A Look Back: Royal Weddings
Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan and his future wife, Masako Owada pose in traditional Japanese costume before their June 2, 1993 wedding in Tokyo. The prince reportedly proposed several times before Owada accepted in December 1992.
It’s as close as the United States gets to a royal wedding: former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton (in custom Vera Wang) weds Marc Mezvinsky in an interfaith ceremony at the Astor Courts in Rhineback, New York on July 31, 2010
Jordan’s Crown Prince Hamzah (half-brother of King Abdullah) and Princess Noor celebrated their wedding on May 27, 2004 in Amman, though they had already wed privately in August 2003. The pair divorced in September 2009.
Princess Margaret (Queen Elizabeth the Second’s younger sister) and Tony Armstrong-Jones leave Westminster Abbey after their wedding on May 6, 1960. Princess Margaret broke off her engagement to Peter Townsend (a divorcee who was 16 years her senior) amidst pressure from her family and was later married to Armstrong. Theirs was the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television and attracted around 300 million worldwide viewers. The pair divorced in 1978.
Prince Albert, Duke of York (later coroneted King George VI) wed Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon at Westminster Abbey on April 26, 1923 as King George V and Queen Mary (on right) look on. Prince Albert’ (as he was known before his coronation) proposed to Bowes-Lyon twice before she accepted in 1923. Their relationship was recently brought to the screen in The King’s Speech.
Grace Kelly, already American silver screen royalty and Prince Rainier married on April 18 1956 in the Palace Throne Room of Monaco and had a church ceremony the following day at the Saint Nicholas Cathedral. Her dress was designed by MGM’s Academy Award-winning costume designer and took 36 seamstresses six weeks to complete.
Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh began to exchange letters in 1939, when Elizabeth was only 13 and were secretly engaged seven years later, though the King, George VI, insisted that the engagement be delayed until Elizabeth was 21-years-old. Their Westminster Abbey wedding on November 20, 1947 was broadcast on BBC radio to 200 million people.
The culmination of a controversial relationship between Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, the pair were married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005. Parker Bowles wore a Philip Treacy hat and the couple’s rings were crafted from special 22 carat Welsh gold, a Royal Family tradition dating back to 1923.
Crown Prince Felipe of Spain and bride Crown Princess Letizia Oritz Rocasolando pose with bridesmaids in the Royal Palace after their May 22, 2004 wedding in the Almudena Cathedral in Madrid.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah Ferguson wed after a two-year courtship at Westminster Abbey on July 23, 1986. Amidst much tabloid speculation, the pair separated in 1992 and officially divorced in 1996.
Princess Caroline of Monaco wed French businessman Philippe Junot (17 years her senior) in a civil ceremony in Monaco on June 28, 1978 amidst doubt from the royal family about the match. The pair divorced in October 1980.
Perhaps the most iconic of royal weddings, Diana Spencer marries Prince Charles at St. Paul’s Cathedral (rather than Westminster Abbey, as St. Paul’s offers more seating) on July 29, 1981. More than 600,000 people lined the streets to watch the procession and globally, the ceremony was watched by more than 750 million people. The couple divorced in August, 1996.
