We tend to think of the royals as the epitome of extravagance. After all, they live in palaces, they wear crowns, and most of their money comes from taxpaying citizens. But for all the thousands of dollars the royals will spend on house renovations or new wardrobes, they have their thrifty moments as well — even during royal weddings.
Usually, royal weddings are pretty over the top cost-wise. Meghan and Harry's nuptials cost nearly $46 million, thanks in large part to the security cost needed to keep everyone safe. For her wedding to Prince William, Kate Middleton's dress was almost half a million dollars, and her cakes (yes, she had two) totaled $160,000.
But among the fancy dresses and luxury baked goods, there have been plenty of opportunities to cut costs, and the royal brides have been fine with scrimping here and there. Over the years, here are 14 times the royal family made royal wedding magic happen on the cheap.
The Queen's Ring Was Made from Recycled Jewels
When Prince Philip proposed to Queen Elizabeth (then just Princess Elizabeth), he did so with a special ring. According to Town & Country, the diamond band was created with jewels from a tiara owned by Prince Philip's mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg. Talk about a family heirloom.
The Queen Bought Her Dress With Ration Coupons
When Princess Elizabeth was planning her wedding, World War II rationing was still in effect in Britain, according to Tatler. As a result, the princess had to save up her rationing coupons to buy the fabric that would be turned into her wedding dress. It was well worth it, though. Her gown was gorgeous.
Even the Public Chipped in to Help
Tatler also reported that the public was so invested in helping the Princess Elizabeth have the wedding of her dreams that they started sending her their own ration coupons. Unfortunately, the coupons weren't transferrable, so she couldn't use them. Instead, the coupons were reportedly sent back with thank you notes.
Princess Anne's Modest Engagement Ring
When Princess Anne got engaged in 1973, the UK was dealing with a recession. Perhaps as a result, she went with a much more modest diamond ring than Princess Diana would end up wearing in 1981. According to The Adventurine, Anne's ring was a small sapphire stone flanked by two small round diamonds.
The Royals Often Reuse Their Wedding Jewelry
Speaking of royal jewelry, brides often wear vintage pieces for their wedding days. The Queen has many tiaras and earrings and necklaces in her personal collection, which she is happy to lend royal brides on their big day. For example, Princess Beatrice wore the same tiara that her grandmother, the Queen, wore on her own wedding day.
Kate Middleton Did Her Own Wedding Makeup
Coming from a commoner background means Kate Middleton isn't used to being waited on hand and foot — so she was perfectly comfortable doing her own wedding makeup for her big day, according to People magazine. Sure, millions of people may have been watching from around the globe, but she wasn't intimidated by that at all.
And She Used Affordable Products
Not only did Kate do her own makeup for her wedding, but she used items from a mid-range makeup brand to create the look. She went with all Bobbi Brown products that cost from $24 to $48, reports People. Some of the products she used included clear lip gloss over pink lipstick, waterproof mascara, and brown metallic eye shadow.
Kate & Eugenie Wore Inexpensive Nail Polish
Queen Elizabeth reportedly prefers natural-looking nails, so both Kate and Princess Eugenie opted for neutral shades for their ceremonies. Kate reportedly wore the shade Allure by Essie mixed with a pale pink polish, and Eugenie wore Essie's iconic Ballet Slippers — the Queen's favorite shade — which is a soft pink. The bottles run about $9, so anyone can recreate their wedding manicures.
Meghan Markle's Nails Are Also Attainable
Although Meghan reportedly didn't use Essie nail polish, the colors she used are relatively inexpensive as well. According to Vogue, the Duchess of Sussex combined two shades of CND Shellac polish (Unmasked and Negligee) to create her perfect pink color. Those shades are about $15 each.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
Meghan's Easy Hairdo
Meghan did have a hairstylist for her big day, but since she went with such a low-maintenance, unfussy hairstyle, it probably didn't cost much to bring it to life. According to Glamour, the whole look took just 45 minutes to create. Meghan probably could have done it herself, but we don't blame her for wanting a professional for such an important event.
Growing Their Own Bouquets
It's tradition for royal brides to have a sprig of myrtle included in their bouquets, according to Elite Daily. It dates back to Queen Victoria, who planted a myrtle bush at her home after receiving the plant as a gift from Prince Albert's grandmother. Now all the royal brides use myrtle from this same bush.
Princess Beatrice Had a Small Ceremony
Only about 20 people attended Prince Beatrice's nuptials, because it took place during quarantine in 2020. But she helped save the public a fortune on security costs, as there were no crowds of people to maintain like at Meghan or Kate's weddings. She essentially eloped and saved everyone a ton of cash.
Princess Beatrice's Wedding Shoes Weren't New
Adding to her cost-cutting, Beatrice's wedding shoes were a pair she's owned for years. According to People magazine, the public has previously seen Beatrice wear the shoes to two weddings, including Kate Middleton's. Kate's wedding was almost a decade ago, so we love to see that Beatrice keeps her wardrobe items around for a long time.
Princess Beatrice Also Borrowed Her Dress
Beatrice's thrifty ways didn't end at her shoes or her small ceremony. Her wedding dress was one of Queen Elizabeth's old dresses that was restyled to fit the princess. The Queen was spotted in the beaded gown three times in the '60s before it eventually became Beatrice's wedding dress. The royal gushed on Twitter about the outfit, writing, "It was an honour to wear my grandmother’s beautiful dress on my wedding day."
Royals Re-Wear Their Wedding Outfits
It's not just the royal brides who are thrifty; the royal wedding guests have been known to re-wear their outfits on more than one occasion. After Kate's wedding, the Queen re-wore her yellow outfit on a tour of Australia. The suit Prince Charles wore to Meghan and Harry's ceremony was from 1984 — and Kate infamously had re-worn her cream dress twice before she showed up in it for Meghan's ceremony. Some thought she did this so her own outfit wouldn't be the talk of the day. That's a kind gesture, if it's true!
