6 Most Expensive Royal Wedding Dresses In History

A royal wedding is always an extravagant affair. And royals around the world have been hosting the most lavish and show-stopping weddings for generations. 

However, it's always the wedding dress worn by royal brides that we often fancied, eager to know the price tags. 

The most expensive royal wedding dress to date. Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano wore this gold embroidered wedding for her May 2004 wedding to then Prince of Asturias 

To date, these are the most expensive wedding gowns worn by royal brides.

6. Silk Taffeta Fairytale Dress for Lady Diana Spencer

Lady Diana Spencer arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981, in the arms of her father, the 8th Earl Spencer of Althorp, in an appearance what many fans would call - a depiction of fairytale.

The bride, who entered the church as an Earl's daughter, and emerged an hour later as the Princess of Wales, was a real picture of loveliness in her exquisite David Emanuel silk taffeta dress. 

The Princess of Wales pictured in Buckingham Palace throne room

Welsh couple, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, designed the gown which was made from ivory silk, embellished with pearls, sequins, and antique lace. And topped with a 25-foot train, the longest wedding train in royal history.

The Prince and Princess of Wales following the church ceremony

Princess Diana's wedding gown is one of the most iconic royal wedding dresses of all time, and considered the most closely guarded secret in fashion history. Her wedding to Prince Charles was also the most watched royal wedding on television.

The Prince and Princess of Wales riding a horse-drawn carriage after their church wedding

The Emanuel couple designed the wedding dress of the future Princess of Wales in a fairytale pattern gown with puff sleeves, ribbons on the elbows, 10,000 mother of pearl sequins and lace on the bodice to complete the fairytale look. 

As a goodluck charm, the designers attached an 18-carat gold trinket studded with white diamonds to the label. The Princess of Wales's wedding dress was valued at US$189,760.00 in 2019. 

It is also interesting to note that during the wedding, Diana did not wear high heels so as not to tower Prince Charles. They both stand 5 feet 10 inches tall.

5. Pearl-encrusted Valentino Dress for Marie-Chantal Miller

Marie-Chantal Miller, daughter of American billionaire, Robert Warren Miller, wed Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece on July 1, 1995 at St. Sophia's Cathedral in London, the United Kingdom. 

Marie-Chantal Miller on her wedding day

It was one of the most lavish royal weddings held in Europe during the 20th century. The wedding saw the largest gathering of royalty in London since the wedding of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh in 1947. More Crown Heads were in attendance than at the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and The Prince of Wales in 1981.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Greece following their wedding 

The bride's parents hosted an extravagant pre-wedding champagne reception two nights before the wedding. Queen Elizabeth II, whose husband, Prince Philip, is the first cousin of the groom's paternal grandfather, hosted a tea party reception at Claridge's Hotel in Mayfair. And Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, the groom's maternal aunt, also hosted another reception for the couple aboard the Danish royal yacht, Dannebrog.

However, it was Marie-Chantal's fabulous wedding gown that caught the spectators' attention during the big day. It was made by popular Italian couturier, Valentino Garavani, and reportedly cost US$225,000. 

The pearl-encrusted ivory silk dress has a tulip-shaped front design with a 4.5 meter Chantilly lace train. About 25 people worked on the dress and took four months and 12 different kinds of lace to complete.

4. Peter Pilotto Statement Dress for Princess Eugenie of York

HRH Princess Eugenie of York walked-down-the-aisle in a statement wedding dress designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos. The design, a wide V-neck with a collar continuing to the back of the dress that shows her back scar, was especially requested by Princess Eugenie. 

Princess Eugenie's statement wedding dress 

She wanted to send a message of hope to those who are suffering from scoliosis that, "people should not be ashamed of their scars". The scar at her back was the result of the operation she underwent when she was 12 years old to correct her severe scoliosis.

Princess Eugenie chose to wear a low-back wedding dress to send a message of hope

To make a strong statement, she also did not wear a veil to emphasize the scar, only a tiara loaned to her by The Queen - The Greville Emerald Kokoshnik tiara, completed her exquisite royal wedding look. 

The dress has a fitted bodice and full pleated skirt and features a wide-neck V shape, folded shoulders and a low back that drapes into a flowing full-length train. 

Jack Brooksbank and Princess Eugenie following the church ceremony at St. George's Chapel, Windsor

It also featured different symbols close to Princess Eugenie's heart. Rope-like motifs woven into a jacquard of silk, cotton, and viscose blend. The motifs composed of  Scottish thistle, to pay tribute to the couple's fondness of Balmoral, Irish shamrock, as a nod to Sarah, Duchess of York's side of the family, a York rose, to pay tribute to the family name of York (Rose was an emblem of the Royal House of York in the middle ages), and Ivy, to represent the Ivy cottage at Kensington Palace, where Princess Eugenie lived.

Her wedding dress was valued at US$251,339.00 in 2018.

3. Alexander McQueen Dress for Catherine Middleton - The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wed on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. And it was one of the most extravagant royal weddings held in London. The bride wore a gorgeous dress with lace applique bodice and a nine-foot long train. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after the wedding ceremony

It was designed by Sarah Burton, the creative director of the British fashion label, Alexander McQueen. It was revealed that Kate wanted to integrate tradition and modernity in her wedding dress, thus, the dress was a combination of her own design ideas and Sarah Burton's deep knowledge of high fashion. 

Catherine Middleton on her way to the church for her wedding to Prince William

Sarah Burton designed an ivory satin bodice padded slightly at the hips and narrowed at the waist. It was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry. The lace applique bodice features floral motifs cut from machine-made lace.

On the back are 58 buttons of gazar and organza fasten by means of rouleau loops. The underskirt trim and bridal train also incorporates lace applique in a similar manner. The main body of the dress is made of ivory and white satin gazar. 

There's also a blue ribbon sewn inside the dress. The bodice features lace in the style of the 19th century "something old" tradition. This Alexander McQueen elaborate wedding dress cost up to US314,173.00

2. A Royal Blue Dress for Sarah Salleh - She was born Sarah binti Salleh Ab-Rahaman on April 9, 1987, in Brunei. Her father is distantly related to the Sultan of Brunei, while her mother is a Swiss-born nurse who now works in the Health Ministry in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. 

Sarah, The Crown Princess of Brunei

At the age of 17 in 2004, Sarah married the Crown Prince of Brunei, Al-Muhtadee Billah. But she continued her studies after the wedding, obtaining a degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Brunei Darussalam  in 2010.

The matching glittering blue outfits of the couple during the actual wedding ceremony

Their wedding in 2004 was a two-week affair in Brunei and attended by foreign dignitaries and foreign royals. The extravagant event was celebrated throughout the Sultanate and offered a rare excitement to the people of Brunei, a country that lacks night life.

The Crown Prince's father, the reigning Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, was the world's richest man in the 1990s. Today, he remains the world's richest royal. Brunei is located in Southeast Asia and considered one of the smallest countries in the world, but one of the richest due to its oil production.

Four of the five wedding gowns wore by the Crown Princess of Brunei

The Sultan's extravagance is legendary and he lived in a palace that is often dubbed as the world's grandest palace trimmed in real gold. During his heir's wedding, his wealth was in full display, complete with a gilded limousine. 

Sarah and The Crown Prince had three wedding ceremonies and the celebration lasted for two weeks. Sarah also wore five different wedding dresses, all designed in grandeur and opulence. 

The Malay traditional marriage ceremony was held on September 5, 2004. The bride wore a powder blue dress with colorful hand-printed embellishments. The Henna ceremony was held on September 8, 2004 and Sarah wore a glimmering red and gold gown dress. 

The actual wedding ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries and royals, was held on September 9, 2004. Sarah wore a traditional Malay outfit resplendent in blue and gold with intricate design. She paired the dress with a gemstone-encrusted headscarf, diamond studded shoes and a bouquet made of gold and diamonds. 

The ceremony was held in Istana Nurul Iman Palace, the official residence of the Sultanate of Brunei, and one of the largest and grandest palaces in the world. 

Her blue wedding dress alone was estimated to be worth US$4.5 million. 

1. Gold embroidered gown for Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano  - And the most pricey royal wedding dress of all time was the one worn by Queen Letizia in 2004!

Spanish news anchor, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, wed then HRH Felipe, the Prince of Asturias, on May 22, 2004 at Almudena Cathedral, Madrid, Spain.

The Prince and Princess of Asturias following the church ceremony

But it was the bride's wedding dress that caught people's attention. Not only it was elaborately designed in gold and floral motifs, it also featured an open standup neckline in the shape of a corolla, a rare feature for a royal wedding dress.

The Prince and Princess of Asturias following their wedding on May 22, 2004

Queen Letizia's wedding gown was designed by Spanish fashion couturier, Manuel Pertegaz, who died 10 years later in 2014. It was made of delicate white satin woven with Valencia silk, long sleeves, wide skirt and a four-meter long train.

The train, collar, cuffs, and hem of the gown were all embroidered with real gold and floral patterns. The gold thread embroidery used in the silky dress made Queen Letizia's wedding dress the most expensive royal wedding gown in history, with a price tag of US$8 million!

The couple with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia

The bride accessorized her wedding look with The Prussian Tiara loaned by Queen Sofia, who wore the same tiara to her own wedding to then Prince Juan Carlos of Spain in 1962. 

The Prussian Tiara is made of diamonds and platinum and a family heirloom of the Hohenzollern royals in Germany and was given as a wedding present to Queen Frederica when she married King Paul of Greece. They were the parents of Queen Sofia.

Fashion designer Virginia Pozo said about Queen Letizia's dress: "It was a very modern dress but at the same time very classic, a real beauty and with the elegance and sophistication that a royal wedding requires."