Royal weddings are always elaborate state affairs but the most expensive royal wedding dress of all time? Well, that one may just have flown under your royal radar.
Along with the pomp and pageantry of any royal wedding comes the anticipation of which fashion designer or famous royal couturier the bride will choose to design her dress.
Well, stealing the crown for the priciest ballgown is [drumroll please] Queen Letizia of Spain with an eye-watering £6 million wedding dress for her nuptials to King Felipe in 2004. Designed by royal couturier Manual Pertegaz, it features embroidery woven into the silk using gold thread (real, of course).
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In at number two, is Kate Middleton’s dress for her wedding to Prince William in 2011, which is thought to have cost around £250,000.
Made in collaboration with Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen, its stand out features included the bodice inspired by Victorian corsetry and 58 organza covered buttons on the back, which were fastened by rouleau loops. The lace appliqué on the skirt and bodice of the dress was handmade by the Royal School of Needlework, based at Hampton Court Palace, and hand-cut lace flowers - including roses, thistle, daffodils, and shamrocks - were created individually.
"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," the Palace revealed in a statement. "Miss Middleton wished for her dress to combine tradition and modernity with the artistic vision that characterizes Alexander McQueen’s work. "
Perhaps the biggest surprise entry is Princess Eugenie’s dress. When she tied the knot with Jack Brooksbank in 2018, she wore a circa £200,000 design by British designer Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos.
This number typifies the royal trend for hidden motifs that have meaning for the couple alone. The bride chose a thistle for Scotland as a reference to the couple's love of Balmoral and a shamrock for Ireland as a nod to her heritage. She also opted for a low back to proudly display a scar she had from scoliosis surgery.
Princess Diana’s now-infamous dress for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 was valued at £151,000 in 2019. Designer David Emanuel and his then-wife Elizabeth made the design from ivory silk, embellished with pearls, sequins and antique lace. It was topped off with a 25-foot train – the longest in any royal history.
And, finally, in at number five is Meghan Markle's dress, estimated to have cost £110,000. The timeless gown was the handiwork of Clare Waight Keller, of Parisian fashion house Givenchy, which spent a staggering 3,900 hours embroidering Meghan's 16-feet long veil with the national flowers of each of the 53 commonwealth countries. The double-bonded silk of the dress was further cushioned by an underskirt of triple silk organza.
