Princess Eugenie’s Breathtaking Wedding Dress Is One of Many Historic Royal Gowns
It was love at first sight — and not just between Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank. We’re talking about the first time we saw Eugenie’s gorgeous wedding dress!
Wedding dresses are some of the most iconic outfits worn by the royals. Eugenie’s gown was no exception. The princess, who had surgery for scoliosis as a child, chose not to shy away from showing off her scars with the low-cut back. We have no doubt that the dress will go down in history as one of the finest gowns seen at a royal wedding!
Though every wedding dress is a beautiful symbol of love, devotion, and partnership, a royal wedding dress represents something much larger than a relationship between two people. After all, there are many reasons why a whopping 23 million Americans tuned in to see the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William years before Eugenie and Jack announced their engagement. Other than getting the unique opportunity to see a new chapter in royal family history, we tuned in to stare in awe at Kate Middleton’s wedding dress (which was a totally gorgeous custom Alexander McQueen design).
Royal Wedding Dresses Through the Years
But despite how beautiful Princess Eugenie and Meghan Markle looked in their wedding dresses this year, we can all agree that Princess Diana’s gown definitely stole the show. And who can forget the ravishing number that was Grace Kelly’s wedding dress on her big day? As memorable as all royal wedding dresses are, it never hurts to take a trip down memory lane and look back at some of the most fabulous ones. Scroll down to see some of the most amazing royal wedding dresses through the ages.
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Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank (2018)
Prince Andrew, shown on the left in the photo above, let slip to the press that he was afraid of tripping over his daughter’s dress on her big day. Luckily, no such mishaps occured while he walked Eugenie down the aisle to marry her fiancé Jack. The stunning dress also proves that Eugenie embraces the scars on her back from her scoliosis surgery as a child. She actively works with charities to help others affected by the condition, which causes a spinal curvature.
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Duchess of Sussex Meghan and Prince Harry (2018)
After months of anticipation, Britain’s most eligible bachelor became a taken man when he married American actress Meghan Markle on a bright London morning. Meghan’s silk boat-neck gown instantly captured the world’s imagination, and we couldn’t help but swoon as she walked down the aisle with her long veil trailing behind her. Of course, Harry couldn’t agree more: He whispered “You look amazing!” as soon as his bride joined his side. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Harry!
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Princess Diana and Prince Charles of Wales (1981)
The entire world remembers when the late Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles of Wales wed on July 29, 1981. It’s said that more than 750 million people watched the ceremony worldwide, and that doesn’t even include those who were tuning in on the radio. Diana’s iconic royal wedding dress, designed by Elizabeth and David Emanuel, was made of ivory silk taffeta and embellished with 10,000 pearls. Her 25-foot train was exquisite, wasn’t it?
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Princess Grace Kelly of Monaco and Prince Rainier III (1956)
The late Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier’s wedding in April 1956 was often referred to as the “wedding of the century.” Rainier was so taken by Kelly that he proposed to her just three days after meeting her parents. (Like Harry’s bride Meghan Markle, Kelly was also an actress.) Perhaps the Grace Kelly wedding dress look gave Lady Diana Spencer a little inspiration, since both legendary dresses were embroidered with gorgeous pearls.
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Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton and Prince William (2011)
Thousands of people celebrated the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011. Kate’s royal wedding dress (which is said to be one of the most expensive dresses ever made) was designed by Sarah Burton, the creative director of the luxury fashion house Alexander McQueen, and has been on display at the Buckingham Palace. With handmade lace appliqué on the skirt and bodice of the dress and a nine-foot-long train, Kate’s look will go down in fashion history for sure.
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Princess Masako Owanda of Japan and Prince Naruhito (1993)
Owanda first met her beau at a tea for Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo, in 1986, while she was studying at the University of Tokyo. It was love at first sight! The two met several times within the next few weeks before finally getting married (after she refused his proposal three times!) on June 9, 1993. Unlike the other royal wedding outfits in this list, Owanda’s first look included a whopping of 30 pounds of traditional ceremonial garments before she changed into this elegant ivory ensemble.
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Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson and the Duke of Windsor Edward VIII (1937)
How could anyone forget the wedding of the late King Edward, Duke of Windsor, and Wallis Simpson? The royal house roared with rage when Edward proposed to Simpson in 1936 — to them, she was just an American divorcee who didn’t deserve to be a part of the royal family. Not wanting to live without Simpson, Edward abdicated his throne that same year. Aside from being Edward’s one-and-only, Wallis Simpson was remembered for her impeccable fashion sense — which of course extended to one of the most unique royal wedding gowns we’ve ever seen. Unlike most brides, Wallis wore a pale blue silk dress that was created specifically for her.
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Mabel Wisse Smit of Norway and Dutch Prince Johan Friso (2004)
The marriage of Mabel Wisse Smit and the late Dutch Prince Johan Friso was announced on June 30, 2003, but the couple’s romance sparked such a scandal — because the groom-to-be didn’t ask the Dutch parliament for permission to marry, so Prince Friso’s membership to the royal house was removed — that the two didn’t wed until April of 2004. But Smit didn’t let the drama stop her from strutting her stuff on her special day, wearing a beautiful white double-faced satin wedding dress with long sleeves and a 10-foot train. While slightly more modern than other old royal dresses, Smit’s gown was unique and flattering nonetheless.
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Princess Claire Lademarcher of Luxembourg and Prince Felix (2013)
If one thing’s for sure, dress designer Elie Saab knew how to make a royal wedding dress for Lademarcher, who met her husband-to-be, Prince Felix of Luxembourg, while she was studying at college. The princess’ ivory-colored silk dress, embroidered with Chantilly lace, is probably one of the most beautiful royal wedding dresses through history, and it left a lasting impression on guests and royal-watchers alike when the two tied the knot in September 2013.
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Mary Donaldson of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik (2004)
These two lovebirds met during the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and kept a low dating profile until September 2003, becoming officially engaged in October 2003. On May 14, 2004, Mary Donaldson and the Crown Prince of Denmark wed at the Copenhagen Cathedral in Denmark. We can’t help but admire how stunning Donaldson looked in her simple yet elegant off-the-shoulder royal wedding dress, which she accentuated with a lovely bouquet of cascading flowers.
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Princess Victoria Désirée Duchess of Västergötland and Prince Daniel Westling of Sweden (2010)
On June 19, 2010, Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden tied the knot at Storkyrkan church in Stockholm, Sweden. Although Daniel Westling has been teased for his “country” roots, their wedding has been described by the media as one of “Europe’s biggest royal weddings since the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.” Talk about a compliment! The newly-named Princess of Sweden said “I do” in style with an off-the-shoulder, cream-colored wedding gown.
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Princess Caroline of Monaco and Philippe Junot (1978)
Not one to rock a typical old royal dress, Princess Caroline of Monaco — the eldest child of Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly — wore a dainty royal wedding dress made by Marc Bohan of Christian Dior for her first wedding to a Parisian banker named Philippe Junot in 1978. She accessorized the striking floral dress with a Princess Leia-esque headpiece and lengthy sheer veil.
