, in 2005. Her marriage has granted her the title Duchess of Cornwall, which she preferred over Princess of Wales since her husband's second designation after prince is Duke of Cornwall.
If her husband ascends the throne, she will be known as Princess Consort. Camilla and Charles became involved with each other while they were still married to other people. She was previously married to British Army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, and the Prince was famously married to Diana, Princess of Wales.
"A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups"
Camilla's marriage to Prince Charles has been doubted in the past, due to the scandal and controversy surrounding the history of their relationship. However, in 2005 they sailed past all the backlash they had faced and formalized their relationship in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall.
For the event, Camilla wore a stunning cream gold floor-length chiffon gown designed by London-based Robinson Valentine. She wore a lovely blue and gold coat over the gown for the blessing portion of the marriage. Camilla accented the look with a feather headdress tipped with Swarovski crystals, fashioned by the Irish designer Philip Treacy.
Queen Consort Soraya Of Iran
Iranian-born actress Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari was the daughter of the Iranian ambassador to West Germany and his German wife Eva Karl. She became the Queen of Iran when in 1951 she married Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who was the last Shah of Iran. He had recently been divorced from Princess Fawzia of Egypt when he married Soraya.
There were reportedly 2,000 guests in attendance at their wedding in the Marble Palace in Tehran and although the Shah requested that guests bring donations for charity in place of wedding gifts, the Shah and Queen of Iran still received many luxurious presents.
Shrouded In Luxury
Queen Soraya's over-the-top silver lamé gown was designed by Christian Dior and was embellished with 6,000 diamonds, lots of pearls, and 20,000 marabou stork feathers. A matching jacket plus a full-length white mink cape completed the entire look. The legendary ensemble weighed 44 pounds.
After seven years, Soraya's infertility and inability to produce an heir caused a strain in their marriage and the couple divorced in 1958. She was still granted the royal title of Princess of Iran following the divorce, subsequently becoming an actress and living out her later years in France.
Princess Hayu
Princess Hayu of Yogyakarta is the fourth child of Sultan Hamengkubuwana X of Indonesia. In 2013, she married Prince Notonegoro, a professional at the United Nations in New York, after a 10-year long courtship.
The wedding sparked public attention and was a big cultural event for the people in Yogyakarta, due to the fact that the engagement was so lengthy and that Hayu was the last of the Sultan's children to get married. The bride and groom’s mothers were longtime friends, meaning that the Prince and Princess had known each other since childhood. This fact also added to the public interest.
Indonesian Royalty
The lavish wedding ceremony was in line with the traditions of Javanese culture, prompting the bride, groom, and all in attendance to wear traditional Javanese wedding styles. Both the bride's and groom's faces were painted and adorned with intricate headdresses and pieces of jewelry.
The colorful traditional wear also prompted the groom to attend his wedding topless, while both of them were adorned in vibrant and regal gold-accented wraps. Attendants carried bright peacock feathers which added to the festive tone. The celebration, which lasted for three days, was attended by thousands of well-wishers and was followed by a joyous public parade.
Kendra Spears
Seattle-born Kendra Spears was already a successful fashion model in New York City by the time she met and got engaged to Prince Rahim Aga Khan. Spears had modeled for designers like Hermès, Calvin Klein, Gucci, Prada, and graced the covers of dozens of high fashion magazines.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan is the eldest son of Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini, Aga Khan IV. Aga Khan IV is the current Imam of Nizari Ismailism. Spears and the Prince married in 2013 at Château de Bellerive in Geneva, Switzerland. The private ceremony was attended by family and friends only.
Princess Salwa Aga Khan
Since her marriage, Kendra is now known as Princess Salwa Aga Khan. At her wedding, wore a traditional sari by Indian fashion designer Manac Gangwani. Gangwani is famous for being a designer to Bollywood’s biggest stars. The ivory jacquard silk gown featured subtle, yet beautiful, gold embellishments.
So as not to overwhelm the grace and elegance of the gown, the Princess accessorized with a simple set of jeweled earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. Her natural beauty shone through in the ornate, yet understated, wedding attire. In 2017, the couple announced the birth of their second child.
Jetsun Pema
Jetsun Pema, who has a degree in International Relations, married Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan. When the King announced his engagement publicly, he introduced his soon-to-be bride this way:
“For the Queen, what is most important is that at all times, as an individual she must be a good human being, and as Queen, she must be unwavering in her commitment to serve the People and Country. As my queen, I have found such a person and her name is Jetsun Pema. While she is young, she is warm and kind in heart and character.”
Queen of Bhutan
Jetsun Pema was only 21 years old when she married the King in a royal nuptial ceremony at Punakha Dzong (Palace of Bliss), the second largest structure in Bhutan. In traditional Bhutanese fashion, Pema wore a kira, which is the national dress for Bhutanese women.
Woven from raw silk, Pema's kira probably took months to make since it was elaborately and colorfully designed with red, yellow, green, and white which are supposed to be symbolic of astrology. Now known as Queen Jetsun Pema, she regularly accompanies her husband on international trips and is popular for her work with children with special needs and her advocacy for environmental issues.
Salma Bennani, Now Princess Lalla Salma
Salma Bennani met King Mohammed VI of Morocco in 1999. The couple married two years later, first in a private ceremony in March and then in a days-long celebration in July. Her marriage made her the Princess of Morocco, a role that she uses to stay involved in various causes.
In addition to supporting various cancer associations and HIV/AIDS prevention, she has founded her own cancer prevention association in Morocco and has represented her husband and country at meetings in various countries. The Princess has an engineering degree, showing that she’s smart in addition to being beautiful and charitable.
Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco
King Mohammed VI changed tradition when he publicly announced his engagement to Princess Salma. In the past, the brides of kings were not featured at all, due to the fact that the wife had no public role to play and because previous kings were known, polygamists.
However, King Mohammed VI has vowed not to take additional wives and has even given a push to women's rights for his country. In pictures of their private wedding celebrations, you can see Princess Salma in a traditional ivory Moroccan dress with gold embellishments. At some times she was heavily veiled, in line with Muslim tradition, but wore a diamond tiara for the times that she was not.
Pippa Middleton
Pippa Middleton is an author, columnist, and socialite. But her best-known role is that of sister to Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. Pippa, the daughter of a former pilot and flight attendant, became the target of much media attention after she served as the maid of honor at sister Kate’s 2011.
She and James Matthews announced news of their engagement in July 2016. Matthews is the son of David Matthews, who is the Laird of Glen Affric. When James Matthews inherits his father’s title, Pippa will become known as Lady Glen Affric. She is heavily involved with charity work.
A Wedding Fit For Royals
She might be the most famous little sister in the world, and she certainly had a wedding to prove it! When Pippa Middleton married James Matthews in 2017 the event garnered nearly much attention as the ceremony for Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had received six years prior. For good reason, too, as Pippa’s dress was simply stunning.
Designed by Giles Deacon, the long ivory lace gown featured a high neckline, cap sleeves, a heart-shaped keyhole back, a seamless hand appliquéd look, and pearl detailing. A layered tulle and organza underskirt helped to perfectly fill out the final look.
