Royals

Fairytale romances! Royal Weddings through the ages

As Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie prepare for their respective ceremonies, we look back at the best royal weddings of all time.
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You can’t deny it, there is something truly spectacular about a royal wedding. The dress, the traditions, the A-list celeb spotting!

And now the world is being gifted with two royal weddings in one year.

That’s right, hot on the heels of Prince Harry announcing his engagement to American actress Meghan Markle, his younger cousin Princess Eugenie of York has confirmed she’s set to wed her long-term boyfriend Jack Brooksbank.

While Princess Eugenie hasn’t revealed the exact date of her wedding, she will be getting married at the same venue as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just a few months after them.

St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle is a popular venue among the royals and we can’t wait to see the historic setting front and centre for Harry and Eugenie.

It seems like yesterday when we celebrated the last royal wedding between Duchess Catherine and Prince William in 2011.

We still remember the way William smiled when he saw his bride for the first time and whispered, “You look beautiful!”

And who could forget when the breathtaking Mary Donaldson from Tassie captured the heart of a Danish Prince?

WATCH: Get to know Princess Eugenie’s future hubby Jack Brooksbank.

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Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark made our heart skip a beat when they became man and wife on May 14, 2004 at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen.

Then there are your classic weddings that are embedded into our history like Princess Diana, the majestic festivities for a then-21-year-old Princess Elizabeth, and all the glitz and glamour surrounding the Monacan royals.

To celebrate the upcoming double whammy of regal weddings this year, relive some of the most memorable royal nuptials of all time!

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Princess Eugenie’s parents Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew tied the knot on July 23, 1986 at Westminster Abbey in London.

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The Duchess of York was the embodiment of an eighties bride in a voluminous dress with intricate bead work by British designer Lindka Cierach.

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At the time, the royal couple couldn’t have been more in love but they announced their divorce in 1996. The former husband and wife remain the friendliest of exes.

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The beautiful moment Kate Middleton became Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge after she married Prince William on the 29th, April 2011.

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Her sister Pippa Middleton, who tied the knot on May 20 last year, was enchanting as her maid-of-honour. Catherine was the embodiment of a Princess bride, looking magnificent in McQueen.

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Sealed with a kiss! The couple couldn’t have looked happier as they professed their eternal love in front of the world. It does seems that young Grace van Cutsem (left) wasn’t feeling the love quite as much as the newlyweds.

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The day was bittersweet for Prince William. He admitted to American journalist, Katie Couric, “I am very sad my mother is never going to get the chance to meet Kate… she’d be very proud.”

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The love shared between the couple who’ve now been married for four years was felt across the world. Like many grooms, Wills was both excited and terrified (especially with two billion people watching!) “Honestly it was one of those days where you feel very elated. Also completely terrified, I have to be honest. The prospect of two billion people watching was quite daunting.”

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Eyes only for each other: There is something spectacularly magical about the love shared between the Queen and her husband. Tying the knot on 20 November, 1947, a then Princess Elizabeth looked beautiful in a white satin wedding gown, which was created by the royal family’s designer, Norman Hartnell.

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Australia’s very own Princess! Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary tied the knot on 14 May 2004 at the Church of Our Lady in Copenhagen. For those of who remember staying up late to watch the exciting union on TV, it was clear Frederik was a man in love.

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We did our best not to cry when Fred wiped away tears upon seeing his bride. “From today, Mary is mine and I am hers,” he said at the altar. “I love her and I will protect her with all my love.”

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13 years have passed, and the pair are every bit as in love as they were when they locked lips.

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She was Lady Diana Spencer when she married Prince Charles in 1981. The world fell for the shy girl who glowed in a silk taffeta gown designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel.

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A tender moment as the married couple address the world as husband and wife.

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Princess Diana’s enormous bridal gown has become one of the world’s most iconic dresses. It was made of ivory silk and embellished with pearls, sequins and antique lace.

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Prince Carl Philip married Sofia Hellqvist in a gorgeous wedding at the Royal Palace of Stockholm in Sweden on June 13, 2015. Sofia was a vision in a white bustier haute couture gown by Swedish designer Ida Sjöstedt, which was adorned with an emerald crown and diamond earrings.

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Getting fit found Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria love! She married her personal trainer Daniel Westling.

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The Princess looked majestic in a white duchesse satin gown with a 16ft train by Par Engsheden at her 2010 wedding at Stockholm Cathedral.

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A family that have all married for love! Carl and Victoria’s elder sister, Sweden’s Princess Madeleine married British businessman Christopher O’Neill at the Chapel Royal at the Royal Palace in Stockholm in June 2013. The bride looked stunning as she chose a traditional silk organza gown by Valentino.

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Prince Albert of Monaco kept his Hollywood heritage alive when he married South African swimmer Charlene Wittstock in 2011. She was the embodiment of opulence, opting to wear an Armani creation for her nuptials. The dress took 2,500 hours to create and was covered in 40,000 Swarovski crystals, 20,000 mother of pearl teardrops and 40,000 gold beads.

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When two worlds collide: Before the British royals, there were the Monaco royals. Grace Kelly’s 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier III of Monaco was televised to an estimated $30 million and dubbed “the wedding of the century”. The Hollywood star traded in her acting crown for a governing one when she tied the knot, after meeting the Prince at Cannes Film Festival. The blushing bride wore a Helen Rose design.

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Queen Elizabeth II’s sister Princess Margaret also wore a Norman Hartnell design for her 1960 wedding to Antony Armstrong-Jones.

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The Princess’ wedding was was watched by over 300 million viewers worldwide. Her stunning dress, though designed by the same person as her older sister’s, was completely different! White silk organza with a satin-bound silk tulle veil and not a stitch of embroidery in sight! And her tiara named Poltimore after Lady Poltimore back in 1870, was purchased at auction specially for Margaret.

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Zara Phillips channelled an English rose when she married former England rugby player Mike Tindall in July 2011. The royal wore an ivory silk faille dress by Stewart Parvin.

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Nothing beats a royal wedding, just ask Wills and Kate!

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