33 most memorable royal weddings of all time: From Princess Kate to Princess Charlene & more

The then-Princess Elizabeth wed Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey on 20 November 1947. The bride was given away by her father, King George VI, and had eight bridesmaids including her younger sister Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Lady Mary Cambridge, Lady Elizabeth Lambart, Lady Caroline Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Pamela Mountbatten, Margaret Elphinstone and Diana Bowes-Lyon. Speaking about the historic event, Pamela told The Telegraph: "Princess Elizabeth with her marvellous complexion and Prince Philip such a devastatingly handsome naval officer. He looked tender, she was adoring. They really were a dream couple."

The Queen's sister Princess Margaret was married to British photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones from 1960 to 1978. Upon marriage, Antony was given the title the Earl of Snowdon. The couple's engagement was announced in 1960, with the wedding taking place on 6 May. Lord Snowdon and the Princess honeymooned in the Caribbean, after which they settled at Kensington Palace.

In May 1962, Juan Carlos married Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark, who would later become his Queen consort, in a stunning ceremony in Athens at the Church of Saint Dennis.

On 14 November, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips wed in Westminster Abbey - the historical London landmark which 26 years earlier had seen the nuptials of the bride's mother and father. The ceremony was watched by an estimated 500 million television viewers around the world while crowds of people lined the streets to share in the big day. Anne and Mark separated in 1989 and divorced in 1992. 

Princess Caroline wed her first husband, financier Philippe Junot, on 28 June 1978 in Monte Carlo. They divorced in October 1980. She then married Italian heir Stefano Casiraghi in December 1983. Unfortunately, Stefano, who is the father of Princess Caroline's three oldest children, Andrea, Charlotte and Pierre Casiraghi, died in a boating accident in 1990. The royal tied the knot to her current husband Prince Ernst August of Hanover, Duke of Brunswick, in 1999.

Though their marriage sadly ended in divorce in 1996, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding in 1981 was like something out of a fairytale. Diana was just 20 at the time, and the first British citizen to marry an heir to the British throne in 300 years. The pair tied the knot at St. Paul's Cathedral with global heads of state in attendance, and the Princess wore a silk taffeta gown with a stunning 25-foot train by David and Elizabeth Emanuel.

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson may have divorced in 1996, but their famously close friendship following their split meant their marriage didn't end on a sad note. The pair, parents to Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, tied the knot on 23 July 1986 at Westminster Abbey, after initially meeting as childhood playmates and becoming reacquainted at a Royal Ascot party. For the special day, Sarah wore a stunning Lindka Cierach embroidered ivory silk gown while carrying a cascading bouquet of gardenias, cream lilies, yellow roses, lilies of the valley and a sprig of myrtle.

Princess Anne married her second husband Sir Timothy Laurence in a low-key royal wedding in 1992.

Since the Princess Royal had been previously married to Mark Phillips and the Church of England did not permit remarrying, she eloped to Scotland to marry the retired Navy Officer. The couple said 'I do' at Crathie Kirk church in front of just 30 guests, including her late parents the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, her children Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips and her brothers, the then-Prince of Wales, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. 

Anne wore an unconventional high-neck dress that fell to her knees, which she teamed with a white jacket and black court shoes.

Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit were pronounced husband and wife at Oslo Cathedral on 25 August 2001. The bride's young son Marius from a previous relationship acted as page boy. The streets had been lavishly decorated for the nuptials, with red, blue and white flowers, and hundreds of banners fluttered in the breeze. Scores of Norwegian flags were carried by ordinary well-wishers who came in their thousands to cheer their future monarch and his soon-to-be wife along.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima made their commitment to one another official on 2 February 2002. The bride wore a beautiful gown by Valentino, while the then-Prince wore the full Captain in the Royal Netherlands Navy uniform. The newlyweds made their way out of the church and were greeted by an arch of swords held by Officers of the Royal Netherlands Navy. In total 1,900 military personnel took part in the ceremony.

On 22 May 2004, the Spanish prince wed his blushing bride in a beautiful wedding ceremony held in Madrid's Almudena Cathedral, making Letizia a Princess – and then, a decade later, when Felipe ascended the throne, a Queen. The bride wore an off-white silk dress with a high-standing collar designed by Spanish couturier Manuel Pertegaz, which is thought to have cost £6 million. The ceremony was watched by 25 million people in Spain alone, with many more tuning in to view the nuptials from overseas.

Prince Charles and the former Duchess of Cornwall tied the knot on 9 April 2005. The royals gathered at Windsor to celebrate the wedding, which consisted of a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall, Berkshire followed by a religious blessing. Camilla chose two dresses for the occasion - a white coat dress and matching hat which she swapped for a blue embroidered gown by Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine.

The wedding date had been set for 8 April but had to be postponed by a day, so that the Prince of Wales could represent the Queen at the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

Queen Elizabeth's grandson Peter Phillips married Canadian-born Autumn Kelly at St George's on 17 May 2008. As many royal newlyweds have done, Princess Anne's son and his new wife left the church service together in an open-topped carriage. The couple welcomed two kids Savannah and Isla before separating in 2020 and divorcing in 2021.

The late Queen Elizabeth's son Prince Edward and former public relations consultant Sophie Rhys-Jones, now known as the Duchess of Edinburgh, married at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on 19 June 1999. Sophie wore a Samantha Shaw coat dress that hid her embellished second wedding dress underneath. The couple are now parents to two children: James, Viscount Severn, born in 2007, and Lady Louise Windsor, born in 2003. 

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden married Daniel Westling in Stockholm Cathedral on 19 June 2010, in a ceremony that was attended by several European royals, including Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex. The royal bride wore an elegant Par Engsheden off-the-shoulder wedding dress for the occasion, which took place on her parents King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia's 34th wedding anniversary and at the same venue where they married. The couple are now parents to Princess Estelle, seven, and three-year-old Prince Oscar.

More than 24 million Brits tuned in to watch Prince William marry his long-term partner Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. The bride made her entrance in a stunning Alexander McQueen wedding dress designed by Sarah Burton, which has continued to set bridal trends ever since, and joined her new husband for a carriage ride through London following their ceremony. The Prince and Princess of Wales have since welcomed their three children – Prince George,  Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene's wedding celebrations spanned three days in 2011, starting with a concert by The Eagles on 30 June, ahead of a legal ceremony inside the Monaco palace's throne room on 1 July and a Roman Catholic ceremony and reception the following day. Charlene was the epitome of sophistication for their religious ceremony, wearing an off-the-shoulder Armani Privé silk gown, which took three seamstresses 2,500 hours to make.

The British royal family had their second royal wedding in just over three months when Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips married rugby player Mike Tindall on 30 July 2011. The couple tied the knot at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, before a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse attended by senior royals including the late Queen and Prince Philip, King Charles and Queen Camilla, and Princes William and Harry.

Dubbed "the William and Kate of the Himalayas", King Jigme of Bhutan married his bride, 21-year-old Queen Jetsun Pema in a five-hour Buddhist ceremony on 13 October 2011, for which the groom wore an antique silk gho robe that his grandfather King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck had worn on his own big day. His bride had three outfit changes on their big day, which culminated with King Jigme placing a silk brocade crown on his wife's head and proclaiming her the new queen of Bhutan.

Crown Prince Tupuoto'a 'Ulakalala's wedding to Sinaitakala Fakafanua in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, marked the first marriage of a Tongan Crown Prince in 65 years, with more than 2,000 guests attending the ceremony at the Centenary Church of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga. However, their union proved controversial, as the bride and groom are second cousins.

The Sultan of Brunei's daughter Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah married Pengiran Haji Muhammad Ruzaini in more than a week's worth of festivities in September 2012. The couple's traditional ceremony took place in the throne room at the Sultan's palace in front of 3,000 guests, with the bride looking stunning in a crystal-beaded beige and silver gown.

Princess Stephanie of Luxembourg looked every inch the royal bride in a bespoke Elie Saab gown that took 3,900 hours to make for her wedding to Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg on 20 October 2012. The Luxembourg royal wedding was comprised of a civil ceremony on 19 October followed by a Roman Catholic ceremony at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City the next day.

Sweden had another royal wedding in 2013 when Princess Madeleine and Christopher O'Neill married at the Stockholm Palace Church, looking resplendent in a Chantilly-lace Valentino gown with a four-metre-long train, which she accessorised with the Modern Fringe Tiara, large diamond drop earrings and a diamond bracelet.

Princess Noriko of Takamado, a former member of the Imperial House of Japan, gave up her imperial title when she married Kunimaro Senge, a commoner, on 5 October 2014. Their wedding ceremony was followed by a private wedding reception the next day where they were joined by 280 guests, and a wedding banquet in Tokyo on 8 October, which was attended by members of the Imperial Family. Now known as Noriko Senge, the newlywed was given a one-time ¥106.75 million allowance (around £746,000) following their wedding, where she lost her royal status.

Prince Carl Philip of Sweden married his fiancée Sofia Hellqvist on 13 June 2015, with a magnificent ceremony at the Stockholm Palace Church. The bride looked stunning in a lace wedding dress created by local designer Ida Sjöstedt and a tiara given to her by her in-laws for the ceremony, where the couple's niece, Princess Estelle, had a special role as a bridesmaid. The Swedish royal wedding was attended by fellow royals from around the world, including Crown Prince Haakon and Princess Mette-Marit of Norway, and Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex from the UK.

Following an intimate civil ceremony in London in November 2017, Prince Christian of Hanover married Alessandra de Osma for a second time in her native Peru in March 2018. The nuptials took place at Basilica San Pedro in Lima and were attended by guests including Crown Prince Pavlos and Princess Olympia of Greece, as well as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Fashion designer Alessandra wowed in a high-neck lace wedding dress by Jorge Vázquez, and the Hanover Floral Tiara, which was previously worn by Princess Caroline of Monaco and her sister-in-law Ekaterina Malyshev.

A-listers including Elton John, Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney were among 600 guests who attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding at St George's Chapel, Windsor, on 19 May 2018. The couple wed in a magnificent ceremony, where the bride – wearing a bespoke Givenchy gown - was accompanied part of the way down the aisle by her father-in-law Prince Charles. The royal couple then held a daytime reception at Windsor Castle, before a more intimate party at Frogmore House, where Meghan stunned in a halterneck Stella McCartney wedding dress.

Less than six months later, the royal family descended upon St George's Chapel once again for the nuptials of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. Their wedding was another star-studded affair, with guests including Kate Moss, Demi Moore, Liv Tyler, Robbie Williams and James Blunt. The bride and groom kept the celebrations going over the course of the weekend, culminating in a fairground-inspired party in the grounds of her parent's home, Royal Lodge Windsor.

Britain had its third royal wedding in 12 months when Lady Gabriella Windsor married Thomas Kingston at St George's Chapel on 18 May. Their nuptials were attended by senior royals including the Queen, Princess Anne, Prince Harry and Princess Beatrice, who was joined by her mum, Sarah Ferguson.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were forced to scrap plans for a large guest list. The couple tied the knot inside the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge Windsor on 17 July 2020, joined by their immediate family including Beatrice's grandparents the late Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Beatrice recycled her grandmother's Norman Hartnell embellished gown, which she tweaked by adding puff sleeves.

The late Queen's first cousin twice removed Flora Ogilvy wed Timothy Vesterberg at the Chapel Royal at St. James’s Palace amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 in a square-neck Emilia Wickstead wedding dress and her grandmother Princess Alexandra's diamond and pearl earrings.

One year later, the couple held a marriage blessing at St James's Church on 10 September 2021 with a larger guest list including Duchess Sophie, Prince Edward, Lady Gabriella Windsor and Lady Amelia Windsor. Flora looked resplendent in a lace Phillipa Lepley gown and the Ogilvy tiara, which was given to her grandmother by her late husband, Sir Angus Ogilvy, as a wedding present in 1963. Following their second wedding, the bride changed into a mini dress for her evening celebrations at Claridges Hotel, London.

Crown Prince Hussein and his bride Princess Rajwa got married in an Islamic marriage ceremony known as "katb ktab" in the gardens of Zahran Palace in Amman, Jordan on 1 June 2023.

Around 140 guests including Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary and Dutch royals King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Catharina-Amalia gathered for the romantic ceremony. 

The newlyweds travelled to Al Husseiniya Palace for their wedding reception in a procession known as the Red Motorcade. Rajwa swapped her figure-hugging gown from Elie Saab for another striking ballgown by Dolce & Gabbana with floral swirls for the evening reception.

Prince Mateen of Brunei's wedding with the Sultan's special advisor Pehin Dato Isa's granddaughter Anisha Rosnah took place over ten days from 7 to 16 January 2024.  The celebrations included a Berbedak Mandi ceremony, a ceremony at Istana Nurul Iman and a royal wedding banquet at Balai Persantapan at the palace. The bride wore multiple outfits, culminating in a custom Zuhair Murad gown.