Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (2024)

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (1)

Queen Elizabeth has had plenty of opportunities over the course of her reign to perfect her royal style. The British monarch regularly attends formal galas, state dinners, and public appearances, and in addition to all her duties, she's no stranger to a royal wedding. Ahead of Lady Gabriella Windsor's upcoming ceremony, here are the finest examples of Queen Elizabeth's exemplary wedding guest style.

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1

Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon's Wedding, 1960

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (2)

On May 6, 1960, Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey. With an estimated 300 million viewers worldwide tuning in, it marked a new era for royals fans, becoming the first royal wedding to be broadcast on television.

To celebrate the occasion of her little sister's nuptials, the queen wore a belted turquoise silk and lace gown with a matching bolero jacket, starting a personal trend of blue wedding at weddings, which she would carry on for years.

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2

Princess Anne and Mark Phillips's Wedding, 1973

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (3)

Princess Anne may be the Queen's second child, but she was the first to wed, marrying Olympic equestrian and retired military officer Mark Phillips in 1973.

For her first turn as Mother of the Bride, Queen Elizabeth chose a regal blue coat dress with an inlaid diamond pattern, diamond-shaped fastenings, and a matching hat.

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3

Prince Charles and Diana Spencer's Wedding, 1981

The original headline-grabbing royal wedding, Prince Charles's marriage to Diana Spencer in 1981 was an international event, watched by millions worldwide.

For the occasion of the future King of England's nuptials, the queen sported a shift dress in Tiffany blue with white elbow-length gloves, pearls, and a matching hat.

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4

Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson's Wedding, 1986

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (5)

After a whirlwind, year-long romance, Prince Andrew, the Queen's third child, married Sarah Ferguson, the future duch*ess of York in July of 1986. Though they eventually divorced, the couple has remained close according to their two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

Queen Elizabeth wore a tiered dress in forget-me-not blue with a pleated skirt. She paired the look with, you guessed it, a matching hat, this time of the wide-brimmed variety.

More: The Biggest and Best Royal Wedding Hats of All Time

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5

Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones's Wedding, 1999

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (6)

In 1999, Queen Elizabeth's youngest, Prince Edward, married Sophie Rhys-Jones in a relatively private ceremony (by royal standards, at least).

Break from her blue streak, the Queen fashioned herself in a muted lilac palette for the occasion, donning a beaded dress with sheer sleeves and a pleated hem along with matching gloves and a feathered fascinator.

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6

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles Wedding, 2005

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (7)

Because both Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla Parker Bowles
were divorced before they wed, the couple elected to have a civil marriage ceremony followed by a blessing at Windsor Castle instead of a traditional church service.

Her Majesty attended the blessing in a cream-colored coatdress with subtle patterns of yellow. She completed the look with black gloves and shoes, a jeweled brooch, and a boater-style hat with a yellow floral ribbon and feather accent.

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7

Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly's Wedding, 2008

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (8)

The eldest of Queen Elizabeth's grandchildren, Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips (he's rumored to be the Queen's favorite grandson), married Canadian Autumn Kelly at Windsor Castle in 2008.

The Queen chose a more neutral look for this wedding, wearing a dress in pewter and bronze jacquard with embroidered trim over with a matching coat. She accented the look with pearls (one of her go-to gems) black gloves, and a feathered headband.

More: Our Favorite Headband Moments Of All Time

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8

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Wedding, April 2011

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (9)

For Prince William's wedding in 2011, the royal family (and the rest of the world) pulled out all of the stops. With more than 40 million people tuning in in the U.S. and the U.K., Prince William married Kate Middleton in high storybook fashion, including a celebrity-studded procession and that famous carriage ride.

The Queen's outfit for the day was appropriately jubilant; she paired a sunny yellow shift dress, a jeweled brooch, and a flat-topped, wide-brimmed hat with white gloves and neutral accessories.

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9

Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall's Wedding, July 2011

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (10)

The same year that William and Kate tied the knot, Queen Elizabeth also celebrated the marriage of her granddaughter, Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips.

To watch Zara marry rugby player Mike Tindall, the Queen looked pretty in peach in a buttoned coatdress, angled peach hat, and the same neutral accessories she sported to William and Kate's nuptials. After all, just because you're a royal doesn't mean you can't be frugal.

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10

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Wedding, May 2018

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (11)

The Queen continued showing a sunny sartorial disposition toward her grandchildren's marriages in 2018 when Prince Charles's youngest son, Prince Harry married actress Meghan Markle in a royal wedding of Cinderella proportions.

Her Majesty attended the ceremony in what the palace described as "a delicately flared dress in lime, lemon, purple and grey printed silk" and "an edge to edge coat with a frogging fastening in lime silk tweed," both by Stuart Parvin.

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11

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's Wedding, October 2018

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (12)

While Princess Eugenie, daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, duch*ess of York, may not have quite the same name recognition in the states as some of her cousins, the Queen treated the wedding of her granddaughter to Jack Brooksbank in 2018 with just as much fanfare.

Queen Elizabeth chose an ice blue dress and hat by Angela Kelly to celebrate the day along with her usual pearls and a heart-shaped 18.8 carat diamond brooch known as the Cullinan V brooch.

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12

Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston's Wedding, May 2019

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (13)

In May 2019, Lady Gabriella Windsor, who is the Queen's first cousin once removed, married Thomas Kingston at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. The Queen, who attended the ceremony with Prince Philip, wore a floral dress with a bright pink coat and matching hat on top.

Queen Elizabeth's Best Royal Wedding Guest Outfits (2024)

FAQs

Why did the Queen wear white to Camilla's wedding? ›

According to Hello! magazine, the queen decided to sport white, rather than her usual bold color choices for her wedding guest attire, because Camilla was wearing a pale blue dress, not the traditional white.

What did the Queen wear to royal weddings? ›

Though she wore colors like purple, yellow, and green to notable nuptials, Queen Elizabeth chose blue dresses and coats for six very significant royal weddings: Princess Margaret's wedding to Anthony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, her daughter Princess Anne's wedding to Mark Phillips in 1973, Prince Charles and Princess ...

What do guests wear to a royal wedding? ›

If you're going down the royal route, we suggest giving guests the option just like Harry and Meghan: Dress code: Tuxedo, black tie or formal suit. Formal evening gown with the option of a head piece.

What did Queen Elizabeth wear to Charles and Diana's wedding? ›

The royal wedding of the century took place in July 1981 when Prince Charles, then heir to the throne, married Princess Diana. Again, Queen Elizabeth wore blue, opting for a seasonally appropriate shade of the color for the summer wedding.

Did Camilla wear white to Diana's wedding? ›

Camilla did attend Charles and Diana's wedding in 1981. However, Princess Diana said that Camilla did not wear white, noting instead that the future queen consort donned a light gray for the occasion. "I knew she was in there, of course.

Why did the Queen not attend Charles and Camilla's wedding? ›

As sovereign, Queen Elizabeth was head of the Church of England and decided it was not appropriate for her to be at the wedding of two people who divorced their previous partners.

How much did Queen Elizabeth pay for her wedding dress? ›

Queen Elizabeth paid for her $42,000 wedding dress with ration coupons in 1947, which would be over $1.6 million today. Queen Elizabeth's wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, was made of duch*ess satin and featured floral silk appliqués and a 13-foot silk train.

What did Princess Anne wear to Charles and Diana's wedding? ›

Yellow Floral Dress

The Princess Royal debuted this knee-length dress embellished with ruffles and yellow flowers at the July 1981 wedding of her brother, Prince Charles, to Princess Diana.

Did the Queen like Kate's wedding dress? ›

The monarch wasn't overly passionate or excited about Princess Kate's wedding dress, which was mounted on an invisible mannequin with the bridal veil. The Cartier tiara was placed over an absent head.

Does the Queen have to approve wedding dresses? ›

The bride's wedding dress must be approved

The reigning monarch must approve of the royal bride's wedding dress before she walks down the aisle, reports CBS News. Dresses are expected to be either white or cream, feature long sleeves and not show the bride's shoulders or cleavage.

Are royals allowed to wear jeans? ›

But in reality, they also love jeans — well, some of them do, anyway. While we doubt we'll ever catch King Charles wearing denim again, we've seen other royals use jeans in all kinds of washes and colors, as a go-to pant for official and personal outings.

Do royals wear wedding rings? ›

“Although it's traditional for royal women to wear both an engagement ring and a wedding ring after they get married, it's never been traditional for royal men to wear one,” she explained. “That's why Prince Philip and Prince William don't wear them.

Why did the Queen bow to Diana? ›

"She spontaneously bowed her head as Diana's coffin went past, which is not the traditional thing for the Queen to do, and very quickly support did bounce back," remembers Gristwood. It was a clear break of royal protocol, but one which the public welcomed as a way of paying respect to Princess Diana.

Did Queen Elizabeth bow to Diana at her funeral? ›

What did the queen do at Diana's funeral? Any initial anger at Queen Elizabeth reportedly dissipated at Princess Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997, at Westminster Abbey in London. Per The Washington Post, the monarch broke protocol at the funeral by bowing as Diana's casket passed by.

Was Camilla at Diana's funeral? ›

Camilla Parker Bowles, as she was then, did not attend the funeral of the late Princess of Wales, much less sit with or near Prince Charles.

Who was the first royal bride to wear white? ›

A queen from 1837 to her death in 1901, Victoria was the first to wear white at a wedding and was seen as stylish but too conservative for doing so.

Did the Queen Mother go to Camilla's wedding? ›

The parents of Charles and Camilla did not attend; instead, Camilla's son Tom and Charles's son Prince William acted as witnesses to the union. The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh did attend the service of blessing.

Why did the queen paint her face white? ›

2 In 1562, the Queen contracted smallpox which left severe and permanent scars on her face and she feared it may ruin her image of possessing seamlessly fair skin. 2 In order to conceal the damage caused by her illness, she used a heavy white face paint known as Venetian Ceruse.

Does Queen Camilla have royal blood? ›

But did you know that Camilla actually has royal blood herself? Her royal ancestry is distant, but there's a definite linkage that's worth mentioning. The Earl of Albermarle, Camilla's 2x great-grandfather. The link comes from Camilla's 2x maternal great-grandfather Lieutenant Colonel William Coutts Keppel, born 1832.

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