One of the most memorable days in a person’s life is their wedding day. It all comes together after months or years of planning to give your guests a celebration they’ll never forget. If you’re a royal, however, you can afford to throw a lavish wedding. Take a look at these 30+ extravagant royal weddings!
Prince Johan Friso – Orange-Nassau
Mabel Wisse Smit married Dutch royal Prince Johan Friso of Orange-Nassau in style in 2004. The bride looked lovely in a silk gown from Viktor & Rolf, a Dutch fashion house. Despite Mabel’s impeccable and timeless personal style, the day had not been easy. Because the marriage was outlawed by the Dutch government, her husband gave up his status as second in line to the Dutch throne in order to marry her! Her deep ties to the criminal underworld are the cause.
Prince Johan Friso Orange Nassau
Princess Madeleine – Sweden
Princess Madeline, the second daughter and youngest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, married a man of no noble ancestry! She was completely smitten by banker Christopher O’Neill, who was born in the United Kingdom but now lives in the United States. Many foreign royals, including Princess Takamado of Japan, were present at the wedding. What, on the other hand, was the most memorable aspect of the ceremony? A wedding cake made up of almost 700 macarons in the shape of a towering pyramid!
Princess Madeleine Sweden
Princess Victoria – Sweden
The wedding of Princess Victoria of Sweden to gym owner Daniel Westerling in June 2010 cost an estimated $2 million! The Princess is King Carl XVI Gustaf’s and Queen Silvia’s eldest child. The pair married in the Stockholm Cathedral in a lavish ceremony dubbed “the grandest royal wedding since the Prince of Wales wedded Lady Diana Spencer” by some. The days between June 6th, Sweden’s national day, and June 19th, the wedding date, have been designated as the Love Stockholm 2010 days. Residents and visitors alike were treated to activities throughout the city.
Princess Victoria Sweden
Crown Prince Frederik – Denmark
Despite the fact that Danish Crown Prince Frederick is known as Prince Charming, he met his love, Mary Donaldson, in a pub! It was during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, that the prince struck up a friendship with a local girl over a few beers. Handwritten letters (aww!) and long-distance phone conversations kept the two in touch. Their love story came to a close with a fairytale wedding at Copenhagen Cathedral in Denmark.
Crown Prince Frederik Denmark
Crown Prince Haakon – Norway
The decision of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway to marry Mette-Marit Tjessem Høiby was not well received by all sections of the Norwegian public. Mette-Marit was not only a commoner, but she was also a single mother with a young boy fathered by a convicted drug dealer. Despite the scandal, Prince Haakon ignored the detractors’ criticism and married her, and the couple is still together.
Crown Prince Haakon Norway
Pierre Casiraghi – Monaco
Pierre Casiraghi, the son of royalty (Prince Albert II of Monaco) and the grandson of Hollywood royalty (Grace Kelly was his grandmother!) had a jaw-droppingly beautiful wedding. During the festivities, his beau, Italian heiress Beatrice Borromeo, wore four exquisite wedding gowns. Lana Del Rey, an American singer, attended the wedding with Francesco Carrozzini, an Italian photographer. The dynamic couple met in 2008 while both attending Bocconi University in Milan.
Pierre Casiraghi Monaco
Prince Joachim – Denmark
When Prince Joachim of Denmark married Marie Cavallier of France, she was first unenthusiastic: “I had a great life – I didn’t need to be rescued by some Prince from Denmark. There was no doubt in my heart that I loved him, but I had my life. I was happy, and I had my pride. I simply was not ready to get married and take on the responsibility it would be to become a member of the royal family.”
Prince Joachim Denmark
Prince Christian – Hanover
The wedding of Prince Christian of Hanover and his bride Alessandra de Osma was anything but traditional! After marrying in Prince Christian’s registry office in England, the couple flew to Alessandra’s native Peru for a religious wedding. They brought with them a slew of renowned royals, including Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece and his daughter Olympia, British Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and supermodel Kate Moss for good measure!
Prince Christian Hanover
Crown Prince Willem Alexander – Holland
Crown Prince Willem Alexander of Holland was not supposed to be king; his brother, Johan Friso, was supposed to be, but he gave up his place in line in order to marry a woman who was not approved by the Dutch parliament. As a result, when Prince Willem married Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, the future Queen of the Netherlands was born. Despite the pre-wedding stress, however, the wedding went off without a hitch. A Valentino gown was worn by the bride.
Crown Prince Willem Alexander Holland
Prince Edward
It was a huge reason for excitement when Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. The bride donned a Samantha Shaw silk organza gown studded with 325,000 pearls, proving that the British know how to throw a royal wedding. The power couple is still going strong, with two children: James, Viscount Severn, who was born in 2007, and Lady Louise Windsor, who was born in 2003.
Prince Edward
Prince Ernst August Jr. – Monaco
It wasn’t quite a family affair when Prince Ernst August Jr., the son of the Prince of Monaco, married Yekaterina Malysheva. The celebration was infamously ignored by his father, Prince Ernst August, because his son had inherited family property between 2004 and 2006, and the older Prince wanted a piece of the action. Despite the commotion, Yekaterina and Prince Ernst married in the Market Church of Hanover, Germany, in front of 600 guests and thousands of bystanders.
Prince Ernst August Jr. Monaco
Prince Felix – Luxembourg
The wedding of Prince Felix of Luxembourg and Claire Lademacher is one for the record books. On September 17, 2013, in Konigstein, Germany, the wedding was held in front of 350 guests at Villa Rothschild Kempinski. Claire was born into a high-society family, despite not having royal ancestry. She was educated in prestigious schools and easily integrated into her husband’s high society circle as the daughter of German telecommunications entrepreneur Hartmut Lademacher. The loving couple is now the proud parents of three children!
Prince Felix Luxembourg
Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah – Brunei
When Brunei’s prince wedded, he did so in a grand manner. There were a total of 100 limousines available to carry the wedding guests in comfort. The royal couple arrived in style, in a golden Rolls Royce limousine. Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan were among the honored guests at the wedding. There was also a marching band that paraded through Bandar Seri Begawan’s streets, as well as an incredible buffet feast.
Prince Al Muhtadee Billah Brunei
Prince Nikolaos – Greece & Denmark
Tatiana Blatnik opted to take a few risks for her wedding to Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Denmark in 2010. First and foremost, she entrusted the critical task of designing and making her royal wedding gown to Angel Sanchez, a relatively unknown Venezuelan designer! The reason for this is that the model was born and reared in Venezuela (to Slovenian parents), and she wanted to pay homage to her roots. Angel’s career took off following the wedding, of course!
Prince Nikolaos Greece & Denmark
Lady Charlotte Wellesley – Wellington
Lady Charlotte Wellesley Of Wellington did not marry another member of the royal family. She married Alejandro Santo Domingo, a Spanish billionaire, in a small town in the Andalusian countryside, with musician James Blunt serenading the happy couple.
Lady Charlotte Wellesley Wellington
Prince Rashid – Jordan
Prince Rashid of Jordan’s wedding to tennis player Zeina Shaban was a star-studded affair. The wedding took place at the opulent Basman Palace in Amman. Queen Sofia of Spain, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Bahraini King Hama Ben Issa Al Khalifa, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, and several members of the Shaban family were among the royals in attendance, both European and local. There were little over 2,000 persons on the guest list.
Prince Rashid Jordan
Prince Carl Philip – Sweden
At Stockholm Palace’s Royal Chapel, Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, married Swedish commoner Sofia Hellqvist. The most prominent members of the Norwegian royal family, The Queen of Norway and The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Norway, as well as The Princess Takamado of Japan and The Earl and Countess of Wessex from the United Kingdom, were all in attendance. Guests were amazed by a colorful wedding cake filled with fizzing pop rocks.
Prince Carl Philip Sweden
Prince Pavlos – Greece
Prince Pavlos of Greece married a non-royal commoner, but she was no ordinary woman: he married ultra-rich heiress Marie-Chantal Miller, whose father’s net worth was reported to be over $2 billion. She married Prince Pavlos in London, wearing a couture Valentino wedding gown adorned with pearls that cost over $225,000! In our opinion, the most luxurious portion of the wedding is the reception. For the occasion, how about 100,000 flowers carried in by private plane from Ecuador?
Prince Pavlos Greece
Prince Rainier – Monaco
The world came to a halt when Monaco’s Prince Rainier married Grace Kelly. The ceremony took place at Monaco’s St. Nicholas Cathedral, which was packed with 600 guests, including Hollywood royalty such as Cary Grant, Ava Gardner, and Gloria Swanson, as well as the day’s millionaire barons (Conrad Hilton and Aristotle Onassis were there). The guests were treated to a lavish feast that featured champagne, caviar, lobster, and a gigantic wedding cake weighing more than 200 pounds!
Prince Rainier Monaco
King Mohammed VI – Morocco
When King Mohammed VI of Morocco married Salma Bennani, the love of his life, he broke down some fundamental boundaries. To begin with, Moroccan monarchs and princes had previously married other royals, and Salma was not a member of the royal family. King Mohammed also officially recognized her and publicized their wedding images, as well as her entire name – something that had never happened before, as royal wives’ names were always kept hidden. The wedding was a large-scale event that lasted for a week.
King Mohammed VI Morocco
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah
When the Sultan of Brunei’s daughter marries, you can bet it’ll be a big deal in the entire country. A week of celebration has been declared a public holiday. The wedding had a guest list of slightly over 3,000 people, with an estimated cost of $1,000 per person! Let’s start with the decorations: conventional flowers were too ordinary for the royal family, so the room was covered with crystal and expensive gem-encrusted flora.
Princess Hajah Hafizah Sururul Bolkiah
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck – Bhutan
When the Dragon King of Bhutan (his official title) marries, it is not a private affair; it is a national celebration. In honor of the wedding, a three-day holiday was announced, with banks, schools, and companies closed. The royal couple served a lavish buffet meal to the public, complete with traditional delicacies and performances of song and dance. As they traveled through Thimpu’s streets, schoolchildren and local residents flocked to congratulate the newlyweds.
King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Bhutan
Crown Prince Felipe – Spain
It was a big deal when Felipe, the Crown Prince of Spain, married former newscaster Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. The wedding took place in May 2004 in Madrid’s Almudena Cathedral, with an estimated attendance of around 1,500 people. There were over a million flowers in and around the Cathedral, which was incredible! However, because the wedding took place only a few months after the Madrid train bombings, a large portion of the wedding budget was spent on security.
Crown Prince Felipe Spain
Prince Charles
The second marriage of Prince Charles was a huge international event. The who’s who of international high society was represented by the list of foreign royals in attendance. On the special day, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud and Princess Nouf, Bahrain’s King Hamid Al-Khalifa, Yugoslavia’s Crown Prince Alexander and Crown Princess Katherine, Norway’s Crown Prince and Crown Princess, and former Greek King Constantine II and Queen Anne-Marie of the Hellenes were all present.
Prince Charles
Prince Abdul Malik – Brunei
This isn’t the first time the family of the Sultan of Brunei has made the list. The ruler’s youngest son’s wedding was no exception to the trend since the family is notorious for throwing some of the most lavishly lavish weddings in the world. The Sultan’s wedding was said to have cost him $30 million! The ceremony featured $1 million in wedding bands for the bride and groom, as well as a massive buffet.
Prince Abdul Malik Brunei
Prince William – Wales
When Prince William married Kate Middleton, a former classmate, and long-term lover, the ceremony was immediately compared to the wedding of William’s parents, Prince Charles and Lady Diana. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey and included an $80,000 eight-tier wedding cake and $800,000 in flowers. Because this was the largest royal wedding in decades, a considerable portion of the wedding money was allocated to security.
Prince William Wales
Prince Henry – Wales
When Prince Henry of Wale, better known as Prince Harry, proposed to his fiancée Meghan Markle, a Hollywood celebrity and divorcee, he defied all English royal norms. The royal family has backed Harry’s decision, and the wedding will take place on Saturday, May 19th. Harry and Meghan will marry at St George’s Chapel and live as newlyweds in Kensington Palace. The wedding alone will cost $2.8 million, according to Business Insider, with an additional $34 million for security costs.
Prince Henry Wales
Prince Albert II – Monaco
When your mother was one of the most glamorous movie stars of all time (more on that later), you need to have a fantasy wedding suitable for a princess, especially if you’re a prince! When Prince Albert II of Monaco married South African-born Charlene Wittstock, he kept the family tradition alive by holding an extravagant wedding. The couple had two wedding ceremonies, one civil and one religious, resulting in a hefty price tag.
Prince Albert II Monaco
Prince Charles – Wales
We’re going back in time to one of the most famous fairytale weddings ever. The wedding of Prince Harry and Prince William’s parents was one of the most-watched television spectacles ever. Queen Elizabeth II’s son Charles married Lady Diana Spencer in front of two million onlookers in the streets and approximately 750 million viewers at home. The bridal gown of Lady Diana had a 25-foot train, and the wedding cake was five feet tall!
Prince Charles Wales
Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum – Dubai
You might be wondering what the most costly wedding ever hosted was, and we’ve got the answer for you right here. Sheikh Mohammed Rashid al Maktoum of Dubai married Princess Salama in 1979, and the wedding cost an estimated $137 million (not adjusted for inflation)! The wedding set the Guinness World Record for the most costly wedding of all time, with 20,000 guests and 34 private jets transporting guests from various nations.
Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum Dubai
Prince Guillame – Luxembourg
The wedding of Grand Duke Guillaume of Luxembourg was unquestionably a public event for the tiny country. His Belgian spouse, Duchess Stéphanie de Lannoy, was a descendant of one of Europe’s oldest aristocratic families. The pair married after many years of friendship, and the wedding sparked controversy because it was funded by Luxembourg’s public funds. In exchange, the public was treated to fireworks, free concerts, and street fairs.
Prince Guillame Luxembourg