Stunning Royal Second Wedding Dresses That Had The Whole World Buzzing

Who doesn't love a royal wedding? They're few and far between, often televised, usually feature celebrity guests, and showcase the luxury that royals have access to. For those who exist in the cross-section of pop culture enthusiast and royal watcher, a royal wedding is the ultimate event. 

As if the star-studded guest lists and glamorous royal traditions weren't good enough reasons to tune in, there's also the fashion element. Not only do the guests show up and show out, but the brides work with the best designers in the world to create show-stopping looks that are inevitably talked about for years to come. And in the modern royal wedding landscape, one bridal gown is not enough — the brides of today often arrive to their receptions (or second ceremonies) in an equally gorgeous gown, making the discourse surrounding the event that much more entertaining. Take a closer look at the stunning royal second wedding dresses that had the whole world buzzing. 

Royal weddings have always been a spectacle, but the modern obsession with the ceremonies started with Princess Diana's 1981 wedding to King Charles III. There was intense frenzy surrounding Diana's wedding look, so much so that the dress's designer, Elizabeth Emanuel, had to shut the windows of her studio so the public wasn't able to get a glimpse of the gown before the big day. Such chaos also inspired Emanuel to design a second gown just in case. "I was a bit neurotic, and I thought, 'What happens if somebody breaks in and steals the dress or something spills or there's a fire or it gets stolen?' So I thought, 'I'm gonna make a backup dress.'" Emanuel told People.

Diana only wore one dress on her wedding day, and no photos of the back-up gown were taken. In fact, Princess Diana didn't even know about the dress. And Emanuel isn't exactly sure what happened to the back-up dress. So in 2024, Emanuel revealed that she decided to recreate the back-up gown for the world to see what it looked like. The back-up dress was quite different from the gown Diana wore, particularly its color and sleeves. The secondary gown is now on display at the virtual Princess Diana Museum.

In 1986, just a few years after Princess Diana and King Charles III's massive wedding, another royal couple tied the knot: Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Like Diana and Charles, Andrew and Sarah didn't stay married, but their wedding still went down as one of the most lavish affairs in British history. At the time of their wedding, it wasn't yet commonplace for royals to don a second gown. While Sarah did make an outfit change on her wedding day, the garment was more reflective of the times and not what today's royals switch into. Rather than put on another wedding dress, Sarah wore a blue floral ensemble, and Andrew changed out of his military garb into a black suit. But the duchess and her husband weren't headed to a reception in these clothes — they had already celebrated their ceremony. Sarah and Andrew were on their way to the airport to fly to their honeymoon.

Even though their marriage didn't pan out, Sarah's wedding to a real-life prince was a dream come true. "It was one of those moments... I was watching 'Cinderella' with the girls the other day, 'Ella Enchanted.' I did that! I had that moment," she told People of her wedding day.

By the time Sarah Ferguson's daughters got married, it had become almost protocol for a royal to don a second wedding dress. Princess Eugenie chose both of her wedding dresses for specific reasons. Her ceremony dress, which was designed by Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, was picked because she wanted to show off a scar she has on her back. "For me it's a way of communicating with people who are going through either similar situations with scoliosis or having a scar of their own that they are trying to deal with," Eugenie said in the narration for an exhibit at Windsor Castle, as reported by Town & Country.

Meanwhile, Eugenie's second wedding gown, which was designed by Zac Posen, was inspired by another famous princess. "I wanted something reminiscent of Grace Kelly in 'To Catch a Thief' so I showed that for reference and Zac came up with this silk that he'd found from Manchester. Every single draping effect, every single detail, every button, it's all painstakingly done by him and his team," Eugenie said. 

For the wedding ceremony, Princess Eugenie wore the Greville Emerald Kokoshnik Tiara on loan from Queen Elizabeth II. The tiara doesn't really leave the royal vault, so pundits were pretty stunned to see it out and about on the princess' wedding day. Evidently, it didn't stay out of the vault for long: Eugenie removed the cherished tiara before the reception began. 

Lady Gabriella Windsor, daughter of Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael of Kent, married Thomas Kingston in May of 2019. Her weekend-long affair boasted so many individual events that the royal wore four different ensembles. Each of the dresses was designed by Lusia Beccaria, and the bride couldn't have been more thrilled. "I've been in love with her dresses for a long time and I'm so lucky to have my dream dress designed by her. She and her team are exceptional and I'm thrilled with the stunning result of the artistry," Lady Gabriella told Hello! magazine. The second gown Lady Gabriella wore was particularly stunning. The sleeveless gown was made of tulle and lace, and two pieces of fabric cascaded from her shoulders.

Beccaria was equally as excited to work with Lady Gabriella on her wedding dress designs. "Ella is an incredible example of a woman who is both elegant and ethereal, but also possesses a strong character and personality. Like I said, [my daughter] and I were the only ones involved in her choices. She's a real contemporary princess," the designer said to Town & Country.

Princess Catherine had fashion lovers across the world in a tizzy when she emerged in public in preparation for her wedding vows. The details of the dress were kept very much under wraps, only telling those who needed to be aware who was designing the garment. Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen designed the dress, and it was such a major deal that her own mother didn't even know. "Even my mum called me and asked me: "You would tell me, wouldn't you?" Burton later said, as reported by the Daily Mail. "I loved making the dress ... and we put our hearts into it ... An instinctive, intelligent, imaginative young woman's wish for a beautiful wedding dress — or any kind of dress — is the most natural thing in the world. And I was honored to pick up the challenge and always will be," the designer told E! News.

Burton designed Princess Catherine's second wedding dress, too. The newly minted royal shone in her reception gown, which featured the same silhouette as her first gown but was pared down with no lace, train, or veil. Catherine accessorized with a belt to accentuate the empire waist and a fuzzy shrug. The duchess kept her makeup the same as earlier in the day but let her hair down for a more laid-back look.

Someone who has two weddings needs two dresses. Flora Vesterberg, daughter of King Charles III's cousin James Ogilvy, had two wedding ceremonies, and she wore two separate dresses, with the second one stealing the show. Flora first married Timothy Vesterberg in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The two had a very intimate ceremony at which the bride wore a rather understated dress by Emilia Wickstead. "I often wear Emilia Wickstead's pieces to give lectures at The Sotheby's Institute of Art or for galleries like Ordovas in London because they feel empowering. Traditional and yet contemporary," Flora said to Vogue of her first gown's designer's work.

Her second gown had a little more meaning. Flora worked with Phillipa Lepley for her next wedding dress, which she wore in September of 2021 when she and Timothy hosted a more traditional gathering. "With my grandmother's tiara as the reference, I worked with British couturier Phillipa Lepley to bring floral motifs of orchids, stephanotis, and jasmine as well as pearls into the embroidery of my wedding dress and veil," Flora said, her grandmother being Princess Alexandra, Queen Elizabeth's cousin. Flora added, too, that the embroidery and the silhouette of the dress were inspired by her father and her grandmother, respectively.

One of Europe's smallest countries has continually churned out the most glamorous royals for decades. In July 2019, Grace Kelly's grandson Louis Ducruet of Monaco married Marie Chevallier. To begin, the two wed in a civil ceremony, and they held multiple subsequent celebrations at which Marie wore gorgeous ensembles. For the civil service, the bride wore a jumpsuit made by Rosa Clara. For the religious ceremony the next day, she wore a gown designed by her sister-in-law Pauline Ducruet. And for the reception, Marie wore a separate dress designed by Rosa Clara, and the second dress made a splash for its youthful take on bridal wear.

"Impressive Marie Chevallier wore one of our unique designs as her second wedding dress for her church ceremony. She selected an amazing lace dress with a beautiful deep neckline, subtle beaded appliqués and a bold short hemline under a spectacular extra-soft tulle and embroidered overskirt — the perfect blend of striking statement, elegance and sophistication!" the designer said on Instagram. Marie kept her hair down and wore white strappy sandals with the reception gown.

It didn't take long for Meghan Markle to establish that she would be doing things a little differently as a member of the royal family. Some believe the signs were there before Meghan and Prince Harry married, but the "Suits" star certainly made a statement at her wedding with her second gown. For the ceremony, Meghan wore a classic Givenchy dress which featured an off-the-shoulder neckline and three-quarter length sleeves, an option some found surprisingly modest. But she surprised onlookers with her second gown, a Stella McCartney design with a halter neckline and a more form-fitting silhouette. The reception gown oozed Meghan, and some fans of the new royal were disappointed that she didn't wear it for the ceremony.

The dress's designer thought the reception ensemble was much more Meghan, too. And according to McCartney, there was deeper meaning to the dress choice. "The role that she's taken on, it's very austere," she told the BBC. "I think there's a great weight that she has acquired through that, and she takes it very seriously. I think it was the last moment that she could reflect, sort of, the other side to her."

Weddings in Monaco are no joke. Well, for the royals, that is. Royal weddings along the Mediterranean are days-long affairs. They consist of multiple ceremonies, and the brides have to source multiple outfits. For Princess Charlene, that meant multiple Armani Privé gowns. Charlene married Prince Albert in 2011, not too long after Prince William married Princess Catherine. The former Olympic swimmer walked down the aisle for her religious ceremony in a stunning Armani gown that required three dressmakers and 2,500 hours of work to complete.

Although breathtaking, the dress was cumbersome, and Charlene needed help getting into her and Albert's car after the ceremony. Charlene told Vogue, "The wedding dress is pretty heavy so I wanted to change into something light, soft and easy to move in for the evening." The reception dress was a form-fitting gown with a tiered train. "Charlene looked elegant, refined, and effortless today," she observed. "Her composure and posture were incredible. I loved her walk. She really rocked that aisle!" Karolina Kurkova said of the princess on her wedding day.

Though Beatrice Borromeo is technically a royal — she's married to Pierre Casiraghi, a grandson of Grace Kelly — her life is much different than the British royals, especially in what she can afford. Borromeo works as a journalist, and she doesn't have the budget to wear designer clothes at every turn. While she is often spotted in Armani and Valentino quite often, she says it's because those designers lend their pieces to her. Such might have been the case for her wedding. For her first ceremony, Borromeo wore a gorgeous Valentino dress, and for her second ceremony and reception, she wore two stunning Armani gowns, the second of which took the internet by storm.

Despite rocking such glamorous garments, Borromeo has remained quiet about her wedding day. "I'm not going to talk about my wedding. I've heard enough of it. When you had a moment in your life that you care about so much and that everybody else cared about as much as you, but for other reasons, it's nice to keep some parts of it to yourself," she told Glamour in an interview.

Grace Kelly's style has inspired many throughout the past century, and modern brides have been just as taken with her as those who were getting married in the same era. One bride who was particularly inspired by Kelly was her granddaughter, Charlotte Casiraghi. In 2019, Casiraghi married Dimitri Rassam in her home country of Monaco. The first dress she wore was designed by Saint Laurent. For the reception, Casiraghi donned a breathtaking Channel dress and wore a Cartier diamond necklace believed to have been from the Grace Kelly collection. The second look exuded Old Hollywood glamor, and it absolutely defined the public perception of her wedding.

While Casiraghi was high-fashion for her wedding, her day-to-day is a lot more low-key. "It's trainers, T-shirt, and blazer. It's not that I necessarily like to dress like that, but with children I have no space in my mind to pick a cool outfit," the royal said in an interview with Town & Country. She noted that she does own some pieces from her grandmother's collection, but she's certainly not wearing them on a daily basis.

Why purchase a new dress when you can rewear something that's both beautiful and sentimental? When Princess Madeleine of Sweden married Chris O'Neill in 2013, she wore an exquisite Valentino gown replete with a tiara and long train for the ceremony. But for the reception, Madeleine slipped into something a little more personal. The princess wore a gown that her mother, Queen Silvia of Sweden, used to own. Silvia had worn the Nina Ricci gown in 2001 to a Nobel peace prize dinner. Still in great condition, Madeleine repurposed the dress by removing the spaghetti straps and tying a bow around the waist for a more modern and youthful look.

After the wedding, Madeleine and her husband traveled to the Seychelles for their honeymoon. And rather than buzzing about Madeleine's second wedding dress, the press was leaking where the couple had gone, something they tried to keep private. "A honeymoon is a special occasion in your life that you should have to yourself. You are in a bubble of happy feelings about the wedding. Being caught by someone broke the bubble, it made us feel very sad," Madeleine said to the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet after the fact, as reported by Hello! magazine.