From Kate Middleton’s Alexander McQueen creation to Princess Letizia of Spain’s gold embroidered couture – who wore the most expensive royal wedding dress in history?

Nov 6 , 2020

Three royal wedding dresses; three very different looks: (L-R) Masako Owada of Japan, the UK’s Kate Middleton and Sarah Salleh of Brunei. Photo: AFP, AP

From dresses embroidered with real gold, to ones designed by Valentino, these wedding dresses certainly make the US$10,000 budget on Say Yes to the Dress appear humble. Let’s find out which princesses and queens got to walk down the aisle in the world’s most expensive white gowns and traditional garments – one of them had to be kept so pristine that workers were required to wash their hands every 30 minutes while making it!

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Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano of Spain

Princess Letizia and Spanish Crown Prince Felipe walk under the raised swords of a military guard of honour as they leave Almudena Cathedral at the end of their wedding ceremony in Madrid. Photo: Reuters

Queen Letizia’s 2004 wedding to King Felipe VI featured a gown embroidered with real gold. Designed by the nation’s leading couturier, Manuel Pertegaz, the flowing white gown featured a high collar and a four-metre train. Although it looked simple enough, this US$8 million dress is currently the most expensive wedding dress in royal history to date, according to The Express Tribune.

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Sarah Salleh of Brunei

Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah and his bride Sarah Salleh recite a prayer during their wedding ceremony. Photo: AP

It seems like 2004 was the year to be a royal wedding dress designer, as yet another royal, Sarah Salleh, opted for an opulent gown when she wed the crown prince of Brunei, Al-Muhtadee Billah, and became princess of Brunei in what was dubbed the “Asian wedding of the year”. The princess’ traditional Malay outfit was resplendent in blue and gold and paired with a gemstone-encrusted headscarf, diamond studded shoes and a bouquet made of gold and diamonds. While the price is unconfirmed, it’s likely to have contributed heftily to the US$3.7 million price tag Harper’s Bazaar Australia put on the whole celebration.

Marie-Chantal Miller of Greece

When Princess Marie-Chantal Miller walked down the aisle to tie the knot with Greek crown prince Pavlos, she was dressed in white by Italian designer Valentino. The US$225,000 dress featured floral motifs, a silk skirt and long sleeves, according to Harper’s Bazaar. A four-metre long lace veil complete with butterfly embroidery elegantly finished off the regal look.

Kate Middleton of Britain

Britain's Prince William kisses his wife Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, next to bridesmaids and pages boys, after the wedding service, on April 29, 2011, in London. Photo: AFP photo

Widely valued at £250,000 (US$330,000), the Duchess of Cambridge actually wore the most expensive wedding dress of all British royals. Designed by Sarah Burton of luxury fashion house Alexander McQueen, the dress was inspired by the Victorian tradition of corsetry and featured handmade lace so delicately white that people who worked on the dress were required to wash their hands every half an hour to keep the material and threads perfectly pristine.

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Masako Owada of Japan

Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito (L) and his bride Masako Owada (R) in full traditional Japanese Imperial wedding costumes at the Imperial Palace. Photo: AFP

In 1993, Masako Owada married Japan’s crown prince Naruhito in both a white wedding dress and a kimono, but it was the kimono – valued at US$30,000 by the LA Times – that stole the show. The traditional Japanese bridal dress, called a junihitoe, is a 12-layer silk kimono that weighed over 14kg, in hues of emerald green, pastel yellow and vibrant red.

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Royalty

Royals like Greece’s Marie-Chantal and Japan’s Princess Masako don’t do wedding dresses by halves: think insanely delicate lace, diamond studded shoes and a US$30,000 kimono