Weddings are undoubtedly exceptional, celebrating the union of two people in holy matrimony in grand and lavish weddings in Kent. If you can’t have castles as your wedding venues in Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, you can rent spaces or sprawling gardens for your big day.
Royal weddings are a whole category on their own; they have fascinated millions of people from around the world for many generations. From luxurious wedding dresses to grooms in full military attire, royal weddings are seen as fairy tales that have become a reality.
From Prince William and Kate Middleton’s iconic wedding in 2011 that garnered over 2 billion viewers worldwide to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip’s historical unity, here are five of the most memorable royal weddings.
Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip
The current ruler of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor II, married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the Duke of Edinburgh on November 20, 1947. The wedding took place in Westminster Abbey, which became a popular venue for royal weddings after World War I. At 13, the then-Princess Elizabeth of England met Prince Philip on a tour of the Naval College.
After that notable encounter in 1939, the two royals began exchanging letters throughout World War II and fell in love. Their official engagement was announced to the public in 1947, and they were married the same year.
Prince William and Kate Middleton
Although the exact details of their first meeting are unknown, the public believes that Prince William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor met Catherine Elizabeth Middleton in 2001 when the two attended the same school, the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. By 2003, the current Duke and Duchess of Cambridge became an official couple, and despite a brief split in 2007, they got back together. The two announced their official engagement in 2010 and got married the following year on April 29, 2011, in the iconic royal wedding venue, Westminster Abbey.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana Spencer
Princess Diana Frances Spencer of Wales rose to worldwide fame in 1981 when she became engaged to Prince Charles Philip Arthur George of Wales, the heir apparent to the British throne. The couple officially tied the knot the same year, on July 29, 1981, in the iconic Anglican cathedral in London, St. Paul’s Cathedral. Unfortunately, the couple divorced in 1996, and the following year Princess Diana died in a fatal car crash in Paris with her partner Dodi Fayed. Princess Diana loved and revered around the world dedicated her life to charity work and raising her two sons.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
One of the recent royal weddings in the British royal family was the wedding of Prince Henry Charles Albert David and Rachel Meghan Markle. The couple met through a mutual friend, and after a transatlantic courtship, the pair officially announced their engagement in November 2017. They got married a year after on May 19, 2018, in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in England. The wedding of the current Duke and Duchess of Sussex delighted millions with its pomp, circumstance, and grandeur celebration.
Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones
Princess Margaret Rose Windsor was the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. The then-princess fell in love with a British photographer and filmmaker, Antony Armstrong-Jones. They officially announced their engagement to the public on February 27, 1960. They shortly tied the knot on May 6, 1960, in the same wedding venue of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately, the Countess and First Earl of Snowdon divorced after 18 years of marriage.
Weddings are a glimpse of a fairy tale in reality, and royal weddings make that more apparent. These royal weddings will forever be celebrated and remembered, inspiring commoners and royalty alike from all over the world.