Royal weddings are national celebrations in Britain with countrywide street parties, public holidays and crowds of thousands.
Bunting and Union flags ordinarily decorate streets across the U.K. when the royals prepare to welcome a new member to the family.
And there is good reason for public intrigue as when direct heirs to the throne are involved, wedding ceremonies effectively appoint a future queen.
As has been remarked in the past, weddings are to royalty what elections are to democracy.
Princess Diana
The Princess of Wales wore a dress by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, famous for its 25ft sequin encrusted train, for her St Paul’s Cathedral wedding on July 29, 1981.
The designers had to treat the gown like a state secret, locking it in a safe each night and hiring security in an effort to stop their work from leaking to the media.
They even booked the princess appointments in fake names, including with the surname Cornwall—a reference to Prince Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall estate.
Princess Diana wearing a wedding dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and the Spencer family Tiara in an open carriage, from St. Paul’s Cathedral to Buckingham Palace, following her wedding to Prince Charles on July 29, 1981, in London, England. Her dress was one of the most iconic in recent royal history.
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Quoted by The Independent, Elizabeth Emanuel said: “We had lots of names for her and in one diary, she was booked in as Deborah and we made up the surname Cornwall. It was very important to keep things secret so her dress went into the safe every night and we had two security guards sleeping in our salon every night.”
During one dress fitting, the princess arrived in roller skates with her bridesmaids—an anecdote that might appeal to fans of The Crown, which depicts a young Diana roller skating through Kensington Palace.
Emanuel said: “She had just been roller-skating with them and we did the fittings with them all wearing their roller skates so there was lots of laughter.”
Princess Diana, then Lady Diana Spencer, arrives at St. Paul’s Cathedral on her wedding day, revealing to the world the wedding dress which had been carefully guarded during its design. Diana and Prince Charles married on July 29, 1981.
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Bridesmaid India Hicks described how as the crowds built on the streets of London on the big day, Diana broke the tension by singing along to an advert that at the time depicted a glamorous carriage not unlike the one the princess was due to ride in that day.
Hicks wrote in the Daily Mail: “Early the next morning, [Diana’s sister] Sarah and I were at Clarence House, the London residence of the Queen Mother, saying good morning to a fresh-faced Diana, who was dressed in old jeans with a diamond tiara on top of her head.
Lady Diana Spencer, wearing a wedding dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and the Spencer family Tiara, prepares to enter St. Paul’s Cathedral on the hand of her father, Earl Spencer, with her bridesmaids Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones and India Hicks, ahead of her marriage to Prince Charles, Prince of Wales on July 29, 1981 in London, England.
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“Diana was amused to watch herself on a tiny television screen that had been found in the nursery; she would flick away anyone who got in the way.
“During a commercial break, the advert for Cornetto ice-cream came on and she started singing. Soon we all joined in. ‘Just one Cornneeeettttoooo’ could be heard from the top floor.”
Prince Charles and Princess Diana wearing a wedding dress designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel and the Spencer family Tiara, leave St. Paul’s Cathedral following their wedding on July 29, 1981 in London, England.
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Make-up artist Barbara Daly told 2017 Channel 4 documentary Diana: In Her Own Words how she was still humming the tune when she climbed into her carriage.
She said: “She was looking at the television. It was kind of a very strange thing because you could see the crowds on the small television that was just under the window. And there were all the crowds that we could see on the television, right outside the window.
“And she said, ‘This is a lot of fuss for one girl getting married’. We walked down to the carriage and she just sort of gave my hand a little squeeze and then hummed me a little ditty which was from the commercial, One Cornetto.”
Prince Charles and Princess Diana at their wedding in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, 29th July 1981. The bride and groom leave the cathedral together after the ceremony.
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Princess Diana’s wedding dress displayed complete with its spectacular sequin encrusted train during the ‘Royal Style In The Making’ exhibition photocall at Kensington Palace on June 02, 2021 in London, England. Royal Style in the Making opened at Kensington Palace on 3 June 2021, and will run until 2 January 2022.
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Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip at 10.30am on November 20, 1947, at Westminster Abbey.
The happy day came just two years after the end of World War II and while Britain was very much still reeling from the devastation it caused.
Rationing was still in place and, in keeping with the law at the time, the fabric for her dress was bought using clothing coupons.
Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, and Prince Philip walking down the aisle of Westminster Abbey, in London, UK, on November 21, 1947.
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The royal family website states: “Due to rationing measures in place following World War Two, Princess Elizabeth had to use clothing ration coupons to pay for her dress.
“Hundreds of people from across the UK sent The Princess their coupons to help with the dress, although they had to be returned as it would be illegal to use them.”
Sir Norman Hartnell designed the dress, inspired by the famous Botticelli painting Primavera.
The queen was known as Princess Elizabeth at the time because her father George VI was still king. She only became queen when he died five years later in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, and the Duke of Edinburgh on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, London, waving to the crowd shortly after their wedding at Westminster Abbey November 20, 1947.
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Meghan Markle
Meghan Markle wore a Givenchy dress by designer Clare Waight Keller to her wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2018.
Her 16.5-ft-long veil was made of silk tulle and embroidered with flowers representing the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, made up mainly of Britain’s former overseas territories.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle emerge from the West Door of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 after their wedding ceremony. Meghan’s dress was designed by Givenchy.
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And Meghan paired it with the rarely seen Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiara, made in 1932 and left to Queen Elizabeth II in Queen Mary’s will in 1953.
On Harry and Meghan’s second wedding anniversary, Keller wrote on Instagram: “Two years ago today I was in the final fittings for a very secret dress.
“So many emotions were running through me during those months leading up to the big day. A wedding dress is one of the most exquisite and beautiful moments for a designer, but also personally as a woman artist, creator, there is a lot of sensitivity that flows through the process from the knowledge and understanding of the feelings that you have as a bride.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stand before Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby during their wedding ceremony in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018.
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She added: “Purity and simplicity were the guiding principles, a narrative of nature through the 53 florals of the Commonwealth to bring the world into the journey of the ceremony and subtlety bringing the lines of Givenchy and the history of the Maison to capture the classical timeless beauty I knew she wanted to achieve.
“It was obvious the significance of this occasion was more than any other, it would be a very personal ceremony with so many choices that would reflect both the bride and groom’s heritage and their unique way of being incredibly inclusive, genuine and generous.”
Meghan Markle smiles as she begins her carriage procession with Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in the Ascot Landau Carriage after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018.
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Meghan Markle arrives for her wedding ceremony to marry Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on May 19, 2018.
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Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton’s 2011 wedding to Prince William was a national celebration for the Britain, with a public holiday and street parties.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore a gown by Sarah Burton, of iconic British fashion house Alexander McQueen, to the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
Her train was nearly 9ft long and the lace work on the dress was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, at Hampton Court Palace, Town & Country reported.
Kate Middleton waves as she arrives with sister Pippa Matthews at the West Door of Westminster Abbey in London for her wedding to Britain’s Prince William, on April 29, 2011.
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Prince William and Kate Middleton smile following their marriage at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England. The marriage of the second in line to the British throne was led by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was attended by 1900 guests, including foreign Royal family members and heads of state.
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A palace statement at the time read: “Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship and its respect for traditional workmanship and the technical construction of clothing.
“Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work. “
Kate Middleton with her father Michael Middleton and bridesmaids arrive for her Royal Wedding to Prince William at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
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Kate Middleton, in her wedding veil and tiara, arrives at her Royal Wedding to Prince William at Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011 in London, England.
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Princess Beatrice
Princess Beatrice had something borrowed from a very special place during her lockdown wedding last summer—her dress.
The royal, Prince Andrew’s eldest daughter, borrowed the gown from the queen when she married Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at The Royal Chapel of All Saints, in Windsor Lodge.
Princess Beatrice wrote on Twitter: “It was an honour to wear my grandmother’s beautiful dress on my wedding day, I hope many of you are able to visit the exhibition which is still open at Windsor Castle.”
The July 2020 wedding was not a public event with a grand guest list like most royal weddings as coronavirus rules limited numbers.
Also, there was one notable absence from the publicly released pictures—her disgraced father Prince Andrew.
The Duke of York stepped down from royal duties in November 2019 after a car crash interview in which he failed to say he regretted his friendship with convicted abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
It was an honour to wear my grandmother’s beautiful dress on my wedding day, I hope many of you are able to visit the exhibition which is still open at Windsor Castle https://t.co/iy5McD5ClH
— Princess Beatrice of York (@yorkiebea) October 16, 2020
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, the same venue as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding.
Eugenie’s ceremony in October 2018 was just five months after theirs and saw the bride wear a dress by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos.
The royal family’s website reads: “The design of the dress features a neckline which folds around the shoulders and a flowing full-length train.”
Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank wave as they emerge from the West Door of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in Windsor, on October 12, 2018 after their wedding ceremony.
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Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at their wedding in St. George’s Chapel on October 12, 2018 in Windsor, England.
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Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank kiss as they leave after their wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on October 12, 2018 in Windsor, England.
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Sarah Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew in a gown by Lindka Cierach at Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986.
The dress had bees and thistles in a nod to her coat of arms and the 17.5ft train was embroidered with anchors and waves in acknowledgement of Andrew’s time in the Royal Navy, Harper’s Bazaar reported.
Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and wave at their wedding on July 23, 1986 in London, England.
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Sarah Ferguson, known as ‘Fergie’ in the U.K. press, and Prince Andrew during the carriage procession for their wedding at Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986.
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Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding day came against the backdrop of a fairy tale gone wrong.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana separated in 1992 after a bombshell biography revealed his affair with Camilla and they divorced in 1996 a year after Princess Diana discussed it on national TV.
After Diana’s death in 1997 the nation was plunged into unprecedented public mourning, with a sea of flowers left at the gates to Kensington Palace.
However, Charles did eventually remarry on April 9, 2005, with a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall and a blessing at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Camilla wore a blue chiffon dress designed by Anna Valentine and Antonia Robinson underneath a gold-embroidered coat dress with a gold-feathered fascinator by Philip Treacy.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Charles in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony on April 9 2005.
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Sophie, Countess of Wessex
Prince Edward married Sophie Rhys-Jones at St George’s Chapel, in Windsor Castle, on 19 June 1999.
According to Tatler, the Countess of Wessex wore a silk and organza dress decorated with 325,000 crystals and pearls which was designed by Samantha Keswick.
Sohpie wore the Anthemion tiara from the queen’s private jewellery collection.
Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, on their wedding day in Windsor on June 19, 1999.
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