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In honor of the upcoming nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, here's a look back at notable British royal brides and the looks they chose for their big days.
Queen Victoria began today’s custom of brides wearing white when she chose this gown, designed by William Dyce and made by seamstress Mary Bettans, to wed her first cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg on February 10, 1840:
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Victoria’s great-grandson Edward VIII abdicated his throne after less than a year to marry “the woman I love”, twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson. They were given the titles of
Duke and Duchess of Windsor and married in Paris, where they would live the rest of their lives, on June 3, 1937.
American couturier Mainbocher made the Duchess’ wedding gown in what he dubbed “Wallis Blue”, to match her eyes. Unfortunately, an instability in the dye later caused the gown to lose all of its color, so it is displayed today next to an exact replica in the original shade.
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Princess Elizabeth (now known as
Queen Elizabeth II), wed her second cousin once removed,
Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, on November 20, 1947.
Her gown, by Sir Norman Hartnell, was purchased with rationing coupons because Britain was still suffering severe shortages post-World War II. It was displayed for the couple's 70th wedding anniversary in 2017, having noticeably yellowed with age:
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Queen Elizabeth's younger sister
Princess Margaret was the first British royal (but hardly the last) to divorce in the 20th century. Like her sister, she wore a gown by Sir Norman Hartnell at her wedding to photographer
Antony Armstrong-Jones on May 6, 1960. They divorced in 1978:
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Katharine Worsley became the
Duchess of Kent upon marrying the Queen's first cousin,
Prince Edward of Kent, on June 8, 1961. She wore a gown by John Cavanagh.
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The Queen's first cousin,
Princess Alexandra, married businessman
Angus Ogilvy on April 24, 1963. She wore an all-lace gown (and a matching veil done in the same lace) designed by John Cavanagh.
Shortly after the wedding, the royal newlyweds were caught by a paparazzo having sex in a field, and although the Palace made sure the photographs were never published, they quickly became the stuff of legend.
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Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, wed army captain
Mark Phillips on November 14, 1973, wearing a gown by Maureen Baker. The couple divorced in 1992, and Anne later remarried to her mother's equerry.
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Love it or hate it, who could forget the gown that 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer wore when she wed
Prince Charles on July 29, 1981 and became
Diana, Princess of Wales? Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, it was the ultimate '80s gown, featuring huge ruffles, giant puffed sleeves and a 25-foot train.
The marriage ended in an acrimonious separation in 1992 and divorce in 1996, only one year before Diana's death in a Paris car crash at age 36.
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Prince Charles finally married his longtime mistress,
Camilla Parker-Bowles on April 9, 2005. The new Duchess of Cornwall changed from the simple, short white dress and coat that she wore to the private civil ceremony into this grey-and-gold floor-length silk coat over a matching dress ensemble, worn for the blessing afterward. It was designed by the duo of Antonia Robinson and Anna Valentine and she accessorized it with a spray of gold feathers in her hair (which the press rather unkindly suggested looked like straw).
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Sarah Ferguson wed the Queen's second son,
Prince Andrew, on July 23, 1986, and they took the titles Duke and Duchess of York. She wore a gown by Lindka Cierach. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996:
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Sophie Rhys-Jones married
Prince Edward, the youngest child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, on June 19, 1999. She wore a simple satin gown and silk coat by Samantha Shaw and a black-and-white pearl cross necklace designed by her new husband. They are now known as the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and as of 2018, Edward is the only one of the Queen's children not to have gotten a divorce.
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The Duke and Duchess of Kent's daughter,
Lady Helen Windsor (who had been nicknamed "Melons" by the tabloids for her ample bosom) married art dealer
Timothy Taylor on July 18, 1992. She wore a gown by Princess Diana's favorite designer, Catherine Walker.
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Princess Margaret's son
David Armstrong-Jones, now the Earl of Snowdon and a renowned maker of luxury furniture, wed
Serena Stanhope on October 8, 1993. The bride wore a gown by Bruce Bobbins that many people felt resembled her new mother-in-law's own 1960 wedding dress (above):
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Princess Margaret's daughter,
Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, wore Jasper Conran to wed actor
Daniel Chatto (who had coincidentally played her cousin Prince Andrew in the US television special
Charles and Diana: A Royal Love Story) on July 14, 1994.
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The gown that
Kate Middleton, now known as the Duchess of Cambridge, wore to marry Charles and Diana's elder son
Prince William on April 29, 2011 was designed by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen.
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Sources:
Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor/Me
Which of the British royal wedding gowns is your favorite, ONTD?
