The Most Glamorous Royal Weddings (and Dresses!) Throughout the Years

Take a look back at the most memorable royal affairs – and wedding gowns – over the past 70 years

01 of 20

PIPPA MIDDLETON & JAMES MATTHEWS

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James Matthews, Pippa Middleton and Kate Middleton. Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

They're technically not royals, but James and Pippa's royal connections make them worthy of a mention. The pair tied the knot on May 2, 2017, in a ceremony at St. Mark's Church in Englefield, England, near Pippa's hometown of Bucklebury. Her nephew and niece, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, served as a page boy and bridesmaid. Guests danced the night away in a glass castle constructed in the Middleton family's backyard for the occasion.

02 of 20

PIERRE CASIRAGHI & BEATRICE BORROMEO

PIERRE CASIRAGHI & BEATRICE BORROMEO
JacopoR/PierreS/GC Images

Like another well-known royal couple, the seventh in line to the Monegasque throne, Casiraghi and his wife, Borromeo, met in college and began dating in May 2008. The couple celebrated their wedding over the course of two weekends: first, there was a civil ceremony and garden party held in Monaco on July 25, 2015; the next weekend was a religious wedding in Northern Italy, on one of Borromeo's family's islands, as well as another party. The bride wore a different dress for each occasion, including two by Armani and one by Valentino.

03 of 20

PRINCE CARL PHILIP & SOFIA HELLQVIST

PRINCE CARL PHILIP & SOFIA HELLQVIST
Mattias Edwall/The Royal Court, Sweden

The model-turned-princess famously starred in a Swedish reality show before marrying the Swedish prince on June 13, 2015 in Stockholm. (The two dated for nearly five years.) For the headline-making affair, the bride wore a white silk and lace gown by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt, along with a sparkling tiara.

04 of 20

PRINCE WILLIAM & CATHERINE MIDDLETON

PRINCE WILLIAM & CATHERINE MIDDLETON
Hugo Burnand/Clarence House

An estimated 2 billion (yes, billion with a "B") viewers tuned in worldwide to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton wed at London's Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011; in which the Duchess of Cambridge said "I do" in a long-sleeved V-neck Alexander McQueen lace gown. She also wore the same diamond tiara Queen Elizabeth II was given on her 18th birthday.

05 of 20

PRINCE AMEDEO & ELISABETTA MARIA ROSBOCH VON WOLKENSTEIN

PRINCE AMEDEO & ELISABETTA MARIA ROSBOCH VON WOLKENSTEIN
Elisabetta Villa/Getty

The Belgian royal married the Italian arts and culture reporter – who went with a stunning Valentino gown for the big day – at The Basilica of Our Lady in Rome on July 5, 2014.

06 of 20

PRINCE FRANCOIS D'ORLEANS & THERESA VON EINSIEDEL

PRINCE FRANCOIS D'ORLEANS & THERESA VON EINSIEDEL
Luca Teuchmann/WireImage

The French prince and German princess met at a ball in Vienna before tying the knot at the Basilica of St Jacob in Germany on July 26, 2014. For the traditional summer wedding, the bride went the classic route in a long-sleeved lace gown with a flowing train.

07 of 20

PRINCE JAIME BOURBON-PARMA & VIKTORIA CSERVENYAK

PRINCE JAIME BOURBON-PARMA & VIKTORIA CSERVENYAK
AFP/Getty

Despite officially being married in a civil ceremony on October 3, 2013, the Dutch prince and lawyer held a special ceremony for family and friends at the Church Of Our Lady At Ascension in Appeldorn, Netherlands two days later. The bride's gown, which was made by Danish designer Claes Iversen, featured lace detailing at the bottom and was accompanied by a floor-sweeping veil.

08 of 20

PRINCE RAHIM AGA KHAN & KENDRA SPEARS

PRINCE RAHIM AGA KHAN & KENDRA SPEARS
Gary Otte/The Ismaili/Getty

In a fairytale romance come true, the American supermodel (she's from Seattle) married Prince Rahim Aga Khan (the oldest son of the Shia Ismaili Muslim spiritual leader) in Geneva, Switzerland on August 31, 2013. Spears, who is now known as Princess Salwa, accented her embroidered sari with sparkling jewelry fit for a queen.

09 of 20

PRINCE CHARLES & LADY DIANA SPENCER

PRINCE CHARLES & LADY DIANA SPENCER
AP

With 750 million people tuning in to watch worldwide, England's future king wed Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981. The fashion icon walked down the aisle in a David and Elizabeth Emanuel gown that featured lace from Charles's great-grandmother, a 25-ft. train and an 18-kt. gold horseshoe sewn into the petticoats for good luck.

10 of 20

QUEEN ELIZABETH & PRINCE PHILIP

QUEEN ELIZABETH & PRINCE PHILIP
Hulton Archive/Getty

As heir to the British throne, the then-princess married the naval officer – who, prior to their wedding, denounced his title as Prince of Greece and Denmark to become Lt. Philip Mountbatten – before 2,500 guests at Westminster Abbey on November 20, 1947.

11 of 20

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS & MARIE-CHANTAL MILLER

CROWN PRINCE PAVLOS & MARIE-CHANTAL MILLER
Andrew Winning/AFP/Getty; Tim Graham/Getty (inset)

Looking every inch like a future queen, the American heiress walked down the aisle in a Valentino gown that took 25 dressmakers four months to sew for her July 1, 1995, nuptials to the deposed King Constantine of Greece. Held at London's Cathedral of Saint Sophia, the lavish affair reportedly cost $1.5 million.

12 of 20

PRINCE RAINIER III & GRACE KELLY

PRINCE RAINIER III & GRACE KELLY
AP

Having met only twice before, the Oscar-winning actress wed Monaco's Rainier in an extravagant ceremony at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas on April 19, 1956. Her iconic wedding gown, crafted by MGM costume designer Helen Rose, was equally fitting for the Hollywood princess – featuring 25 yards of silk taffeta, 98 yards of silk tulle and 300 yards of Valenciennes lace.

13 of 20

CROWN PRINCE FREDERIK & MARY ELIZABETH DONALDSON

CROWN PRINCE FREDERIK & MARY ELIZABETH DONALDSON
Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty

After meeting at a Sydney bar during the 2000 Summer Olympics, the Aussie native became Denmark's crown princess when she wed Frederik on May 14, 2004, at Copenhagen Cathedral. The couple exchanged vows in front of 800 guests, including the Kings of Sweden and Norway, Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, and England's Prince Edward and wife Sophie.

14 of 20

KING HUSSEIN IBN TALAL & LISA HALABY

KING HUSSEIN IBN TALAL & LISA HALABY
Sahm Doherty/Time Life Pictures/Getty

After the death of his third wife, Jordan's Hussein wooed the Princeton-educated beauty in a mere four weeks and married her on June 15, 1978. Following a traditional Muslim marriage ceremony that took place at Zahran Palace, Halaby adopted the name Queen Noor al-Hussein.

15 of 20

CROWN PRINCE FELIPE & LETIZIA ORTIZ

CROWN PRINCE FELIPE & LETIZIA ORTIZ
Odd Andersen/Reuters/Landov

After nearly five centuries of uninterrupted monarchy, the crown prince took the commoner and former TV anchor as his bride on May 22, 2004, at Madrid's Almudena Cathedral, marking Spain's first royal wedding since 1906. Among the 1,400 guests: Prince Charles, former South African President Nelson Mandela and Jordan's Queen Rania.

16 of 20

PRINCESS MARGARET & ANTONY ARMSTRONG-JONES

PRINCESS MARGARET & ANTONY ARMSTRONG-JONES
AFP/Getty

Going against the grain, Queen Elizabeth's younger sister Margaret wed Jones, a photographer, on May 6, 1960. Their nuptials, held at Westminster Abbey, marked the world's first televised royal wedding. (Their divorce, in 1978, would be another landmark – the first for royals in 400 years.)

17 of 20

CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA & DANIEL WESTLING

CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA & DANIEL WESTLING
DDP Images/JPI

Sweden's heir to the throne married her former personal trainer on June 19, 2010, before 1,200 guests at Stockholm Cathedral – exactly 34 years to the day after father King Carl XVI Gustaf wed Queen Silvia. The $2 million affair marked the country's first royal wedding since 1976.

18 of 20

PRINCE EDWARD & SOPHIE RHYS-JONES

PRINCE EDWARD & SOPHIE RHYS-JONES
Tim Graham/Getty

In England's most intimate royal nuptials, Edward wed PR executive Jones on June 19, 1999, with only 560 guests in attendance at St. George's Chapel. In the relatively low-key affair, the third son of Queen Elizabeth opted to wear a suit, while Jones wore an ivory coat dress and a black–and-white pearl necklace designed by her groom.

19 of 20

CROWN PRINCE NARUHITO & MASAKO OWADA

CROWN PRINCE NARUHITO & MASAKO OWADA
AP

Owada left a promising career as a member of Japan's Foreign Ministry to wed Naruhito on June 9, 1993, at Tokyo's Imperial Palace. The bride donned a customary 12-layer kimono that weighed 30 lbs. and cost more than $300,000 for the traditional Shinto nuptials, which were celebrated as a national holiday.

20 of 20

PRINCE ANDREW & SARAH FERGUSON

PRINCE ANDREW & SARAH FERGUSON
AP

It took the fiery Ferguson to tame England's best-known bachelor when the pair wed on July 23, 1986, at Westminster Abbey in front of 1,800 guests. Never one to play by royal rules, the Duchess of York shunned convention when designing her dress – which featured a 17½-ft. train with an embroidered letter "A."

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