Did you know that the tradition of a white wedding dress was popularized by Queen Victoria, who wore one such dress to her wedding with Prince Albert in 1840? Or that Queen Elizabeth II used ration stamps to buy the fabric for her wedding dress? It was 1947, only two years after World War II ended and times were difficult for everyone, royal or not.
Royal weddings have always been events that drew a massive public interest and sometimes even changed the course of history. Two extremely talked-about royal couples have said their vows during the last decade - Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. In fact, the senior prince’s wedding took place in April, and that means exactly nine years ago! To note this anniversary, we have collected 20 historical photos of royal weddings through the decades.
1. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha at St James's Palace, February 10, 1840
2. Prince Edward (to be King Edward VII) and Princess Alexandra of Denmark at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, March 10, 1863
3. Princess Helena (daughter of Queen Victoria) and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, July 5, 1866
4. Princess Louise (daughter of Queen Victoria) on her wedding day, March 21, 1871. The Princess married Marquis of Lorne (later Duke of Argyll) at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle
5. Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia, the bride of Prince Arthur (third son of Queen Victoria), on her wedding day, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, March 13, 1879
6. Prince George (to be King George V) and Princess Victoria Mary of Teck at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, July 6, 1893
7. Princess Margaret of Connaught (daughter of Prince Arthur and granddaughter of Queen Victoria) married Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden (to be King Gustaf VI of Sweden) at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, June 15, 1905
8. Princess Patricia of Connaught (daughter of Prince Arthur, granddaughter of Queen Victoria) and Alexander Ramsey at Westminster Abbey, February 27, 1919
9. Princess Mary (daughter of King George V) and Viscount Lascelles at Westminster Abbey, February 28, 1922
10. Prince Albert (to be King George VI) and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey, April 26, 1923
11. Prince Edward (was King Edward VIII before abdicating the throne) and Wallis Warfield Simpson at Château de Candé, France, June 3, 1937
12. Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) and Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey, November 20, 1947
13. Prince Charles (son of Queen Elizabeth II) and Diana Spencer at St Paul's Cathedral, July 29, 1981
14. Prince Andrew (son of Queen Elizabeth II) married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey, July 23, 1986
15. Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and Daniel Westling, Duke of Västergötland, Stockholm Cathedral, 19 June 2010
16. Guillaume, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, Notre Dame Cathedral in Luxemburg City, 20 October 2012
17. Prince William (son of Prince Charles, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II) and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey, April 29, 2011
18. Prince Harry (son of Prince Charles, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II) and Meghan Markle in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, May 19, 2018
