Congratulations to Princess Beatrice! A couple of weeks ago, she got married to her boyfriend, property developer and son of an Olympian Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. The pair was scheduled to take their vows May 29 at St. James' Palace, but the global health situation upset their plans to have a big wedding in front of family and friends. Still, they were able to have a small, intimate ceremony, and Princess Beatrice looked amazing in her beautiful gown that was actually a favorite dress of her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. We are so happy for the new couple. Unfortunately, the change in plans means we won't get to enjoy the usual bevy of images from a royal wedding that we are so used to seeing these days.
So … what better reason than to do a retrospective of past royal wedding images that made us breathless? Given that the royal family is quite big, there are plenty of ceremonies and photographs that left us agog — whether because of majestic bridal dresses, dramatic entries or exits, or just sweet moments that reminded us why we just love love so much.
Obviously, these days, we are used to royal weddings being major events and having thousands of photos to pore through. But there are some photos from past royal weddings that show just how in love people around the world have been with the royals since, well, before any of us were born. Hundreds of thousands of people crammed into London's streets when then-Princess Elizabeth got married to Philip, with many people sleeping on sidewalks for days just to get a good view! We had so much fun looking back at our favorite wedding photos — here's a ranking, from beautiful to absolutely breathtaking.
15. Sarah Ferguson & Prince Andrew
Though their marriage wasn't destined to last, their wedding ceremony was still a lavish affair that gave us great pics. Andrew wore a full formal naval uniform, and Sarah's dress was designed by Lindka Cierach. It featured a 17-foot-long train, and a 20-foot-long veil. Sarah Ferguson famously said she lost 26 pounds in advance of her wedding day.
We can relate, Fergie.
14. Mary of Teck & King George V
Queen Elizabeth's grandmother, Mary of Teck, was Queen consort of England during the reign of King George V. After her first short-lived marriage ended — due to the death of her husband — Mary was paired with George at the urging of Queen Victoria. Although the marriage was arranged, the couple fell in love and had a successful marriage. Thousands lined the streets for their 1893 wedding, which made Mary the Duchess of York.
13. Princess Beatrice & Prince Henry
There was a wedding for another Beatrice — 135 years ago. Princess Beatrice married Prince Henry of Battenberg in 1885. Beatrice was a favorite child of Queen Victoria, and the queen was not too keen on Beatrice marrying. However, Victoria softened to the marriage and warmed to Henry on the condition he take up full-time residence in Britain. (He was originally from the Lomnardy-Venetian region of the Austrian empire.)
12. Princess Beatrice & Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi
The Princess Beatrice of today had her wedding under very different circumstances from her royal brethren. Still, it was a beautiful affair by all accounts. (Her sister, Princess Eugenie, got punny on Instagram, saying she couldn't "Bea" happier.) Beatrice wore the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara, the same luxurious headpiece worn by Queen Elizabeth at her wedding in 1947.
11. Lady Gabriella Windsor & Thomas Kingston
Lady Gabriella Windsor had a gorgeous wedding to Thomas Kingston last year at St. George's Chapel. Gabriella is the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and is a successor to the throne — 50th in line. Still, she had a wedding fit for a would-be queen. Her dress was gorgeous, but not too over the top, and her bridesmaids and pages flanking her and Thomas are too cute.
Princess Margaret & Antony Armstrong-Jones
This beautiful image from the wedding of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 belies their turbulent relationship. Margaret was somewhat of a maverick compared to the rest of the royal family and married Armstrong-Jones — despite him not coming from royalty or nobility. Both of them had several affairs but eventually parted ways on friendly terms. Oh, and there were the naked photos too.
9. Princess Eugenie & Jack Brooksbank
At least we got to bask in the splendor and pomp of Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank a couple of years ago. Eugenie wore an emerald tiara from her grandmother, Queen Elizabeth — and her dress featured a stunning train that her dad, Prince Andrew, helped arrange on the steps of St. George's Chapel.
8. Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip
Then-Princess Elizabeth had one of the largest royal weddings ever, with commoners lining the streets for days to get a peek at the future Queen. Luminaries and leaders from all over the world attended, and Mahatma Gandhi made her a piece of cotton lace he spun himself. In this photo, she, Philip, and other members of the British royal family are joined by royalty from Sweden, Spain, Denmark, Yugoslavia, Greece, Romania, and Norway. It was a rocky road to the wedding, but a spectacular and memorable event in the end.
7. Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall
This stunning image with perfectly contrasted lighting and a gorgeous bride in a spectacular gown is from the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall. They were married at Canongate Kirk in July, 2011. We love this dress because it is luxurious but accessible, and we love this picture because Zara and Mike look like they have just had the time of their lives.
6. Princess Anne & Mark Phillips
Why do we love this photo? Listen, this royal wedding has 1970s written all over it. From Anne's beehive hairstyle to the monochromatic background, it's definitely a period piece. Their wedding, held at Westminster Abbey, attracted huge crowds. Princess Anne is Queen Elizabeth's only daughter. It must have been very special for both of them when Anne wore the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara, which Elizabeth also wore at her own wedding.
5. Duke & Duchess of Fife
Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, was the younger sister of King George V and eldest daughter of King Edward VII. She married Alexander William George Duff, the first Duke of Fife, in 1889. This picture from their wedding has all the hallmarks of a 19th-century royal wedding photo, with the serious poses and physical distance between husband and wife — but we're looking at that corset and gasping for air.
4. Meghan Markle & Prince Harry
What a treat it must have been for the 7-year-old Mulroney twins to participate in one of the biggest royal weddings of the decade! The boys are sons of Meghan Markle's former BFF, stylist Jessica Mulroney. They stole the show by gently and dutifully carrying Meghan's massive train as she entered St. George's Chapel. There were dozens of amazing images from the Sussex wedding, but this is one we'll never forget.
3. Kate Middleton & Prince William
There was Kate's gorgeous dress, the world's introduction to Pippa Middleton, and the excitement of seeing a future king and queen tie the knot. The Cambridge wedding was one for the legend books. Both Kate and Will looked absolutely full of joy the entire time, but this picture gives us all the feels, because of the way Will is looking at Kate. They'd been together for years, and we can just tell she is the love of his life.
2. Princess Diana & Prince Charles
There were two people at this wedding, yes. Sorry, Charles, for leaving ya out, but we all know Diana was the star of the show everywhere she went. Princess Diana wowed the whole world with her beauty and grace at her 1981 wedding to Charles. Her dress was legendary — the train was an astounding 25 feet long, and her veil was made up of 153 yards of tulle.
1. Princess Diana
Princess Di's wedding dress may have been one of the best-kept secrets of the century. The designs and swatches had to be kept in a safe to keep members of the prying British press from learning any detail they could about the dress. So when it finally made its debut, it was a sight to behold, and Diana brought all the drama necessary to make it worth the wait. With its sequins, lace, and 10,000 pearls, there arguably hasn't been a comparable wedding dress since.
